Ms Cornwall always keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, wanting answers and keeping us reading ( )

2000

After reading Death's Acre, I thought I would keep my eyes open for some of Cornwall's work, especially when visiting a used book store. This book is from the mid-90s, and it is easy to tell. The sheer number of forensics shows and books that I have consumed in the last decade has really made me jaded I guess. The biggest problem I had with this book was that the investigators all behaved like they were adolescents, running from crime scene to crime scene, but not thoroughly processing the site once they got there. For example (spoiler-free): at one scene, investigators spent a great amount of time trying to get into a basement which had clearly not been used in ages, but at a different location completely ignored and did not explore a significant portion of the building.I suppose if it weren't for the mistakes, the book could not have followed the path that it did, but all the mistakes makes the whole thing feel like amateur hour to me.I might still try one of Cornwall's more recent titles, but it won't be for a while. ( )

Enjoyed this, good thriller with plenty of background character plot ( )

Scarpetta goes to NC to investigate the murder of a little girl thought to be a victim of Temple Gault's. Unfortunately, the killer is someone much closer to home. For anyone with children, this book is truly creepy.

Kay Scarpetta, medical examiner, investigates death of 11 year-old girl in North Carolina. ( )

A little girl in NC is dead and Dr. Scarpetta thinks that it is Temple Brooks Gault. ( )

Frankly, this one was very blah for me. The book was not so much about the case as it was about the relationships between Kay and Marino, Marino and Benton Wesley, Kay and Wesley, and Kay and Lucy. Oh, and Kay and her sister. Blah. Too much angst for a crime novel. And I figured out who the bad guy was waaaaaaaaaay early. ( )

Pretty good story with some exciting episodes. I cannot help but think that her affair with Wesley is unfortunate, and Marino's being taking in by the perp rather sad. ( )

The book that brought Cornwell fame and started the mass interest in forensic science mysteries. Here Cornwell is at her best. Her characters are interesting, intelligent and there is just the right mix of science and plot. Kay Scarpetta is a strong believable female lead and it sparked my interest in the following Cornwell's books devotedly. Unfortunately she lost me as a reader in the last few editions that seem to betray what she created so masterfully here. ( )

In a small Virginia town a young girl is found murdered and the circumstances cast suspicions on a hunted serial killer. Dr. Kay Scarpetta, forensic pathologist, is on the scene to track down the killer while also guiding her headstrong neice into a career with the FBI. As the death toll and mystery escalate, simple answers are hard to come by and Scarpetta searches to decipher a small clue with the help of scientists at the anthropology research facility in Tennesee, better known as the Body Farm.

This was the first Patricia Cornwell novel I have read and it was an odd place to start, but I did enjoy it. The Body Farm is a fast paced read with relatively accurate depictions of forensic science. Cornwell doesn't beat the reader over the head with back story so it was nice to pick up on character relationships from context rather than drudging through history that would've interrupted the pacing of the book. Although I was expecting more of the story to take place at the fictionalized version of Knoxville's Research Facility, I was still drawn in by the suspense of the story and appreciated that it was a well written book. ( )

good book enjoyable read. ( )

One of my favorite Scarpetta books, back when Cornwell was still writing really excellent forensic thrillers. ( )

Totally unbelievable. Our sleuth is a pathologist with the FBI, a cold career woman with military language who jumps to conclusions - well, saves a lot of writing. Plot could have been way thicker. Plenty of characters were introduced but nothing became of it.

a pretty good Scarpetta -- not her worst by far, but not her best. ( )

Good mystery, especially for someone who likes science/anatomy ( )

Not bad, a bit like reading an episode of CSI.