Reviews of Books by Patricia Cornwell

First in the Kay Scarpetta thrill-series.  The feature character is the chief medical examiner of Virginia, Dr. Kay Scarpetta.  She not only works to solve the mystery of a serial killer on the loose, but she is also fighting against the old boy's network and someone sabotaging her investigation and her office from within.  A great thriller, and the best of Patricia Cornwell's work.

Dr. Scarpetta becomes involved in the murder of an author who had just returned home after fleeing the country for fear of her life.  Kay travels to the islands in search of answers and finds more than she bargained for.  An excellent story with some great characters and interesting forensic work.

Top-notch thriller featuring Dr. Scarpetta hunting down a serial killer that murders couples and hides their bodies.  Fiendish villain Temple Gault makes his debut with Kay and her neice Lucy hot on his trail.

One of the most disturbing scenes is set in this Kay Scarpetta novel-the deliberate murder of a young boy who was on an innocent errand for his mother.  There are lots of clues where the body is found, unfortunately they point to a convicted killer who was executed by the state.  Once again, Kay must track down Temple Gault.  This book is also very good, but as I mentioned, very disturbing.  Every parent's worst nightmare is enacted in this book.

A little girl disappears while walking home from a church meeting, and Kay Scarpetta must find the killer.  She runs into problems with other law enforcement officers and by the time she determines the murderer it may be too late to save her friend, her career, and her own life.

This is my favorite Kay Scarpetta novel-it is very raw and fast-paced.  The hunt for Temple Gault continues and this time he gets personal.  A signature murder in New York starts the chase when police link the murder of a homeless woman to Gault.

Cause of Death has one of the best mysteries to solve-whether the death of a reporter in a bizarre diving accident really an accident.  Kay pursues ambiguous leads and finds that the cause of death is larger than life.

Kay Scarpetta is called upon when a disturbing victim is found in a landfill, minus her head, arms, and legs.  Then Kay is contacted by a new nemesis via e-mail, and encounters the most frightening opponent yet:  smallpox!

Tragedy strikes Kay Scarpetta again when Carrie, Temple Gault's protege, re-enters Kay's life.  This novel is pretty good, although it gets tiresome when such terrible events continue to plague the central character.

When a corpse is discovered in a cargo ship, Kay Scarpetta uncovers an international serial killer.  When the killer comes after Kay, the drama escalates.

Kay Scarpetta is the subject of a criminal investigation after the attack on her in her home in Black Notice.  She learns that the horror she thought was silenced has only begun to rear its ugly head.

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