This passive ending is so frustrating, and I should mention it is the identical weak ending that was in the previous novel, “Autopsy”. I’d read a paragraph and then swipe past pages upon pages of descriptions that were generally not germane to progressing the storyline but often underscoring Cornwell’s liberal slant on life and our government. Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. Kay Scarpetta doesn't seem quite as paranoid as usual (even though in this case, her suspicions may be rooted in fact). I haven't read any of the earlier Scarpetta novels in quite a while, but this book and the last one Autopsy make coming back to this series worthwhile.

Kay's testimony infuriates both the prosecutor and the public, who want Hooke locked up for the rest of his life. I challenge anyone to name one book in the series in which other members of the family did not know more about one of Kay’s murder investigations than she did herself. I felt that the author spent a lot of time describing the setting in such detail that she lost focus on what the goal was - writing a story that made you want to turn the page quickly, trying to figure out “who did it”?We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. The unrealistic story gets worse from here as people start getting killed, including the Judge's sister who is staying at the Judge's residence, with a microwave gun. Clever detective work uncovers the perpetrator(s) AND exposes corrupt and malicious behavior in Virginia political circles.

Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. Full of all the action and sharp wit that the series possessed in its heyday, Cornwell keeps readers highly entertained and thoroughly captivated. A crime thriller with so many twists and turns, I could not always tell which way was up in Cornwell’s best novel over the last number of years. The rulings the Judge makes during Kay's testimony would never happen, nor would the outrageous objections made by the prosecutor.As things play out, Rachael's homicide seems to have a connection with an attempt on the life of the POTUS, as well as the murder of a Virginia merchant. I read the first six or so books in this series a few years ago and nothing since so to suddenly jump to book twenty six was quite a leap. Although there is no apparent cause of death, Scarpetta recognizes telltale signs of the unthinkable, and she knows the worst is yet to come. As tensions mount for the case to be decided, Scarpetta must determine who is out there, lurking in the shadows. The next 113 pages up through page 252 covered the inspection of the body, inspecting the murder site, going home, and debrief in the kitchen while eating.

At this point we are 73% through the book at this point and it has not even been 24 hours since the book began. The mystery itself seemed secondary, more a set-up for a bigger mystery that might come in a future volume.I must say, the opening chapters of the story in which Kay Scarpetta is on the witness stand in court are really gripping and reminded me of those terrific early stories like Postmortem and The Body Farm in terms of drama and intrigue. Perhaps though it is that these days I prefer to let my imagination picture what is happening rather than having to read paragraph after paragraph of graphic depictions of what happens to bodies after death, etc. Cornwell does a masterful job in this piece to resurrect some of her past greatness in the Scarpetta series.

Working with her long-time friend and colleague, Pete Marino, Scarpetta tries to get to the core of the matter, while keeping some of her past involvement with the judge out of her way. In the midst of all this tumult, a CIA press secretary named Rachael Stanwyck - who's the sister of Kay's friend, Judge Annie Chilton - is found murdered in Chilton's home. We spend more time learning about an obscure threat, an unexplained link to several other crimes and government one-upping than anything to do with forensics.Unfortunately, in this case, the original autopsy was not performed correctly by the pathologist who is no longer alive, and Kay’s subsequent follow-up work has caused her to change the cause of death from asphyxiation to drowning. It's been over twenty years since I began reading the Kay Scarpetta series written by Patricia Cornwell.