Read while
home alone? probably, but it could get a little dicey
Tissues
needed? no
Overall
rating: 4.5 stars
Summary:
Medical
examiner Kay Scarpetta receives a disturbing message regarding a missing
scientist in Canada just before a scheduled court appearance for a case
involving the missing/presumed dead wife of a millionaire. Her court
appearance, however, is delayed by the discovery of a woman’s body in Boston
Harbor. These seemingly diverse cases couldn’t possibly be connected, right?
Dr. Scarpetta will have to use all of her resources—and keep her wits about
her—to prevent more murders.
Reaction:
I’ve been reading the Scarpetta series for a number of years
and generally find that they’re a bit on the graphic side, but also fast-moving
and complex. I skip over some of the more technical (and gory!) descriptions.
I’m fascinated by the clues Scarpetta gleans during autopsies (like stomach
contents—who knew an autopsy could reveal approximately when and what the
deceased last ate?!) and it’s fun to try to solve crimes with her. The
supporting cast just adds to the intrigue: Marino, her head detective; Benton,
her husband who is an FBI profiler; and Lucy, her brilliant niece who is a
computer whiz. If you enjoy fast-paced crime/mysteries heavily laced with
medical details, the Scarpetta series is perfect for you. Although the stories
stand alone, I’d recommend reading them in the order they were written (at
least sort of!) to fully appreciate the characters’ relationships.
Do you ever skip parts of books? Do you try to solve mysteries with the characters? Are you successful?
