Book of the Dead

August 20, 2007
Bestseller Cornwell's 15th novel to feature Dr. Kay Scarpetta (after 2005's Predator
) delivers her trademark grisly crime scenes, but lacks the coherence and emotional resonance of earlier books. Soon after relocating to Charleston, S.C., to launch a private forensics lab, Scarpetta is asked to consult on the murder of U.S. tennis star Drew Martin, whose mutilated body was found in Rome. Contradictory evidence leaves Scarpetta, the Italian carabinieri and Scarpetta's lover, forensic psychologist Benton Wesley, stumped. But when she discovers unsettling connections between Martin's murder, the body of an unidentified South Carolina boy and her old nemesis, the maniacal psychiatrist Dr. Marilyn Self, Scarpetta encounters a killer as deadly as any she's ever faced. With her recent switch from first- to third-person narration, Cornwell loses what once made her series so compelling: a window into the mind of a strong, intelligent woman holding her own in a profession dominated by men. Here, the abrupt shifts in point of view slow the momentum, and the reader flounders in excessive forensic minutiae.

Kate Reading draws listeners into this Kay Scarpetta mystery, involving them in the characters' lives. Her voices are distinct and unique--even the bit part of the deaf girl is perfectly rendered. Unfortunately, the story is not typical Scarpetta, though the ever-present details of the postmortems are still fascinating. There are a number of subplots about the recurring characters, as well as the murderer and others. Almost all of the threads are tied up by the end, but the story drags at times with lots of repetition and too much detail about each character. An abridged version might pack more punch. S.S.R. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

June 1, 2008
This 15th book in the Kay Scarpetta series focuses more on the relationships of the familiar characters than the mystery. Nemesis Dr. Marilyn Self is back to plague Kay as her new private forensic pathology practice tries to find the links among murders in Italy and Charleston, SC. There are many other hurdles and some surprises along with some inevitabilities. The new locale and a cliffhanger ending show the series is still worth following. Narrator Kate Reading is as familiar to Scarpetta fans as the characters are. Recommended. [Cornwell's Postmortem is the only novel to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards in a single year; Book of the Dead is also available as downloadable audio from Audible.comJoyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo

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