Flesh and Blood

September 29, 2014
Bestseller Cornwell’s thrilling 22nd novel featuring Dr. Kay Scarpetta (after 2013’s Dust) pits the chief medical examiner against a threat uncomfortably close to home. On the eve of a Florida birthday trip with her FBI agent husband, Benton Wesley, Det. Pete Marino calls Scarpetta to the scene of a fatal shooting in Cambridge, Mass., with all the hallmarks of a sniper attack. Even worse are the alarming similarities between the victim, music teacher Jamal Nari—recently erroneously classified as a terrorist—and two shooting deaths in New Jersey. Not only is the killer an ace shot, but even handcrafts the bullets. Scarpetta knows the signature copper bullets are somehow connected to an odd discovery outside her and Wesley’s home: seven shiny pennies, all from 1981. Soon the hunt is on, stretching from the tonier streets of Cambridge to the murky waters off the coast of Florida. Series fans may be pleasantly shocked by the return of a once-vanquished nemesis. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM.

November 15, 2014

In Cornwell's 22nd Kay Scarpetta thriller (after Dust), Kay and her FBI profiler husband, Benton Wesley, ready themselves to leave for a much-needed vacation. But a curious discovery on her garden rocks--seven shiny pennies that date from 1981--and the flashing of a small reflective light from the distant trees put their getaway plans on hold when Det. Pete Marino calls to tell her that a long-distance sniper had targeted a music teacher, one of several victims who appear to have nothing in common. Kay is still adjusting to Marino now working for the "other" side on the police force, rather than for her as an investigator. Another unsettling fact for Kay is that her niece, Lucy, is an expert markswoman. Is someone trying to frame Lucy? The ending is unseen and unexpected--and terrifying. VERDICT Deduction is the key to solving this mystery, and Scarpetta fans will relish this nail-biting novel, Cornwell's debut with publisher Morrow. [See Prepub Alert, 5/12/14; turn to p. 80 for a profile of Cornwell.--Ed.]--Susan Carr, Edwardsville P.L., IL

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
In the latest Kay Scarpetta thriller, a serial sniper is racking up the body count while leaving virtually no evidence and no clues to his (or her) identity. Scarpetta, who, over the years, has moved further and further from her roots as Virginia's chief medical examiner, is involved in the investigation, and she's dumbfounded when evidence is discovered that suggests her own daughter, Lucy, might be involved in the case somehowthe key question here being whether Lucy knows she's involved (it's a complicated situation). Cornwell is working hard to reenergize the series, which entered a creative slump several years ago, and this is in many ways the best of the recent Scarpetta novels, boasting an involving story and some fine writing. Kay has finally found her voice as a first-person narrator, which makes the book rather less clumsy than some of the recent series entries. Cornwell seems determined not to let the series peter out, and readers will give this one an enthusiastic thumbs up. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Critical reaction to the Scarpetta series may fluctuate, but Cornwell keeps racking up big numbers: 100 million copies sold in 36 languages across 120 countries; 22 number-one New York Times best-sellers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)