Matt's Reviews > Livid

Patricia Cornwell returns with another chilling novel in her long-running Kay Scarpetta series. Full of all the action and sharp wit that the series possessed in its heyday, Cornwell keeps readers highly entertained and thoroughly captivated. Scarpetta finds herself in the middle of one of the most challenging cases of her career, which only adds to the intrigue. A crime thriller with so many twists and turns, I could not always tell which way was up in Cornwell’s best novel over the last number of years. A must-read for those who have endured throughout the series.

Kay Scarpetta has been a forensics pathologist for many years, though she’s finally met her match. Having inherited a case that is now making headlines and drawing a large television audience, Scarpetta must separate truth from fiction as all eyes are on her. Both sides are equally divided and prepared to act violently if the correct verdict is not rendered.

Two years ago, the victim’s body washed up on the shores of Virginia. She had been out with her fiancé, who claims he has no idea what happened to her. When the authorities questioned him, through immediately tossed him in jail, where he sits today. Scarpetta holds the key to the forensic evidence and her word, should it be taken serial by the jury, could free a man or condemn him forever.

While the case sits with the jury, the judge’s sister is found dead in her home. Possibly a sign by one of the side that they mean business, Scarpetta is not ready to sit back and wait, even though she has been banned from investigating. Working with her long-time friend and colleague, Pete Marino, Scarpetta tries to get to the core of the matter, while keeping some of her past involvement with the judge out of her way. Scarpetta and Marino discover some odd burn patters that could mean something even more problematic, as everything points to a new age weapon.

As tensions mount for the case to be decided, Scarpetta must determine who is out there, lurking in the shadows. When POTUS arrives in town and an attempt is made on his life, Scarpetta knows that this is not your run of the mill killer, but rather some terror cell out for something larger. Someone is surely trying to send Scarpetta a message, while making an impact on the television news cycle as well. It will take everything in her being to keep Kay Scarpetta from letting justice be perverted, though everything comes together to unveil the truth about another crime that has haunted her for the past few years. Cornwell does a masterful job in this piece to resurrect some of her past greatness in the Scarpetta series.

I remember discovering Patricia Cornwell and this riveting series, which started with a binge read of the first number of novels. The attention to detail and means by which she could weave a tale left me in awe of Cornwel’s abilities and kept me coming back for more. While there was a rough patch when Scarpetta appeared to be on the verge of disaster, Cornwell returned to her greatness and has kept the protagonist from going stale or leaving series fans to beg for her retirement.

Working with a solid foundation, Patricia Cornwell keeps readers intrigued with a solid narrative that moves as quickly as any book I have read. Keeping the reader in the heart of the story, Cornwell adds characters who enhance things in their own ways, while never letting their presence overtake the momentum of good writing. Plot twists emerge throughout that help accentuate the thriller angle, leaving the reader gasping at times. With strong themes building throughout the short chapters, the reader feels propelled towards a climactic ending that has all the ingredients for a stellar novel. I am so pleased that Patricia Cornwell is back and can only hope there are more Kay Scarpetta novels to come of this calibre.

Kudos, Madam Cornwell, for keeping Scarpetta as gritty as she has been for years.

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