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(3.00) - 14,495 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Dr. Kay Scarpetta, now freelancing from south Florida, returns to the city that turned its back on her five years ago.
Richmond, Virginia’s recently appointed chief medical examiner claims that he needs Scarpetta’s help to solve a perplexing crime. When she arrives, however, Scarpetta finds that nothing is as she expected: her former lab is in the final stages of demolition; the inept chief isn’t the one who requested her after all; her old assistant chief has developed personal problems that he won’t reveal; and a glamorous FBI agent, whom Scarpetta dislikes instantly, meddles with the case.
Deprived of assistance from colleagues Benton and Lucy, who are embroiled in what first appears to be an unrelated attempted rape by a stalker, Scarpetta is faced with investigating the death of a fourteen-year-old girl, working with the smallest pieces of evidence—traces that only the most thorough hunters can identify. She must follow the twisting leads and track the strange details in order to make the dead speak—and to reveal the sad truth that may be more than even she can bear …
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"I've been anticipating reading this book for weeks now. It was very good in Cornwell's usual style. I gave it a 7 because it was such a lead up until the capturing of the person they were after, that it happened so fast and so little time was spent on the capture, that I felt robbed of an ending."
— Tanya (5 out of 5 stars)
Trace Listener Reviews
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" I read 2/3 of the book over a year ago. So it was little bit confusing to catch up all things. Anyways it didn't meet my expectation as the Postmortem was good as hell and got all the awards that year. "
— Saikhnaa, 2/18/2014 -
" Some of the reviews I read of this book claimed that it was amazing and that Patricia Cornwell was back in top form with this one. I didn't agree, I felt that the ending was anticlimactic and almost phoned in. The congruent stories made for an excellent attempt at holding interest but the author either dropped the ball, or is trying to hard to save material for the next sequel in the series. "
— Sarra, 2/6/2014 -
" I'm finally tired of Kay Scarpetta - or maybe just Patricia Cornwell. The initial stories were good and I enjoyed most of them but then the stories just wound down to too much drama and not enough about the cases. Kathy Reichs is much better at sticking to the cases and not over emphasizing the personal. "
— Shannon, 1/23/2014 -
" It wasnt one of my favorites, especially the ending but it was still ok. "
— Michele, 1/19/2014 -
" Very good writing, little ragged at end. "
— Richard, 1/19/2014 -
" Kay Scarpetta #13 book. Just as good as the others. "
— Alex, 1/13/2014 -
" Great story. Will be looking for the others... "
— Derek, 1/13/2014 -
" Just o.k., her characters grow less and less believable as time goes by -- why are they all so volatile? Group therapy is in order! "
— Tricia, 1/11/2014 -
" It took me 200 pages to realize I'd already read this one. Worse, I then further realized that I had re-bought my used book from the same used book store I'd traded it in at. "
— Amber, 1/10/2014 -
" so far on page 50 and I,m hooked. "
— Chatterbox, 1/2/2014 -
" The whole time I was reading this, I felt like it was familiar. Like maybe I have read it before, except there were also parts that I didn't remember. I'm growing impatient with Kay's aloof relationship with Benton. It's weird. "
— Jill, 12/30/2013 -
" I love all her books, in this one there are two separate plots that are both interesting. "
— Gary, 12/22/2013 -
" I'm a fan of Patricia Cornwell and have read almost all of the Scarpetta series of books. This one was good although I didn't like the early introduction of the villain in this one. There wasn't as much suspense in this one as in many of the other books in the Scarpetta series. "
— Tracy, 12/11/2013 -
" Loved Scarpetta... she is tough and takes no BS. "
— Tracie, 12/10/2013 -
" Ok reading, but kind of a sprawling plot. Hard to follow where it was going sometimes or which characters were involved in what. "
— Linda, 12/6/2013 -
" I find that Patricia Cornwall's serial killers are always such beasts and monsters. The motivations for their killings are just so out there. "
— Donna, 9/30/2013 -
" I read this before I read any of Cornwell's other books. It was good, not great, but it made me want to check out some of her others. "
— Aliess, 8/28/2013 -
" Poor plot, to busy. very distracting "
— Charlie, 4/21/2013 -
" I've tried listening to it and reading it, and I just can't seem to get past the first 2 chapters. "
— Melina, 3/26/2013 -
" I love reading Cornwells books! so descriptive and easy to read. "
— Diann, 11/5/2012 -
" Trace. In process. Typical good Cornwell read. Just reading her books for entertainment and good technical knowledge. "
— Robert, 9/27/2012 -
" I used to enjoy Cornwell's forensic mystery series with Dr. Kay Scarpetta but I found this one short on plot and generally pretty stupid. I can't recommend it...but do try the others. "
— Rae, 2/17/2012 -
" Ok for this type of storyline. I have not read a lot of Patricia Cornwall so hard to compare with others by her. The two plots were really quite separate. I worry that all hospitals, morgues, undertakers etc have an Edgar Alland Pogue lurking in the basement! "
— Stuart, 6/13/2011 -
" 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, 5/12/2011 -
" This is my first Patricia Cornwell in quite some time as she became a little too graphic in her writing for me. This one was not graphic, but there didn't seem to be much story. Not my favorite. "
— Madelle, 5/11/2011 -
" Last three books of the Scarpetta series have been so disappointing; disjointed story telling, clipped writting, characthes that you don't bond or care about. Last one I'm reading. "
— Bonnie, 5/5/2011 -
" I was really disappointed again with this book. It would have been much better in an abridged version. The book just seemed to go on and on. Scarpetta has written much better books - I miss the older books! "
— Karen, 5/4/2011 -
" Too much! And this coming from a long time Kay Scarpetta fan "
— Jeffrey, 5/4/2011 -
" It's time Dr. Scarpetta retire along with Benton, Marino, and Lucy. "
— Kay, 5/3/2011 -
" Still pretty dark like the last two Scarpetta books. Characters are still moppy and pathetic. Will read one more to see if she sounds stronger in the next book. "
— Kristi, 5/3/2011 -
" Not her best, unless helicopters and highly technical forensic medicine is your thing. "
— Julie, 5/1/2011
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.