Cause of Death (1996)

Why _do_ I keep reading her books? The plot on this one was so far over the top and absurd that it would have worked better as a cartoon -- er-- graphic novel. ( )

This is definitely one of Cornwell's better stories. ( )

I think this is the best Kay Scarpetta book I’ve yet read, which makes me more hopeful for the rest of the series than I was after reading the last one. Kay’s latest case comes to her while she is covering for a co-worker in the Tidewater district. A reporter Kay is familiar with has died while diving in a restricted area belonging to the US Navy. When the distrurbing bible/handbook of a local terrorist cult turns up in the victim’s house, it seems there is more going on here than meets the eye and consequences could be disasterous to the entire world.
Kay is also worried about her neice, Lucy, who is now assigned to work with an elite FBI unit and regularly put in harm’s way. Her relationship with Benton Wesley continues to be confusing and detective Marino is…the same as ever. Throughout the series, I have come to care about these characters, and Cornwell does a good job of developing issues in their lives as well as presenting a compelling mystery and realistic technical details. Highly recommended for fans of murder and forensic mystery series. ( )

Probably one of the best Scarpetta novels I've read yet; Kay, Marino, Wesley and Lucy end up exploring the mysterious and grisly death of a journalist found dead near a navy submarine, which looks to have some tenuous link to a mysterious and disturbing cult.

There's some great laugh-aloud dialogue in this one between Lucy and Marino, and the unravelling of this particular mystery had me gripped, the tense pace building up to the end meaning that I struggled to put this one down from the last 100 or so pages, in the early hours.

Cornwell reigns queen yet again with yet another piece of fantastic literature, leaving me itching to read the next in the series! ( )

So far, I still enjoy reading the Scarpetta series, but I foresee a problem later in the series. I figure that misfortune will hit either Benton Wesley or Pete Marino. Also, the killing of at least one of Kay's workers has been happening at an alarming rate. In this episode, I learned more about underwater diving than I really wanted to know. This installation followed the Zionists based in Virginia. Since America was established to allow religious freedom, the government is almost powerless in controlling fanatic sects. Cornwell exerts much time on research and her books sometimes delve too deeply into certain subjects. Kay Scarpetta seems to be a robot who never needs sleep and who possesses every license. Kay is a diver, studied law, and is a medical doctor, plus she knows something on every topic. Kay seems less than human at times ( )