Book of the Dead (Kay Scarpetta, No 15)
by Patricia Cornwell
|
List Price: Our Price: $1.40 You Save: $8.59 (86%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Book of the Dead (Kay Scarpetta, No 15)
Book Review: More of the Cornwell/Scarpetta craziness we love
Summary: 4 Stars
I finally caught up with this recent "Kay Scarpetta" adventure, and what can I say about Patricia Cornwell's latest installment in her "Bonfire of the Vanities of the Criminal Forensic Set" ongoing opus? Well, here are a few things that immediately come to mind...
A dozen scenes, some character and some plot oriented, go on pages and pages further than they need to in order to make their points;
Regular cast members Scarpetta, Benton, Marino, and Lucy, along with the handful of new or newer supporting characters appearing this time out, remain not only as grumpy and unlikable as ever, but especially grumpy and cranky toward each other, too (and in one case, there's surprising violence in the mix);
Traditional thriller elements like scary set-pieces involving the villain, and a dramatic confrontation and resolution, are nowhere to be found, with- and this was so rich- the final confrontation being treated as a brief, inconvenient interruption to Scarpetta's internal ramblings!
But you know what? Despite AND because of the things described above, I loved it all. Why? Because it's refreshing to read an ongoing series that repeatedly breaks every rule about what makes a good thriller and simply indulges whatever whim the author has on a given day at the word processor. I don't know... maybe if every thriller was like this, I'd give up thrillers and read something less disjointed and more planned out. But for some reason I genuinely like that this series, year in and year out, stubbornly continues its "take it or leave it" attitude, as if Ms. Cornwwell is saying to us, "Hey, this is the series. If you don't like my whiny characters, their endless prattling on about this and that, the whatever-strikes-my fancy method of telling my story, etc., etc, then there are plenty of slick James Patterson books out there, so knock yourself out."
Me, I'm jumping right into the next entry, the simply-titled "Scarpetta", knowing I'll be once again getting the author's trademark formula of frustration and delight.
Book Review: Since when does Kay Scarpetta say idiotic things like "let's don't" ?
Summary: 1 Stars
This is truly the last Patricia Cornwell book I am going to read. First of all, I am an ative duty member of a uniformed service and I certainly hope that nobody who reads this book gets a bad impression of soldiers or sailors....the overwhelming majority of us hate war, hate killing, hate death, hate suffering and hate prejudice (including the prejudice against us). The comments she makes in the book about the war and particularly the Air Force are extremely uneducated to the point of almost being laughable if they weren't so disrespectful. However, as an American, she is entitled to speak her mind and I have to accept that, but there is NOTHING redeeming about this book. The first book I read by Cornwell was The Body Farm when I was a junior in high school and I was so inspired...the book actually had a direct contribution to me joining the military, ironic, huh? Her latest books have been getting increasingly painful to read. I can look past her obviously anti-military leanings...it's the rest of it that gets me...changing Kay Scarpetta from the narrator to being referred to in the third person; having the highly educated and once classy Kay Scarpetta saying things like "let's don't" and referring to sex as "f&*ing" and Lucy is living out a teenage boys dream; ferraris, high tech equipment, super rich, give me a break. I guess the once fantastic author has totally lost her class and buried her talent in bitterness. In short, rent this book from the library if you are really curious, but expect that you'll be grateful you didn't spend the money to purchase it. In all due to respect to Cornwell (though I am losing that rapidly), if you are a first time reader of her material, I recommend that you read her first six or seven books and you'll appreciate why she's an award winning author...just don't expect too much from subsequent writings of hers.Book Review: Where On Earth Did Cornwell Get the Idea...
Summary: 1 Stars
That she had to conform to that jaded subset of readers who insist that all characters in a book (including the starring cast) must be screwed up in a big way? That if you wtite about crime, there aren't supposed to be good guys or bad guys per se--that it's supposed to be dysfunctional character(s) versus other dysfunctional character(s)? Or the aforementioneed subset of spoiled brats with mama's library card will get boo-oo-ored (sob-sob), which today is considered more an act of war than an actual act of aggression against some people. Has everything today been taken over by these overage adolescents? In deference to this bunch's wishes, it seems that Cornwell has moved Kay Scarpetta & Co move more in the direction of dysfunctionality in every book she puts out. In this book, we've got a young tennis phenom who has been murdered in a quasi-subhuman way that nowadays we're "s'pozed ta" see as "a cry of help" from some sicko. Also in the mix is a pretentious and hateful TV pop-shrink who's an old menesis of Kay's, who's figuratively pulled the poor girl's britches down on her TV show, which is basically a Jerry Springer-ish abomination pseudo-legitimzed by a psych degree. Scarpetta's main dilemma in each book used to be who whacked the person whose body she's got in her lab--now she's got the guy who used to be her Sipowicz-clone investigator, plus her one time "auntie's girl" niece, doing what Neil Young once termed "comin' apart at every nail". Marino has de-evolved into a quasi-thug who only exploits the concern that people close to him have for his welfare. I know Lucy had to grow up sometime, but did it have to be into a distaff Steven Seagall clone? You have to know these people from Cornwell's earlier works to be able to empathise with them at all. And Cornwell had best consider the possiblity that she can't count on us forever.Book Review: My First and Last Cornwell Novel.
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm surprised this book gets rated highly by so many readers. It's my first,[and last]Cornwell novel so I don't know the character development that occurred in previous Scarpeti stories. However, I found the characters to be unbelievable, and not particularly likeable. Niece Lucy's wealth from a software development venture, which allows her to drive a Ferarri, fly a plane and helicopter,etc., just seems silly given her role as a CSI in the setting of Charleston and Hilton Head.
How the murder victims are chosen and how they are killed is too contrived. Seemingly "shlock" and gore for the sake of shock and gore. The killer's motive is a stretch that is not believable.
The Dr. Self character, as developed, is totally contrived and unbelievable. The dialog between the characters is awkward and has to be reread at times to understand what they are saying to each other and how it relates to the story. Where was an editor or Miss Cornwell's own proof reading to clean up the amatuerishness of the dialog? [I'm spoiled by Micheal Connelly stories where almost every interchange between characters reads so true to the characters and moves the story].
The "relationship" between Scarpetti and Marino, as his character is drawn, is too far fetched to be believed. A Scarpetti type person would never put up with Marino's stupdity and indiscretions.
The CSI portions are interesting, if over-written,[I got it, Miss Cornwell knows a lot about forensics, crime scene investigation, and autopsies. The repitition of details was tiresome].
Too conclude, I finished the book only because I was curious about how it was going to end. I couldn't finish it fast enough so I could get on to more satisfying reading.The earlier Scarpetti stories apparently are much better, but I won't be trying them out.
Book Review: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE "MIDDLE OF THE ROAD" CROWD?
Summary: 3 Stars
Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has embarked upon a new career in this book--starting over in the city of Charleston, South Carolina with a unique private practice. There are many bizarre scenes, not the least of them involving a pompous radio psychologist and gruesome murders. I've been a fan of this series for quite a while, and although I don't always like lots of gory detail, this author knows her way around the morgue. This time, maybe a little too much detail.
For followers of the series, there is a point where her boyfriend, Wesley Benton, and the sometimes emotionless doctor seriously consider what the future holds for them as a couple. Sometimes Kay Scarpetta reminds me of Bones--surrounded by so much death that her own emotions are hard to get in touch with. Her niece Lucy is involved in a series of somewhat unbelievable incidents and her old standby Pete Moreno appears to be headed into a complete meltdown. I had somewhat mixed emotions, so I decided to check out the Amazon reviews on this book, and in the process post this one. What I found was very interesting. Either you loved it or you hated it. Relatively little in-between.
When I looked at and read many of the reviews I was surprised to find that there were 300 five stars and 216 one stars with a minor amount of 2, 3, and 4. Generally the ratings are weighted in the middle, so that tells me that while there were more favorable than hate it reviews, the middle of the road crowd appeared to strongly take one side or the other. It was an interesting read, certainly not her best and several things did bother me, but it's still a decent read.