Scarpetta

Kay Scarpetta Mysteries, Book 16

By: Patricia Cornwell

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2008 Cornwell Entertainment, inc. (P)2008 Penguin Audiobooks

If you like this series, I think you’ll like this book…

This is a thorough review of this title and this series, as a whole.

I’ll start by saying that I believe most of the people reviewing this series negatively either just don’t enjoy it, yet oddly continue to read it, or start it in the middle and don’t truly grasp it. There are things that each book helps you to understand about the characters, as well as the reasons Cornwell includes the things she does in each book. So, starting at book one will definitely make the read more enjoyable, in my opinion. Sure, you can listen any of these titles without listening to or reading the previous books, but they’re so much better if you start at the beginning. It’s always a good place to start.

Now, to refer to this title. Contrary to the implications of some reviews, I saw no insulting of people with dwarfism or things that were too far fetched to be believable. Though there were parts of the story that might not be common in daily life, in today’s world, they’re not far fetched. Besides, if the books were written about common, every day things, we’d all guess the endings and, thus, sort of negate the point of reading a suspenseful mystery. Being an avid true crime fan, I can say I’ve read about things far more unbelievable that actually happened, in my lifetime, so though the stories might be uncommon, I find far fetched to be a stretch. With that said, I personally enjoyed this particular book quite a bit and I’d rank it in the top 5 of the series, thus far. A lot of things from past books are wrapped up nicely and I have a feeling that some of the negative energy between the main characters will dissipate, at least for a bit, in upcoming titles. Let me also add, I’m not complaining about the friction between characters. People in any kind of relationship, whether it be family, friends, lovers, etc go through tough patches. Hence, if there was never any drama it would be hard for these books to be believable.

Something else that I found to be a positive was that I felt like the ending wasn’t rushed this time as it has been in some previous titles. I felt we got a good wrap up and weren’t left feeling that pieces of the puzzle were missing. We get time to absorb what happened before the title ends.

As far as the performance, I was glad to have Kate Reading narrating again, though I do still find some of her pronunciations odd. Even so, I’m getting used to it and it’s nothing that I would take performance stars for. She does a great job switching between the characters and giving them voices that match with what you’d imagine they sound like. One small annoyance for me, in this title, was Lucy’s voice. It wasn’t that it was bad. It just felt different from Reading’s past portrayals. If you’re not listening to the series in quick succession, as I am, you probably won’t even notice.

Overall, if you like Cornwell and you like this series, I think you’ll enjoy Scarpetta. I can’t wait to see what the crew gets into next and I’m planning to start the next book as soon as I finish this review!

Side note: Being completely transparent, if you’ve read several of these books and didn’t enjoy them, you likely won’t enjoy this one either. I feel Cornwell is true to her writing style, story lines, and twists and turns, as well as her level of detail, constant changes in point of view, and character unraveling. If you don’t enjoy these things in one book from the series, you’re likely not going to enjoy them in another, just because the story line is different. A writer’s nuances are what makes a series flow and hold the reader’s attention for me. So, if you’re not fond of Cornwell’s style, naturally, you won’t suddenly like her titles just because of the story. I see a lot of reviews from the same readers saying they don’t like the way Cornwell does certain things, but then I see them reviewing the next title. And usually it’s another bad review. Because of that, I wanted to add this side note. These books, as I said, hold a lot of similarities when dealing with certain logistics, so, though you’ll get a different story each time, if those things are bothersome to you, this series is probably not for you. I hope this review was helpful.

Great book!

Another great addition to the series! Towards the end, I may or may not have almost cried. So good!

Twists and Turns

My goodness never knew who to trust or which way to turn in this mystery! Never knew the Internet could be used with such malice and cause treacherous outcomes!! What a book!! What a story!! On to the next one — I want to stop and I can’t have to see what Kay will get involved in next! Get this book as well — such gifted narration and excellent writing!!

Very interesting

This is one of the better books. The characters are definitely different, but you can finally see how the tragedies they have all endured are changing them and chinking their Armor. I really enjoyed this one.

Missed the Mark

This book was hard to listen too. The narration was bland, the story was just boring. I skipped through & finished listening because had hoped it would get better. ugh.

Such a wonderful book!!!

If you really are into P.C. I would tell you that you need to listen to this audiobook. It’s written well and it is narrated perfectly!

Compelling characters!

Interesting and exciting storyline. This is my 9th or so in the Scarpetta series. Loves the exciting and unexpected ending!

Great narrator, but should learn to pronounce medical terms properly

I love this narrator. But it drives me crazy when she miss pronounces medical terms, such as microscopy, especially when it is exclusively, supposed to be the voice of a prominent chief medical examiner, there are several medical terms that were butchered, and for those of us who know the actual pronunciations, and who also may be grammar Nazi’s, it was maddening.

However, for some reason in this particular, Scarpetta book, sounds like a zombie pumped up with Thorazine….

He'll of a good book!I love this series!

Finding it on Audible was a real excitement! I even like the narrator a !ot!

Scarpetta for the win

There are so many twists and turns in this story that I couldn't figure out who was doing what. It was an intriguing storyline involving the internet and how evil it can be if used for terrible intentions. I like that the whole group around Scarpetta and Benton can put past feelings aside in order to solve this crime. As always, Kate Reading does a fantastic narration.