Following the post mortem of a stowaway which reveals neither cause of death nor identity, Dr Kay Scarpetta travels to Paris in search of information. In Paris she is given a secret mission, a mission which could ruin her career.
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"The Dr. Kay Scarpetta series is one of my very favorite mystery series. The character development from book to book is quite good, you really get to know them. The bad guys are really bad and, of course, there is one that keeps returning. There's some real good twists. Also, I loved the forensics."
— lionlady (4 out of 5 stars)
“As in the nine Scarpettas past here it’s not the novel’s events, startling as they are, that propel the story so much as the deep-hearted responses of Kay, as real a hero as any in thriller fiction, to the ‘evil’—her word—that threatens…A thunderhead of disquietude hangs over this compulsively readable novel…but to Cornwell’s considerable credit, the unease arises ultimately not from the steady potential for violence but from a more profound horror: the vulnerability of a good woman like Kay to a world beset by the corrupt, the cruel, the demonic.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“A brilliantly paced adventure.”
— Kirkus Reviews“This novel focuses on the features that made Cornwell’s earliest novels so interesting—the slow unraveling of a mystery using Scarpetta’s skill and intelligence…and fans of her work should enjoy it immensely. Recommended for public libraries and popular reading collections.”
— Library Journal“Reader Kate Reading…gives her usually low-key characterization of the usually low-key Scarpetta just the right edge as flashes of despair threaten to overtake her controlled life. Although Reading thoroughly becomes Scarpetta through her expert narration, she has other strengths as well. Her interpretation of each minor character—some appearing only once or twice—breathes life into individuals who, in the hands of a less competent reader, would otherwise blend and vanish from memory.”
— Library Journal (audio review)“When it comes to the forensic sciences, nobody can touch Cornwell.”
— New York Times Book Review, praise for the author" All of the Kay scarpetta series are pretty much the same. I like picking an author and reading all if the series on their feature character but, at times, it can be tedious. I do wonder which book is the one where Benton Wesley is murdered. "
— Susan, 2/13/2014" love the Kay Scarpetta series "
— Shellie, 2/11/2014" Well, it was exactly what you expect from Cornwell. I don't know of a single page where anybody was nice to anybody. Anger, fear, resentment, hostility, even the love scene was not a nice pleasant scene. The criminal was a monster with a one in a billion chance to exist. Everybody was out to get Kay. Marino was not cordial to a single person. The people who are supposed to like each other don't do anything to be kind to each other. "
— Richard, 2/6/2014" I read all the books in the Scarpetta series. I really like the characters and the mysteries. There is nothing earth-shattering about the writing or the concept, but they are fun and entertaining books and easy to read. "
— Thenerdmom, 2/5/2014" This is what keeps you going reading all of Cornwells series, you have to get the next one. "
— Debbie, 2/4/2014" The killers are sociopaths or people with weird diseases I've never heard of before. The heroes are brilliant but terribly limited human beings who keep making the same relationships over and over again. I can't figure out why I keep reading these books! "
— Dennis, 2/3/2014" HELLO....DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR STRANGERS!!!!! Normally with her books I can figure out the who dun it pretty quickly, but not this one. I just realized though that they are a series so now I need to find the book that I missed. "
— Nicole, 1/30/2014" As always Patricia Cornwell keeps your attention, Dr. Scarpetta along with detective Marino solve another crime of passion. This crime of passion is nothing like any of her other wicked suspects. Love reading Cornwell, another one of my favorite authors. "
— Pat, 1/23/2014" Not my favorite scarpetta book... though looking forward to the next one! "
— Alison, 1/20/2014" I haven't read a "Kay Scarpetta" book in a long time. I'm out of reads, so I picked this one up. I finally got into it towards the end and while visiting a local used bookstore, I picked up about 10 more Cornwell books (Kay Scarpetta). I'm reading another now. "
— Cynthia, 1/16/2014" Gave up on the series after this, just lost interest. "
— Trak, 1/1/2014" A cargo ship containing the remains of a stowaway arrives in Virginia's waterways. Dr. Scarpetta is called to examine the remains as the Chief Medical Examiner for Virginia. It takes a while for the story to get up to steam and to really get moving. "
— Kelly, 12/8/2013" A bit far fetched, the villain has a rare medical condition ..... not like the author's other novels. "
— Linda, 12/2/2013" I really liked this one, despite the darkness of the character's emotions. I think it was well done and I just love when Scarpetta and Marino get involved with international crimes. "
— Rebecca, 9/24/2013" This particular Scarpetta may actually be my favorite of them all, though don't quote me on that! It has everything...heavy emotion, political intrigue, danger around every corner, and of course the vast amounts of knowledge I can always count on Cornwell to supply. "
— Tricia, 7/19/2013" My first Patricia Cornwell book! "
— Deanna, 4/10/2013" Patrica Cornwell does a great job of keeping the reader addicted to her books. There is a lot of medical terminology but she does a great job of having her characters explain what the words mean. She also does it in a way that doesn't make you feel stupid. "
— Caitlin, 3/27/2013" An older one I had missed- still good even knowing the outcome! "
— Kristin, 3/22/2013" A lot of suspense. If it were not for the profanity and f word this would be a book I would recommend but since it is full of bad language, I do not recommend it to anyone. Friend of mine said Patricia Cornwell was her favorite author and gave me several of her books so I chose this one to read. "
— Ver2car, 2/6/2013" Another excellent Scarpetta book - fun to read and to try and figure out before she does what is going on. "
— Susan, 11/3/2012" Patricia Conwell is great as usual. This book was an interesting mystery and on the plus side not as creepy and disturbing as some of her previous work. Some of her other books deal with such graphic and disturbing images, this one was a little tamer. Good read. "
— Jen, 10/3/2012" My least favorite of Cornwell's. "
— Ellenjsmellen, 9/12/2012" good book would read it again "
— Candi, 5/6/2012" Predictable with an inevetable conclusion. "
— Meghali, 2/15/2012" I've read all of the Kay Scarpetta books. This one was a good read, but the ending wasn't the best. "
— Roxann, 10/31/2011" This was a typical Patricial Cornwell book, easy to read, intense just enough, and too much swearing. I didn't like the way it ended; I felt it as too abrupt. However, it did make me want to get the next book in the series to continue the story. "
— Laura, 9/11/2011" Scarpetta at her best "
— Sharon, 7/22/2011" Good read. A little dated now in some of its references but still pretty addictive. Great holiday read you can get through very quickly. "
— Neasa, 7/18/2011" One of the best of the Scarpetta series. I thought I'd read them all, but this one had escaped my noticing somehow. Plenty of bad guys here, some of them women, along with the usual fascinating forensics and a villain with a weird medical condition. "
— Carolyn, 5/21/2011" I gave this one 5 stars, but I don't remember much about it. It was obviously one of the last good ones before the plot began to wane severely. This one sticks to the good stuff that Cornwell is known for, with a good plot that isn't surrounded by a bunch of extraneous stuff on the side. "
— Emily, 5/15/2011" I actually listened to this one on CD. I was disappointed by the ending. To be such a long story it really seemed to end pretty abruptly. Not sure I will read or listen to any more of this authors books. "
— Theresa, 4/20/2011" The killers are sociopaths or people with weird diseases I've never heard of before. The heroes are brilliant but terribly limited human beings who keep making the same relationships over and over again. I can't figure out why I keep reading these books! "
— Dennis, 4/3/2011" Not the type of book I usually read, but I am enjoying it because it is so different. "
— Marian, 2/20/2011" Boring... didn't finish. Written like a woman.. ugghhh. "
— Leigh, 2/9/2011" I struggled through. Way too long. Totally predictable, sappy ending. I have another Cornwell book on the shelf but not sure it will be read. "
— Lynnelle, 1/19/2011" Gave up on the series after this, just lost interest. "
— Trak, 1/12/2011" I read all the books in the Scarpetta series. I really like the characters and the mysteries. There is nothing earth-shattering about the writing or the concept, but they are fun and entertaining books and easy to read. "
— Thenerdmom, 12/31/2010" I read this book a few years ago and I liked it a lot. It got me into the Kay Scarpetta series for a little while, but I lost interest in them fairly quickly. Unfortunately, I eventually stopped reading the Kay Scarpetta/Cornwell books altogether. "
— Rychelle, 12/11/2010" Meglio rispetto agli ultimi, obrobbriosi, romanzi della saga di Kay Scarpetta. "
— Manuela, 11/25/2010" I've already read many of her books already and this one did not disappoint. "
— Connie, 11/9/2010" i don't believe benton is dead..hopefully he comes back in this book. "
— Melissa, 11/9/2010Patricia 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.