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Cause of Death Audiobook
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(3.00) - 22,085 listener ratings
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On a quiet day, away from the hustle of Richmond, in a small cottage on the Virginia coast, Dr. Kay Scarpetta receives a disturbing phone call from the Chesapeake police. Thirty feet deep in the murky waters of Virginia's Elizabeth River, a scuba diver's body is discovered near the Inactive Naval Shipyard. As the police begin searching for clues, the wallet of investigative report Ted eddings is found. Unnerved by the possible identity of the victim, Scarpetta orders the crime scene roped off and left alone until she arrives. What was he doing there, searching for Civil War relics as the officer suggested or was there a bigger story? As she rifles through the multitude of clues, a second murder hits much closer to home. This new development puts Scarpetta and her coleagues hot on the trail of a military conspiracy. Filled with lurid details that Cornwell's legions of fans have come to expect, Cause of Death is a breathtaking mystery further enhanced by C. J. Critt's gripping narration.
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"A mesmerizing new thriller starring Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta. New Year's Eve and the final murder scene o...more A mesmerizing new thriller starring Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta. New Year's Eve and the final murder scene of Virginia's bloodiest year since the Civil War takes Scarpetta 30 feet below the Elizabeth River's icy surface. Ted Eddings, an investiagtive reporter who was a favorite at the Medical Examiner's office, has died while scuba diving. Was Eddings probing the ...more A mesmerizing new thriller starring Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta. New Year's Eve and the final murder scene of Virginia's bloodiest year since the Civil War takes Scarpetta 30 feet below the Elizabeth River's icy surface. Ted Eddings, an investiagtive reporter who was a favorite at the Medical Examiner's office, has died while scuba diving. Was Eddings probing the frigid depths of the river for sunken trinkets--or was he after a story?"
— Janet (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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The fasciniation with monstrous evil…blossoms with a vengeance.
— --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Cause of Death Listener Reviews
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" I liked the book it started out as, but not the "oh no, terrorists!" ending. It wasn't the intricate, subtle mystery I was hoping for. "
— Hilary, 2/14/2014 -
" a great airplane/beach book. it kept me enthralled from the third page until the last! the ending and overall plot may be a little unrealistic, but there were no loopholes or unanswered questions by the end of the book (a pet peeve of mine). "
— Victoria, 2/13/2014 -
" I know that I have read this book befor. But I'm going back and re-reading them because 1 it's been so long ago and 2 I really enjoyed them. Great book. Tense, gut-wrenching and scary to quote the book. I couldn't put it down. Each chapter just egged me on to see what was going to happen next. "
— Karendenice, 2/5/2014 -
" I very much enjoyed this particular book of Ms Cornwell's, having had some diving experience myself. "
— Dani, 1/29/2014 -
" have read most of Patricia Cornwell's books, good mystery and character development "
— Leah, 1/25/2014 -
" Excellent book! Hard to put down! "
— Miranda, 1/23/2014 -
" I find the main character Kay Scarpetta either too straight forward or if not so, neurotic and when she is, it does not fit the rest of the story. This is the second P. Cornwell book I read and I think I will leave it at that. "
— Sigrun, 1/18/2014 -
" This is the book that began the downfall of Kay Scarpetta for me. I am sad to say it has yet to get better in later books as well. "
— Susan, 1/6/2014 -
" finally an earlier Scarpetta. Interesting to see the dynamics of Scarpetta, Marino, Lucy's early relationship and roles which have been alluded to in the later books i've read. A good Cornwell book as always but nit the best of her work in my opinion "
— Michelle, 12/29/2013 -
" Liked the beginning, but the last 1/4 of the book went into strange territory. Not very believable. "
— Ogross, 12/13/2013 -
" not a cornwell fan "
— Vickie, 12/12/2013 -
" More about Lucy than Kay. A little more rambling plot line than most in the series. "
— LaRaine, 12/4/2013 -
" By far Cornwell's weakest effort. A glorified coroner finds herself at the center of a terrorist attempt to takeover a nuclear power plant. The murders are ancillary, the characters various tics and eccentricities come off as contrived, and the plot defies logic. "
— Dev, 12/1/2013 -
" I don't think this one quite as good as the others. Dr. Kay is very accomplished, but some of the knowledge she has in this book seems sort of far fetched for a lawyer/doctor to know. "
— Susan, 11/26/2013 -
" 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, 7/27/2013 -
" I felt the terrorists Zion plot was a little far fetched but did enjoy the Northern Virginia Navy setting and how the sister's stories intertwined. "
— Kerrilynnebeck, 2/24/2013 -
" I liked this book, but boy did it end abruptly! "
— Tammy, 1/29/2013 -
" I really enjoyeed it, but very confusing "
— Peanutbuttercup, 1/19/2013 -
" Really found this book to be a good story of a strong woman in a mans world. Held my interest throughout. "
— Ann, 12/17/2012 -
" I thought it was as good as a episode of NCIS, it keep me on my seat the whole time, and not knowing what to expect next on the next page.. I really enjoyed the book, hated to see it end "
— Candylynn, 11/3/2012 -
" The first 200 pages held my interest but after that...nothin'. I couldn't even bring myself to skim to the end to find out the solution. Frankly, I didn't care enough to. But two stars for a good beginning that offered some nice yet mindless entertainment. "
— Heidi, 8/8/2012 -
" This book was interesting, but after 6 or 7 of them, I think they are becoming redundant. I also got tired of Cornwell saying, "on this day" instead of today or "on this morning." She said, "such and such wasn't going to happen on this day" too many times. "
— Forgetfulone, 1/10/2012 -
" CSI stuff! Yipee! "
— Staci, 10/17/2011 -
" I liked her characters at first but now Kay seems to be bitter and it seemed like she could've written a very short story if there wasn't so much filler. "
— Nytecaptive, 7/11/2011 -
" I LOVE the Kay Scarpetta series of books. I am facinated by death and P. Cornwell seems to have her medical examiner knowledge down pat. I may have already read this but found it at the church book sale for ten cents..cant beat that :) "
— Dawn, 5/24/2011 -
" This author gives depth and texture to her writing. This isn't just a whodunnit but a masterpiece of forensic research and detection. Unputdownable. I have read most of her books to date. "
— Katy, 5/12/2011 -
" I thought the beginning of the book was really good. Then it kinda started to drag. But the last chapter was very good and I liked how it ended. "
— Jessica, 5/8/2011 -
" FBI, Medical Examiner, Navy, Local cops, terrorists, what else could you want. "
— April, 4/27/2011 -
" i enjoyed this book Marino didn't have a place in this book but she tried to put him anyway, this book was not like the last 6 that I have read, but still good. this book was way to quick to end like she one day said okay that's enough and stopped writting, Lucy's charter way out of place "
— Tracy, 4/27/2011 -
" I also listed this under horror as these Kay Scarpetta books scare the sh*t out of me sometimes :) "
— Tamela, 4/11/2011 -
" Love her Scarpetta series. This wasn't my favorite, but I still devoured every word! "
— Lori, 2/27/2011 -
" The ending didn't give me enough closure, but overall still a great book. "
— Natasha, 2/7/2011 -
" ehhh it was okay...I like her books, I like the characters....this one was not my favorite story, though. <br/> "
— Kim, 1/19/2011 -
" Did not enjoy this book as much and it was the beginning of the end for me and the reading of the series. "
— Trak, 1/12/2011
About Patricia Cornwell
Patricia 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.
About C. J. Critt
C. J. Critt is a veteran of Broadway, regional theater, poetry slams, and solo shows. Hailed “Spoken Word Queen” by the Dallas Observer, Critt is a produced writer-director, an Audie nominee, and a CableACE Award winner.