Cause of Death (Paragon Softcover Large Print Books) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Patricia Daniels Cornwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1997 | Series: Paragon Softcover Large Print Books

The mysterious death of diver Ted Eddings, an investigative reporter, and the murder of a morgue assistant driving her car lead medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, her niece, and police captain Pete Marino on the trail of a deadly supremacist group. 1,200,000 first printing. Lit Guild, Doubleday, & Mystery Guild Main.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Patricia Cornwell's heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta is back; this time to solve the mystery of the death of an Associated Press reporter who was killed while nosing about in a decommissioned navy yard. Scarpetta's involvement in the case leads her to be targeted for murder herself by a nasty little neo-fascist cult with delusions of grandeur that include a plan to "kill and maim, frighten, brainwash and torture" all who oppose their plan to rule the world. Helping Scarpetta is her niece Lucy, an F.B.I. agent whose computer expertise leads to a heart-stopping journey into cyberspace. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

First, the good news: the omni-competent Kay Scarpetta is back, along with her sidekicks, in a murder mystery that's tighter than her last escapade, From Potter's Field. Chief medical examiner for the state of Virginia and an FBI consultant, Kay finds ample opportunity to demonstrate her skills in the autopsy room and outside it, too: here, she also dives with a Navy SEAL rescue squad and, through her computer-genius niece Lucy, an FBI agent, takes an up-close-and-personal look at a robot operated via virtual reality. But there is bad news: the work lacks the extraordinary, can't-go-to-bed-til-you're-finished suspense of Cornwell's earlier novels, e.g. Cruel and Unusual. The killers here, members of a nihilistic, fascist cult who think their founder akin to God, are identified early on but never developed as characters. Their crimes, while heinous, don't baffle and tease the reader (or Kay) in the manner of the villain Temple Gault, who was dismissed in the last book. While Cornwell's authoritative presentation of forensic sleuthing, FBI procedures and high-tech crime-fighting compensates mightily for the overneat dovetailing of characters' paths and even the implausible role Kay plays in the climax, the hurried, almost slapdash pace of the climactic scenes is disappointing from so accomplished a writer. But even at less than her best, Cornwell remains a master of the genre, instilling in readers an appetite that only she can satisfy. One million first printing; $750,000 ad/promo; Literary Guild, Mystery Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 407 pages
• Publisher: G K Hall & Co (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745138357
• ISBN-13: 978-0745138350
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (153 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,337,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I never finished reading this book, March 6, 2006

By 

Dee (SEA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cause of Death (Kay Scarpetta, No. 7) (Paperback)

While I'm not the type who notes inaccuracies very well, it was the story that bothered me most. Nevermind that many writers these days have serious problems with prose.

I had a very hard time trying to convince myself that a forensic pathologist could be rambling endlessly about "evil". All this with hardly any conscience over having an affair with Benton and sullying his marriage.

Furthermore, Patricia Cornwell pulls out the old trick of "men versus Scarpetta" again. While it was vaguely interesting in the first book or so, this constant reminder is tiring.

Finally, the "conspiracy" part has been beaten to death. It doesn't mean you can't use it though but Patricia employs it to poor effect.

I felt that Cruel and Unusual and The Body Farm were the better books out of this series. I think she has finally worn out her characters and they would've been better laid to rest.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Cornwell's best, but still in there swinging., June 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Cause of Death (Patricia Cornwell) (Hardcover)

I have read all of Cornwell's books and can now honestly say I am deeply depressed by the author's galloping ego. Lucy irritates me endlessly. Her relationship with Kay bounces back and forth with remarkable clarity however. It's perhaps the most convincing relationship in the series. I hate Kay's affair with Benton Wesley with a passion. Not only is it contrived and embarrassing - how can he be so ethical and yet so base? It would have been far more interesting to team up Scarpetta and Marino. I love Marino. He's so real, I can practically see the egg stains on his tie. Benton, clearly modelled on John Douglas, the former charismatic head of the FBI's Investigative Support Unit, has lost something in the translation. He has become quite improbable since he took up with Kay. Why oh why did Cornwell bump off the boyfriend Mark? And this I think is the crux of the problem. Firstly, we are told of Mark's death in an earlier book - in the past tense! We are not allowed to really share her agony, even though we by now, care deeply about Kay Scarpetta. In Cause Of Death, Cornwell pulls the same stunt. We have to wait for nearly 100 pages to see Benton and Kay together - and we learn, they've been split up for months! Quite conveniently, Benton is getting a divorce - at his long suffering wife's request. I guess Cornwell got stung by so much criticism of the extra-marital affair. In the context of the books, it seems highly unlikely Connie Wesley would really run off with another man, but okay, I'll rent the idea for now. Still, the medical aspects of the books continue to inspire, in spite of the laughable, clunky final set pieces.. A nuclear power plant? Please! I miss the earlier Kay back in Richmond with her squirrel and no-life. This one is too Cosmo, too Rambo-lina. However, the earlier diving sequences are fun and the locations as usual, make me jealous as a writer. Cornwell has been there, done that. I can't wait for the next book

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Did a pod take over Ms. Cornwell? Who wrote this book?, March 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Cause of Death (Kay Scarpetta, No. 7) (Paperback)

I'm reading all the books (in order) and can hardly believe this is written by the same author. The characters are familiar; Lucy is still annoying, Marino is still the only "real" person, and Benton is as stiff as ever (what is the attraction?)

This is a book I'm reading just to "get to the end of it." The story line is week, the plot is silly, and Dr. Scarpetta's involvement is just plain implausible. I mean, really? The FBI and international intelligence community is sharing information with the Chief Medical Examiner from Virginia when there is a nuclear crisis looming? Don't other CME's get jealous? What was Ms. Cornwell thinking?

I miss the forensic detective work and the writing of her previous novels that kept me on the edge. Resurrect Temple Gault for goodness sake! That would be a story.