Black Notice (Scarpetta)
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: 2008-12-30
ISBN: 0425225453
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Berkley
Product features:
- #1 New York Times Bestseller
Book Reviews of Black Notice (Scarpetta)
Book Review: This Book is DOA
Summary: 2 Stars
All the characters in this novel are continuously, gratuitously belligerent. It's one big block of road rage. Kay swears at Marino; Kay yells at her niece; Kay's niece yells back; Marino calls everyone crude names. None of the characters shows any humor, tenderness, or capacity for interesting observation. So the book weighs like an old Soviet housing project.
Although Kay Scarpetta has a tastefully appointed home, her mental terrain is a mean, drab monolith. Even when she pauses in her pursuit of the sadistic killer and indulges in what could have been a little romance in Paris, she stays on the same pitch of pugnacity. Cornwell, obviously projecting herself into her Scarpetta alter-ego, has her lover gush unlikely adorations at her - between bouts of contention, of course. Her lover tells her that she is so beautiful, he can't take his eyes off of her. In response, Scarpetta hurls more invective at him, of course. And on it goes.
There are a couple of passages of interesting autopsy detail here, but these CSI-like sections are becoming fewer and farther between as the Scarpetta series progresses. It was the wealth of scientific, anatomical knowledge that drew me to the series in the first place. As these sorts of chapters get drowned in the sheer dreary uniformity of character complaint though, there seems less and less reason to pick up one of these books.
I had in fact decided to swear off Cornwell after the last few duds in the series. However I found myself in a small town Texas truck stop with nothing to read. All they had in the way of paperbacks was a rack of Louis L'Amours - and then, incongruously, this Cornwell novel on a shelf. Since I'm not particularly a fan of the Old West genre, I thought I'd give Cornwell one more chance. But I'm advising you, if faced with the same limited choice - even if you really don't like westerns - stick with Louis L'Amour.
Summary of Black Notice (Scarpetta)
It's Christmastime in Richmond, Virginia, but no one seems merry--least of all Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, back for her 10th outing as a crime-solving coroner. Actress Kate Reading also returns, reading her third unabridged audio for Patricia Cornwell's death-drenched series. This one finds Scarpetta still recovering from the murder of her lover and in a generally foul mood as an investigation of a badly decomposed body leads her to INTERPOL, and eventually, Paris. Series regulars Police Detective Pete Marino, recently demoted, and niece Lucy are in equally cantankerous states of mind, resulting in more blue language than Cornwell regulars may be used to. Reading proves she's up to the task, maintaining multiple distinct voices and highlighting the occasional humor in the overwhelmingly dark novel. A London-based stage actress, she captivates the listener without careening into melodrama. (Running time: 12.5 hours, 8 cassettes) --Kimberly Heinrichs
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