Port Mortuary: Scarpetta (Book 18) (Kay Scarpetta)

Patricia Cornwell is considered one of the world's bestselling crime writers. Her intrepid medical examiner Kay Scarpetta first appeared on the scene in 1990 with Postmortem —the only novel to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards and the French Prix du Roman d'Aventure in a single year—and Cruel and Unusual , which won Britain's prestigious Gold Dagger Award for the best crime novel of 1993. Dr. Kay Scarpetta herself won the 1999 Sherlock Award for the best detective created by an American author. Ms. Cornwell's work is translated into 36 languages across more than 50 countries. A bountiful offering from one of crime fiction's most celebrated authors...arguably her most accessible book in more than a decade * Hartford Books Examiner * A gripping read made more chilling by Cornwell's note that the sci-fi technology she's describing actually exists * Metro * Long, terse and brilliant...Cornwell, who has already won more prizes than you can shake a stick at, seems to be getting better and better * City AM * 'A thrilling read * Best * --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From AudioFile n this latest installment in the Scarpetta series, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, noted forensic pathologist, is now director of the Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts. While she's been away at Dover Air Force Base on a six-month assignment, things have gone very wrong at the CFC; the bodies are piling up; her second in command, Jack Fielding, has gone missing; and Kay may be the next target. This dark, brooding story, told in primarily the first person, is mired in detail that lends little and irritates much. Kate Burton's delivery is often rushed. Her credible variation of accents lends interest but cannot overcome the listener's weariness in the face of so much introspection and useless melodrama. Not Cornwell's best effort. A.C.P. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Booklist Cornwell returns to form—somewhat—after the plodding Scarpetta Factor (2009). Told in the first person, the story finds Kay Scarpetta, now the chief medical examiner of the new Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts, involved in a couple of cases: the mysterious sudden death of a man and the murder of a child (whose confessed killer seems to be innocent). Soon she begins to suspect the two cases are related—joined by a piece of high-tech hardware found in the first victim’s apartment—and before too long, she realizes she’s facing what could be her most clever foe yet. For the first time in a while, Cornwell seems genuinely interested in Scarpetta again, giving the novel that spark of life that has made the series so enjoyable for its many fans. The book is still a long way from the glory days of Postmortem (1991) and From Potter’s Field (1995), but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Series fans who have felt a bit let down of late will be pleased. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Print, radio, television, in-person, billboards, Twitter, Facebook, iPhone apps—about the only thing Putnam isn’t doing to promote Cornwell’s latest is a graffiti campaign. --David Pitt --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Publishers Weekly Bestseller Cornwell's compelling 18th Kay Scarpetta novel (after The Scarpetta Factor), her strongest work in years, involves the chief medical examiner in a case that's both far-reaching in its national security implications and deeply personal. The story begins at the real Port Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, where Scarpetta is assisting in developing techniques for virtual autopsies, then shifts back to her recently adopted home at Boston's Cambridge Forensic Center (CFC). A young man's mysterious death becomes even stranger after full-body scans reveal destruction so extensive it's as if a bomb went off inside his body. Scarpetta and husband Benton Wesley-along with her niece, Lucy Farinelli, and ex-cop turned CFC investigator Pete Marino-discover links not only to a government project with the ability to cause mass casualties but also to another grisly case currently under investigation. As Scarpetta's military past rears its head, the emotional damage the investigation of the cases is bound to wreak on Cornwell's steadfast heroine will leave readers eager for the next installment. Long-time fans will welcome the return after a decade to a first-person narration with direct access to Scarpetta's thoughts. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Read more