This was a good story; I love that there were so many forensic details included when Kay was investigating the body and the crime scene(s). This reminded me of the older Scarpetta novels and I miss this in the newest novels. ( )

Kay Scarpetta is the expert witness at a sensational murder trial. But that is not even the main thrust of this story. The judge’s sister is found dead at her home, but it’s a mysterious death. Kay will have some sleuthing to do to unravel this mystery. It’s an interesting case, but much of the book deals with details that aren’t germane to the story. Other details just don’t seem plausible. Regular readers of this series likely will enjoy this installment, but it missed the mark for me. ( )

Review to come

Review to come

I keep picking up Patricia Cornwell novels as they come out, even though I keep telling myself not to, because her last few pre-pandemic releases were disappointing. "Livid" is #26 in the Kay Scarpetta series, and it's actually pretty good. I do get awfully tired of the underhanded machinations of various people in power who have personal vendettas against Scarpetta. And I also get tired of the fact that Scarpetta just seems to have issues with almost everyone, like her sister Dorothy. I wish the Scarpetta books would just focus on the case at hand because that's when it's good.

In "Livid," Scarpetta is an expert witness in a high-profile murder trial. Then the judge's sister is found murdered. In the ensuing investigation, Scarpetta and her team -- including Pete Marino, just as brash as ever, I love his character; her husband and FBI agent Benton Wesley; her niece and FBI agent Lucy -- discover a murder weapon that is diabolically frightening.

The ending was a bit of a letdown because the murderer was just not that interesting. I prefer if the bad guys have interesting personalities and/or backstories and/or motives. Oh, well. At least I was mostly entertained as I read the book. ( )