Cause of Death

By: Patricia Cornwell

Narrated by: C.J. Critt

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 reporter 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 colleagues 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.

Cause of Death is the 7th book in the Kay Scarpetta series.

Don't miss the other titles in Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series.©1996 Patricia Daniels Cornwell (P)2002 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Cornwell remains a master of the genre, instilling in readers an appetite that only she can satisfy." (Publishers Weekly)
"The fascination with monstrous evil that's run through Cornwell's recent work blossoms with a vengeance....Full marks, as always, for the gripping forensic detail and beleaguered Scarpetta's legendary toughness." (Kirkus)

So exciting

I love when Scarpetta does her thing it's so refreshing to have a woman be the heroine of each story. Smart, skilled, professional, and vulnerable, She inspired me, and I wish she were real and if so I'd love to know her.

Loved it!

I loved this book! Well worth listening to.

CJ does voices 😊

I want her to read all the books! I have always loved Pat's books but finding CJ in audible is awesome! Her narration is the best I've heard by far 👍🏽

Story and performance top notch

Cornwell does an excellent mystery again. I'll admit that I've skipped a few novels and I'm now "backfilling" the story with some of the earlier Scarpeta stories. I find the performance by CJ Critt easy to listen to and I enjoy her rendition of the characters. I recommend the story, performance, and production.

Good story annoying performance

Patricia Cornwell is a fun read. Not challenging but enough technical details to require a bit of awareness. A good read for these challenging political times. The narrator used a voice for one of the characters that was annoying. Less performance and more reading is my response to this reader.

Only My Fourth Book in This Series, I'm Addicted!

Would you consider the audio edition of Cause of Death to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print verstion

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not on the edge of my seat, but it kept my interest.

Any additional comments?

Get rid of Lucy! She's been annoying in all 4 of the books I've read!

Great

The reader was wonderful and as always the story keeps you want more until the end.

Great! I completely enjoyed the story!

I completely enjoyed the story! I read a lot of Cornwe!!'s books when I was younger. I'm pleased to still enjoy her writing!

My least favorite so far

This story was a mess. There’s no cohesion and the end is slapped on in a hurry. It started out fairly well but suddenly deteriorated into a quasi-spy, quasi-conspiracy mishmash. Then, just as suddenly it was over. Thank goodness. I’ll quickly forget it exists and move on… like the second Highlander movie. Disappointing at best.

Poor Moral Compass

Kay's moral compass - story hinted of a adulterous affair with Bentley. Did not like that fact. Saddened about the death of the young man.