Body of Evidence: A Scarpetta Novel (Kay Scarpetta)
by Patricia Cornwell
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Book Summary Information
Author: Patricia CornwellEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-11-30
ISBN: 0743493915
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Pocket
Accessories:
- Cruel and Unusual
- The Scarpetta Collection Volume II: All That Remains and Cruel & Unusual (Kay Scarpetta)
- The Scarpetta Collection Volume I: Postmortem and Body of Evidence (Kay Scarpetta)
Book Reviews of Body of Evidence: A Scarpetta Novel (Kay Scarpetta)
Book Review: The Second Scarpetta Novel is a Decent Read
Summary: 3 Stars
I haven't read a great deal of Patricia Cornwell, despite the fact that she is arguably the most successful crime writer alive in terms of sales. BODY OF EVIDENCE is the second Kay Scarpetta novel, written all the way back in 1991. I thought it was just an okay read.
Seventeen years ago, BODY OF EVIDENCE was probably considered quite cutting edge for its time. In this book, Kay Scarpetta is a chief medical examiner who utilizes a great deal of forensic science to discover the identity of a serial killer. Before shows like CSI, this type of plotline was probably a breath of fresh air.
BODY OF EVIDENCE holds up okay, but it ultimately resembles an episode of a rather forgettable forensic TV series. The murder plot is decently constructed, although way too convoluted for my tastes. This relatively short book has a large number of subplots, and I didn't think that Cornwell did a particularly good job of connecting all of these plots together in a tight, coherent package.
Still, it's hard to deny that Cornwell is a fine wordsmith, and there's some awfully good writing here that's far above the norm. Despite this fact, there's something about her writing style I find off-putting -- it's most likely the remarkably dark view she possesses of human nature. Almost all the characters in this book are psychopathic, psychologically dysfunctional, bigoted, corrupt, or ethically compromised in some fashion or another. It doesn't help that heroine Scarpetta is relatively dour, humorless heroine for much of this novel's storyline.
I plan on reading a few more of Cornwell's Scarpetta books to see if they get any better. I liked BODY OF EVIDENCE slightly more than the first Scarpetta novel, POST MORTEM, but not by much.
Summary of Body of Evidence: A Scarpetta Novel (Kay Scarpetta)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell returns to the chilling world of gutsy medical examiner Kay Scarpetta in this suspense fiction classic.Reclusive author Beryl Madison finds no safe haven from months of menacing phone calls -- or the tormented feeling that her every move is being watched. When the writer is found slain in her own home, Kay Scarpetta pieces together the intricate forensic evidence -- while unwittingly edging closer to a killer waiting in the shadows....
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