The Front
by Patricia Cornwell
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Book Reviews of The Front
Book Review: Waste of time
Summary: 1 Stars
I don't know what's going on with Patricia Cornwell. Has she lost the joy of writing? Did she run out of plots? Is she just trying to fulfill her contract? Whatever it is, her last two books have not been good. If you love Patricia Cornwell, do yourself a favor and re-read one of her early Kay Scarpetta books and skip this one. The time I spent reading it was a waste. I'm just glad I got it from the library and didn't waste my money on it as well.
This book has some basic problems: characters and plot. I read the previous book with this main character but didn't remember it and there isn't enough character development in this book to make the reader care about him. He buys designer clothes at resale shops, gets deals on his upscale apartment and gourmet food, and drives a Ducati after selling his Hummer (how much do Mass. cops make anyhow?) And he's dyslexic, which apparently almost no one realizes. The only thing that gives a flavor to his personality is his love for his psychic Nana. That's not enough for a fully formed character and not enough for me to worry about him. The other characters are even more lightly sketched -- more cariactures than characters.
And the plot makes little sense. Why would an ambitious district attorney think connecting a 40-year-old murder to the Boston Strangler would be a big PR success? And if she's smart, why would she dive in so publicly (much less get Scotland Yard involved) without doing even a minimum of research first? It surprised me that the supposedly suspenseful subplot was even more ridiculous. There's no danger, no suspense, no thrills; just a mish-mash of stuff tossed together.
Maybe she could have fixed some of the problems with the book if it were longer, but it feels like she just didn't care.
Book Review: A waste of (not much) time
Summary: 2 Stars
This book is a waste of time but fortunately you won't waste very much as it's only 180 pages long! Patricia Cornwell has often had absurd plots and surprise endings that only surprise because the solutions come completely out of left field with a last minute discovery but this book doesn't really have a plot or a solution. It starts off as a cold case investigation begun for political reasons then blends in a (supposedly) mysterious character who dresses like a Raggedy Ann doll only to be further muddied by an FBI terrorism investigation, the involvement of Scotland Yard, some bank robberies and the theft of copper from houses. Nothing makes sense and the ridiculous ending simply isn't credible especially as the FBI more or less says "oh" and walks away. What a mess!
Often sequels fail to explain various character issues leaving new readers at a loss and so does this one, the main character has a reading disability that is apparent only to those who remember it from the previous book until near the end when another character reveals she had figured it out from some of his behavior. The events in this book have their roots in it's predecessor that are barely touched on here once again leaving new readers somewhat at a loss as to what's happening.
The first book in this series, AT RISK, was actually one of Cornwell's better later books with an interesting lead character and a nicely drawn supporting cast but leave it to Cornwell to drop the ball with what can only be explained as lazy writing. AT RISK was originally published as a serial in the New York Times Magazine, given it's length I suspect that this was written for the same venue but was rejected as simply not good enough. And it's not good enough by a long shot.
Book Review: Another "Win" for Cornwell Fans
Summary: 4 Stars
I, too, received an advanced copy of Patricia Cornwell's latest novel, "The Front". As an avid reader of her Scarpetta novels, I looked forward to reading another of her series books. "The Front" is the follow-up book to "At Risk". Though I had not read "At Risk", I found this storyline easy to follow and the characters well-written.
"The Front" is an excellent who-done-it... you are not even sure at some turns what the "it" is exactly. The plot twists keep the pages turning in this novel. The main characters - Win Garano, a Massachussetts State Police detective, and Monique Lamont, the Boston area Distict Attorney, have an interesting relationship that was established in the book "At Risk" but you are privy to the basics of it in this novel. They are characters with whom the reader can associate. The D.A. that appears hard due to a rape occurring the year before, and the detective that has the appearances of living the "good life" but really shops EBay, thrift stores, and finds ways to get discounts for off-duty work.
The story goes from Boston to London, involving Scotland Yard, appearing to try to solve a 40+ year old murder of a Bristish citizen that could possibly be attributed to the Boston Strangler. Scotland Yard isn't interested in Lamont's murder -- they want Lamont. Believing her to be funding terrorist activities, the Yard, as well as the FBI, investigate Lamont and use her interest in the Boston Strangler theory as a way in. Is Lamont funding terrorism, or the victim of a bad investment move?
Thriller fans, pick this one up! It does not dissapoint!
Book Review: The most insipid "cash in on fame" I've ever read
Summary: 1 Stars
Do you like poorly developed characters who have no reason or motive for their actions nor have any charm or depth whether good or bad? Do your prefer the relationships between your characters to be as deep, engaging and believable as Fred and Wilma?
Do you love it when cops do stuff that absolutely defies logic? (No I'm not cop protocol geek...I'm talking about stuff a 12 year old would know a cop would never do.)
Does it really satisfy you when the twist in a plot is simply there so a lazy author can wrap things up neatly without any level of cleverness whatsoever? Is it even better if that twist is totally puerile, childish and inconceivable?
Well then, you'll love this piece of excrement from an author who is now to crime novels what Eddie Murphy is to comedy....someone cashing in disgracefully on former glory. The only thing you could say is at least she's not James Patterson and has the decency to at least pen the rubbish herself.
I've read a lot of Cornwell's books and have really enjoyed them a lot with my only criticism being that they have tended to become repetitive. But that's a reasonable thing to occur when an author faithfully extends the life of such a successful character as Scarpetta. Cornwell's genuine talent at writing engaging characters into interesting plots is reason enough to give her new books a try and that is why it's so offensive to have forked out my cash for a piece of rubbish like The Front.
Book Review: Just don't get it
Summary: 1 Stars
Am I the only person out there who just didn't get what the title of this book had to do with the story? I just keep hoping and hoping that PC will put out a good book again, and it just never happens. I didn't get it with much hope, and it was a good thing. First off, the book is not a normal sized volume; it is small, with short pages and big type with a skinny spine. What happened to the big, thick Scarpetta novels of the 90s, full of details and stories that made you want to stay up all night reading because you just couldn't put it down? Second, the story and the characters were so weak, this was like a short story from high school lit, not the kind of novel that PC used to put out. It jumped all over the place, and the events in the story just made no sense. Then instead of chapters of suspense leading up to and ending that you didn't see coming, but made so much sense, the story was just "ended" on just a couple of pages, with an ending that you're left sitting going "What?!" I probably will always read her novels because I loved them so in the 90s, but I will never spend my own money on them, so that the most I lose is my time. The only reason I finished this book was the fact that it really was only a short story. Did you ever think that a PC novel would be painful to read, and readable in just a couple of hours? It's like all the story in PC has been used up and there is nothing left in there. I hate that I now expect to be disappointed.