Scarpetta (Kay Scarpetta) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: asylum doctor, crime scene case, vet tech, Terri Bridges, New York, Gotham Gotcha (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of bestseller Cornwell's plodding 16th thriller to feature Dr. Kay Scarpetta (after Book of the Dead), the forensic pathologist—who recently relocated to Belmont, Mass., with her forensic psychologist husband—is called to Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital for reasons that don't become clear until she gets there. Oscar Bane, who voluntarily committed himself to Bellevue while denying he brutally murdered his girlfriend, refuses to speak to anyone except the high-profile Scarpetta. Bane, Scarpetta discovers, is obsessed with her. Meanwhile, someone masquerading as Scarpetta is lurking in cyberspace and supplying an online gossip site with dirty secrets about the doctor. For help on the murder case, Scarpetta turns to her computer whiz niece and a macho former colleague whose shocking actions in Book of the Dead severely damaged his relationship with Scarpetta. With a plot full of holes and frustrating red herrings, this entry falls short of the high standard set by earlier volumes in this iconic series. (Dec.)
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From Bookmarks Magazine

Critics agreed that readers familiar with Cornwell's series will find Scarpetta a weak addition; novice audiences will certainly want to skip over this one and start with Postmortem (1990), Cornwell's award-winning debut. Although Scarpetta is not one of the better entries to date, the thriller contains Cornwell's meticulous attention to detail (from autopsies to investigations) and edge-of-your-seat plotting. However, reviewers cited too much backstory, overly complex twists, and only mediocre characterization. The Rocky Mountain Newseven accused Scarpetta of becoming "something of a cipher," while the Guardianfound nothing to like at all. The bright spot? A thrilling, unpredictable ending.
Copyright 2009 Bookmarks Publishing LLC

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (December 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399155163
• ISBN-13: 978-0399155161
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (330 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,649 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 16 in The Kay Scarpetta Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed, exciting and well told story, December 3, 2008

By	California Girl "BB (Books on the beach)" (LA) - See all my reviews

Compelling story of an "innocent" man being set up as a killer. Oscar Bane, a new character insists on speaking only to Kay Scarpetta and Benton when he is suspected in his girl friend, Terri's murder. He is obviously a disturbed person as the reader hears Kay interview him. It is unclear if he is indeed guilty. Kay, being the kind hearted hero that she is, wants to believe this deranged "little person" and since she has seen him as a patient, can not discuss the interview with Benton or anyone else unless Oscar is formally charged with murder. This makes the story more complex as the reader is privy to information that none of the other investigators have knowledge of. The usual twists and turns that Cornwell uses to weave a story abound and all the characters that have become known to Scarpetta readers are part of the investigative team. This is Cornwell's best story yet. It isn't as dark as others and it is refreshing to see her characters grow and change.

80 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Patricia Cornwell should be ashamed, February 3, 2009

By	K. Grimes "Karen Grimes" (North Providence, RI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have always been a big fan of Patricia Cornwell, and have read all of her books. I was so excited when Scarpetta came out--I ordered it immediately. What a disappointment!!! I'm sure she is laughing all the way to the bank, but I have to say--if this was the first novel I'd ever picked up by Cornwell, it would be the last. It was initially boring, but I kept figuring it would get better. I managed to actually finish it after putting it down several times. Boring, boring, boring. What happened to the old Patricia?? Her first books were her best books. Now it's just blah blah blah, and very pretentious. The best character is Marino. Scarpetta has always been a snob, and frankly, I'm tired of her.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too long and too disjointed, January 29, 2009

By	Alexis Hawthorne "addictedreader" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

I just could not get into this book. As many of you have said, I used to be a big Kay Scarpetta fan, but this one might have been the last straw. Way too much personal stuff clogged up the plot line. I really felt as if I had missed one or more previous books because I couldn't follow things. I dredged through this book. It might have ruined me for future Scarpetta books forever.