A Massachusetts state investigator is called home from Knoxville, Tennessee, where he is completing a course at the National Forensic Academy. His boss, the district attorney, attractive but hard-charging, is planning to run for governor, and as a showcase she's planning to use a new crime initiative called At Risk-its motto: "Any crime, any time." In particular, she's been looking for a way to employ cutting-edge DNA technology, and she thinks she's found the perfect subject in an unsolved twenty-year-old murder-in Tennessee. If her office solves the case, it ought to make them all look pretty good, right? Her investigator is not so sure-not sure about anything to do with this woman, really-but before he can open his mouth, a shocking piece of violence intervenes, an act that shakes up not only both their lives but the lives of everyone around them. It's not a random event. Is it personal? Is it professional? Whatever it is, the implications are very, very bad indeed . . . and they're about to get much worse. Sparks fly, traps spring, twists abound-this is the master working at the top of her game.
View the trailer for "Patricia Cornwell's At Risk", premiering on Lifetime on April 10, 2010.Download and start listening now!
"This was a fun read. It is 1/4 the size of a Scarpetta mystery, with about 1/4 of the complexity. But Patricia provides some believable characters and a plot with a couple of surprises."
— Keith (4 out of 5 stars)
" I have to admit, I like Cornwell's Scarpetta novels a lot more than the Winston ones. The writing/plot is good - I just can't feel as much love for the characters! "
— Amber, 2/19/2014" Couldn't get into it so gave up. Seemed a bit too formulaic. But then again I have so many books to read I'm getting fussy. "
— Amkd69, 2/9/2014" If you like Patricia Cornwell, you will like this book as well. Murder and mystery at its best! Overall a good short read. Good for a short flight or weekend read. "
— Ck, 1/24/2014" Flimsy and muddled plot, extremely unlikable characters, bleh. "
— Cherise, 1/17/2014" This was a quick read for me and a good mystery. "
— Wendy, 12/26/2013" This is a very fast read! Easy to read, predictable, but characters are well-developed and you have a sense of who they really are. Definitely a great summer read when you need some "fluff." "
— Tiffany, 12/22/2013" Well so begins my introduction to Patricia Cornwell - I will admit I am not sure if there is a "starting point" in her work or even if this is part of a larger series - I should really do some research but as a randomly picked book to try I did enjoy this - I did feel in places, especially the start that I was watching a story unfold I was not necessarily invited to watch - and that I was in fact as a result only seeing snippets of what was really going on. However as confusing as it felt at times it did all fall in to place - and even the early blocks and points of confusion were explained if rather suddenly and rushed at the end. This was an interesting read more than a fun one - it certainly has not put me off her work but I do feel I should have read her work starting with something else. "
— Andrew, 12/18/2013" Fairly good story, but not as good as Cornwell's earlier books. I hope she isn't losing her mojo. "
— Clyde, 12/18/2013" After reading a number of her earlier novels, I was quite disappointed. Not her best writing and not sure I'll be anxious to read any new ones she comes out with. "
— Noelle, 12/16/2013" What happened to Patricia Cornwell?? "
— Tomoaki, 12/5/2013" Memo to myself: Quit wasting time on Patricia Cornwell. She's lost her writing skills. "
— Ruth, 11/29/2013" What happened to Patricia Cornwell? This was nowhere near the caliber of a Kay Scarpetta novel. Very disappointing. "
— Kate, 11/22/2013" Not one of Patricia Cornwell's better books. Actually it was nowhere near as good as her Scarpetta books! Disappointed with this one! "
— Siobhan, 11/17/2013" Another 'Can't put it down' book. I enjoyed it and it kept me interested throughout! could have had a little more personal plot, but overall great! "
— Tamela, 11/9/2013" Not a Scarpetta novel....alittle weak but a quick read. "
— Debi, 9/29/2013" Not so interesting. the printing was large, the typeface i mean. "
— Merredith, 9/27/2013" I really wanted to like this book but there was no umph in it "
— Jennifer, 8/4/2013" Not her usual writing, style or story. "
— ag, 7/23/2013" At Risk by Patricia Cornwell (2007) "
— Julie, 10/3/2012" Not one of her best. The characters weren't that interesting and it was rather predictable. "
— Jennifer, 9/9/2012" I never could even get into this one. I gave up and gave the book away. Ppphhhhttttt! "
— Rita, 6/24/2012" Not bad for a cheesy little thriller but not up to Patricia Cornwell's usual quality. This book is an afternoon read. "
— Gerene, 4/27/2012" Cornwell might be recovering from a string of lousy books. She seems to be back... "
— Wendy, 12/26/2011" Cornwell starts a new series (not Scarpetta) and the characters are not really likable and the story not plausable. "
— Kaye, 10/16/2011" I struggled to get through the audio version due to the reader...may try to re-read hardcopy. She is a great writer. "
— Penny, 7/5/2011" Fast read. Short. Always like her books. Would have liked having a longer story. "
— Gretchen, 6/19/2011" I am trying to clear some books from shelves and thought I would take some short books and get them read. Fortunately I did not wast much time on this one. It could have been a good story, but was just a confusing mess. "
— Linda, 6/8/2011" This was a quick read for me and a good mystery. "
— Wendy, 5/16/2011" it does not read as if written by one who has authored 20 other books. Even Robert Parker's first novel had characters better defined. Is Cornwall resting on her laurels? "
— Chelsea, 5/8/2011" A good police procedural with the Patricia Cornwell flair. I liked it! "
— Phil, 4/18/2011" ehh, probably wouldn't have finished it, but was on vacation and it was the only audiobook on my ipod. Sooo, I finished. Not very exciting, and really not any forensics....that is what Patricia Cornwell is supposed to do, right? "
— Brittany, 4/1/2011" I gave up reading Cornwell when she took Kay Scarpetta and her related characters down a trashy alley I didn’t like. This is my first glimpse of Winston Garano and I may actually read another... "
— Angie, 3/5/2011" This wasn't as good as her Kay Scarpetta series. In fact, it was pretty bad. I didn't really care about any of the characters. "
— Karen, 2/13/2011" I liked this book. One think I really like about Patricia Cornwell she ties the ending up quit nicely. "
— Sylvia, 1/20/2011" A mediocre story, VERY badly written. Can't believe this was written by Patricia Cornwell--or that she would admit to it. "
— Suzanne, 1/6/2011" I read one chapter and realized I had already read this! I hate when that happens! I like the characters she's created in this series. "
— Katherine, 12/26/2010" A short, quick read. Predictable bad guy. Predictable ending. A nice diversion for an afternoon. "
— Beth, 12/10/2010" Not as good as the Scarpetta series, but still a good read :) "
— Lisa, 11/28/2010" It was a fast read. Only 287 pages and double spaced so it was easy! But I just didn't care much for it! "
— Janet, 11/27/2010" Great new character, a change from the Scarpetta series. This is more of a straight mystery, good characters and a change of scenery to Massachusetts. "
— Kristin, 11/21/2010Patricia Cornwell is recognized as one of the world’s top bestselling crime authors with many New York Times bestselling novels. She wrote her debut, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia, and it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards, as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventures—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Beyond the Kay Scarpetta series, she has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper, a biography, and three more fiction series, among others.
Kate Reading, named an AudioFile Golden Voice, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks across many genres, over a thirty–year plus career and won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. Among other awards, she has been recognized as an AudioFile Magazine Voice of the Century, Narrator of the Year, Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and winner of an Publisher’s Weekly’s Listen-Up Award. She records at her home studio, Madison Productions, Inc., in Maryland.