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Scarpetta Audiobook
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(3.00) - 24,888 listener ratings
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From America’s #1 bestselling crime writers comes an extraordinary #1 New York Times bestselling Kay Scarpetta novel. Leaving behind her private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina, Kay Scarpetta accepts an assignment in New York City, where the NYPD has asked her to examine an injured man on Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric prison ward. The handcuffed and chained patient, Oscar Bane, has specifically asked for her, and when she literally has her gloved hands on him, he begins to talk—and the story he has to tell turns out to be one of the most bizarre she has ever heard. The injuries, he says, were sustained in the course of a murder . . . that he did not commit. Is Bane a criminally insane stalker who has fixed on Scarpetta? Or is his paranoid tale true, and it is he who is being spied on, followed and stalked by the actual killer? The one thing Scarpetta knows for certain is that a woman has been tortured and murdered—and more violent deaths will follow. Gradually, an inexplicable and horrifying truth emerges: Whoever is committing the crimes knows where his prey is at all times. Is it a person, a government? And what is the connection between the victims? In the days that follow, Scarpetta; her forensic psychologist husband, Benton Wesley; and her niece, Lucy, who has recently formed her own forensic computer investigation firm in New York, will undertake a harrowing chase through cyberspace and the all-too-real streets of the city—an odyssey that will take them at once to places they never knew, and much, much too close to home. Throughout, Cornwell delivers shocking twists and turns, and the kind of cutting-edge technology that only she can provide. Once again, she proves her exceptional ability to entertain and enthrall.
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"Gault's end certainly did not amuse me or caused me to feel like its justice well served but just enough to keep me flipping for the next page and get it over with. It certainly would be a different and exciting perspective if once in a while the character of the psychopath will be taken into consideration as that would help readers understand what motivated him with his actions."
— Benjie (4 out of 5 stars)
Scarpetta Listener Reviews
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" Serial killer Temple Brooks Gault's rampage compels the reader. Kay Scarpetta, Pete Marino, Wesley Benton, and scores of FBI and police frantically search for Gault before he strikes again. The people protecting justice have no holidays or vacations. Christmas rings in the air, and Gault strikes in New York City. The story quickly moves among New York, Richmond, and South Carolina. The woman killed in New York appears to be a homeless Jane Doe, but she has extensive gold fillings that would have cost thousands to install. Plus the nameless victim seems to have been a musician. Why did Gault select her? Other issues invade the story. Gault has invaded the FBI computer and sends messages listing himself as CAIN, as the Cain in the Bible. This story forces the reader to continue, as normal routine tasks remain undone. The ending is poetic justice as to who will be buried in Potter's Field. "
— Debbie, 2/18/2014 -
" Definitely her best; using a recurring villain works very well for her, especially one as disturbing as Temple Gault, and all the descriptions of Central Park in the snow and the dark labyrinth of the NYC subways works really well to set a creepy scene. "
— Sophia, 2/18/2014 -
" Right now i am in the middle of this book and it is really good. "
— Alex, 2/12/2014 -
" I said Agatha Chrisite was always amongst my top 5 mystery/crime authors... Patricia Cornwell is also among the list. This book was one of the first I had read and I was hooked. "
— Ceresa, 2/5/2014 -
" Had me on my seat the whole time. Wow. "
— Red, 2/5/2014 -
" I appreciate Cornwell's willingness to give her heroine "feet of clay"(she's having an affair), but the plot's denouement is contrived and anticlimatic to say the least. Cornwell seems intent on building a super serial killer a la Hannibal Lector and she fails. "
— Dev, 1/31/2014 -
" Still reading this book... I love the Kay Scarpetta novels by Patricia Cornwell, she is such a wonderful role model for women in what is usually a male profession. Tried to read them all in sequence but got stuck after a couple, couldn't find the next one so in the end just went for the one I fancied on the bookshelf! "
— Tyne, 1/30/2014 -
" Each of Patricia Cornwell's books are without doubt brilliant in their research, each are spellbinding and each are gory beyond belief. Yet each and everyone holds the reader throughout. "
— Lili, 1/12/2014 -
" I really love this book! Very exciting story. "
— Martina, 1/11/2014 -
" I enjoyed this book a lot. "
— Keri, 1/6/2014 -
" #6 ChristmasTemple Gault has struck again, leaving a naked, apparently homeless girl shot in Central Park "
— Sandra, 1/1/2014 -
" I pretty much read anything P. Cornwell writes. :) "
— Olson, 12/16/2013 -
" Pretty typical Cornwell book. I thought it moved a little slow at times, but I enjoyed it for the most part. "
— Trisha, 12/14/2013 -
" Kay Scarpetta, medical examiner, tries to find a killer, Temple Gault "
— Debbie, 12/7/2013 -
" I love this series. Read them in order for optimal entertainment. "
— Shellie, 11/25/2013 -
" I like most of Patricia Cornwell novels, because of her depth of knowledge of forensics. However, I would like for her to develop her characters more. I also find her characters rather unbelievable at times. "
— Rhonda, 5/10/2013 -
" THIS BOOK ROX "
— Csipiggy, 3/21/2013 -
" Not sure if it would interest anyone not familiar with Scarpetta&co. Easy read, some character development and a bit anticlimatic ending. "
— Joanna, 1/22/2013 -
" My favorite Scarpetta book. "
— Chris, 11/1/2012 -
" Very good. Sudden ending but maybe part will be continued. I think I read this years ago. "
— John, 8/25/2012 -
" In my phase of Scarpetta.... "
— Lynn, 7/7/2012 -
" I absolutely love the Scarpetta series. I can't wait to snag another one! "
— Amanda, 1/6/2012 -
" This was my first Patricia Cornwell book and I was hooked! "
— Suzanne, 10/23/2011 -
" Another wonderful Skarpetta book. They are all wonderfully pieced together from fear, love, compation, and everyday life. "
— Toni, 7/29/2011 -
" Would actually give this one a 4.5, but it was so suspenseful, I decided to go with the 5 since 4.5 was not an option here. "
— Shellys♥, 7/21/2011 -
" Decent Scarpetta novel. Trying to read all the novels in a row. "
— Luis, 6/16/2011 -
" I didn't like Body of Evidence as much as I did the first in the series. I just found the killer this time to be as disturbing as the first but far more frightening. The body count is high and the mystery is thrilling, but some of the storyline kind of took strange turns I wasn't expecting at all. "
— Stefanie, 5/6/2011 -
" Second time around for reading this book and I got a lot more out of it this time than last time. GREAT book. "
— Bobbi, 4/27/2011 -
" Dr. Scarpetta Novels are always great. Twists and turns in plot. <br/>Written 20 yrs ago, no cell phones & character got cigarettes for $2.00 a pack. Lol but still a good read. "
— Celeste, 4/17/2011 -
" I hate when the killer is someone out of left field not every involved in the main plot. I lost interest half way through, but made myself finish it. "
— Sue, 3/9/2011 -
" Having actually worked in a Medical Examiners office, Patricia Cornwell accurately depicts the job of Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief M.E. of the Virgina Commonwealth. Although her character goes much farther than a normal M.E. would go to solve the crime, there's never a dull moment. "
— Alicia, 2/26/2011 -
" The second book in the series and it certainly had me looking for book three. Good gripping, detailed writing and really enjoyable "
— 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 Kate Reading
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.