Trace
by Patricia Cornwell
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Book Summary Information
Author: Patricia CornwellEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-06-28
ISBN: 0425204200
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Berkley
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780425204207
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Trace
Book Review: I Just Knew Scarpetta Would End Up In Richmond Again
Summary: 5 Stars
Trace, $7.99 US, will delight avid mystery readers. If you haven't been following this series, I'm pleased to update you. Dr. Kay Scarpetta has already vacated Virginia to work from her Florida residence, on a freelance basis, after being fired unexpectedly just a few installments back. Therefore, it's refreshing to see Scarpetta revisit her old stomping grounds -- with a new set of eyes -- when she's called upon by her replacement, Dr. Joel Marcus, to assist in a peculiar death investigation that finds him, quite literally, stumped. A fourteen-year-old girl was found dead in bed, not a mark on her. Naturally, Kay's very curious about Joel, his case, and of course she wants to see what's changed in Richmond in her absence. Unbelievably, Scarpetta takes the bait once Dr. Marcus offers it.
Readers will find out that Scarpetta's former lab is partially demolished when she arrives; that the inept Dr. Marcus isn't behind her being summoned to the bleak city that she once called home, the city that she's written off. Scarpetta's also befuddled when a sophisticated FBI agent -- Karen Weber -- starts meddling around in the Gilly Paulsson case, her former bosses career, and her own personal business, due to cross-contamination of trace evidence from two separate autopsies. Scarpetta pokes around the girl's home, trying to understand the strange relationship between Gilly's divorced parents, Frank and Suz Paulsson. Things are further complicated when Scarpetta's investigates Ted Whitby's case. What could the job site accident of a man run over by a tractor (the cross-contamination) have to do with Gilly's death by stalker?
As far as villains, Cornwell gives us a new one. This one's aptly named Edgar Allan Pogue, and he'll give Scarpetta conniption fits before she's finished. First, the guy is really unstable. Second, he's asthmatic and prone to the flu, but the idiot won't give up his cherished cigars. Third, he has creepy conversations in his head, with his dead mother, who's always scolding him. Fourth, he's a rather prolific stalker that might be responsible for Gilly's death. Fifth, Scarpetta and Pogue share a past connection; they used to work in the same building a decade ago. Sixth, Pogue has fled Richmond and relocated (to Hollywood) near to where Scarpetta resides. Coincidence? It's a very clever construct -- on Cornwell's part -- that Pogue's predilection for cigars is the thing that ultimately brings him down.
Cornwell is best when concentrating upon the externally tough but inwardly fragile Scarpetta, but she also possesses an uncanny knack for exploring the human condition. Whether she's writing about eating habits, male machismo, professional incompetence, second marriages, sexual harassment, shabby bars or affluent enclaves, Cornwell pushes the reader around -- her gift for subtle nuance is manifest -- and finds a way to crawl deep (so deep) under their skin. I'm really starting to enjoy the widening cast of supporting characters that she's woven; Pete Marino, the wily Rudy Musil, off-kilter Henri Walden, Benton Wesley, and that younger niece Lucy. Especially Lucy, who is so unsure of herself. She's an enigma, that one. After reading Trace, I'm also bound to inquire about Andy Brazil, which is an older minor series that Patricia's penned.
Every reader will probably like Trace. Its enjoyable seeing Cornwell push her protagonist in innovative directions, with her crime writing. If you're pleased with this particular outing, you should check out Predator, which is the fourteenth title in the Scarpetta series, as it features more of the misadventures of Kay's niece, the incorrigible Lucy. One more thing I'd like to say about Cornwell too is this; she delivers real bang for the buck! Running 401 pages, I found that I had to take frequent breaks while reading Trace, but I had no trouble finding the desire to finish the novel. Please note, however, that I wish Cornwell would write trimmer Scarpetta books at a more frequent pace. If you like sharp fiction from Edgar award-winning authors, this paperback is right up your alley.
Summary of Trace
Now freelancing from south Florida, Dr. Kay Scarpetta returns to Richmond, Virginia, the city that turned its back on her five years ago. Investigating the death of a young girl, she must follow the twisting leads and track the strange details in order to make the dead speak-and to reveal the sad truth that may be more than even she can bear.Literature & Fiction Books
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