Book of the Dead (Kay Scarpetta, No 15)
by Patricia Cornwell
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Book Reviews of Book of the Dead (Kay Scarpetta, No 15)
Book Review: Finally, another decent Scarpeta novel
Summary: 5 Stars
I am one of those die-hard Cornwell readers that has read ever single book. . .even powered through the last few which were quite frankly, TERRIBLE! The 'stories' term used loosely here - had become so bad that I had given up buying hard cover and have been waiting for paperback or else borrowing the books from someone else. I gave in and purchased Book of the Dead in paperback and fully expected to hate it as well. What a great surprise; this book is really good! I won't bore anyone with story detail. . you can get that from the other hundreds of reviews. However, if you are like me and loved the first several Cornwell books but hated the last several, give this one a try. The only negative comment I have about the book is that the murders were so gruesome that I had to stop reading several times to get un-grossed-out! I can do without the hideous, graphic ways these people were killed, but as stories go, this one is really good. At least for one book, we have the old Patricia Cornwell back!Book Review: Book of the Dead
Summary: 2 Stars
I have to admit that I've read all of Patricia Cornwell's book and that I've only liked the Scarpetta Series, until now. Book of the Dead made me wonder if the writer is getting bored with her craft or just the main character? She virtually removes Scarpetta from the story by making the other characters stronger. Scarpetta comes off as week and less the woman of strength that we enjoyed in the past. The book is hollow at best. I couldn't get comfortable with any of the character portrayals and kept looking for the kick in the plot that never came. The entire story was told from a distance with an "i don't care" feeling. I will always be a fan of the earlier Scarpetta books, however, this one has left me wondering if I want to by "Scarpetta". When you see a lot of books for sale used for $2-3, it makes you wonder why. Where did our favorite writer go?Book Review: Not quite as bad as Predator
Summary: 2 Stars
We are all impressed with Patricia Cornwell's [Kay Scarpetta's]knowledge of Italy; places, food, drink etc. I guess we are all a bunch of Rednecks with our noses pressed to the window of a world we can never be a part of.
I swore after the very dismal effort of Predator I would not read another Scarpetta mystery. However I relented and read this one. It was a little better. Slightly more human than the last. But I hate it when an author rushes through the final chapter. She still leaves you hanging over the fate of one of the main characters that has been piviotal in so many of her works. I like what Ms. Cormwell has done with Benton and Lucy. Maybe Scarpetta does have a heart.
Will I read Scarpetta when it comes out in December? Probably, but I won't be putting my name on a waiting list for it
Book Review: Buried story.
Summary: 2 Stars
Somewhere under all the really awful writing in this book, a pretty good story line is hidden. I think. I couldn't find it, but there were hints of its existance. As other reviewers have commented, Cornwell's editor needs the courage to tell her to take her crappy manuscripts home and only darken the editor's door again when she's produced a real story.
I must say there was one real pleasure in the book - "Dr. Self," a thinly disguised take on that pompous fraud Dr. Phil McGraw. For a great expose of the real "Dr. Phil" see chapter 3 of Steve Salerno's "SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless."
But I digress. Cornwell's writing gets worse and worse as her paranoia (conspiracy against her) gets worse and worse. Hey Patty - take your meds and rejoin the rest of us in the real world.
Book Review: Painful to read
Summary: 1 Stars
I read the first three Scarpetta novels and loved the characters. The next book I read was Book of the Dead, and it was very painful to get through. WHAT HAPPENED?? If you loved the earlier novels based on the characters, you will hate this one. I am so disappointed at how the characters have changed. The story itself is confusing to follow. There are brief moments that reminded me of Cornwell's earlier writings, but they disappear as quickly as they appear. There are names that are similar, and the relationship between Benton and Kay come off very cold. Lucy is close to being a psycho, and I can't begin to understand what happened to Marino. I would not recommend reading this book or any Scarpetta novels that come afterwards.