At Risk

I've given up on her Scarpetta series. I think. But this featured a different cast, was lighter, more "who dunnit"-ish. Written originally as a serial in The New York Times magazine, it zipped right along, with interesting characters, a plot that made sense, and clues enough to figure out who the bad people were in good time. I enjoyed it. A one-sitting read, unless the dog has to go out in the middle of it.
Review written in 2008

First read: 2007
Initial rating: 2/5
Initial thoughts: boo this isn't a Kay Scarpetta novel :(

I have always felt I didn't give this series a fair chance, and now eight years after I first read it I remember exactly nothing about the plot, so I'm going to re-read with the full awareness that this is a different series and it should be judged on what it is rather than what it isn't!

Re-read: May 2015
New rating: 4/5

Thoughts: This was an unusual crime novel in that the crime was almost a side plot to the action going on in the main characters personal lives. I enjoyed it a lot for the most part.

Things I didn't like; the use of present tense throughout, and the weak female characters - there was Sykes who put her own career in jeopardy to help show more out Win with the cold case murder just because she has a crush on him, and Monique who was horrible to Win despite everything he did for her (she did become slightly more sympathetic towards the end but it was too little too late for me).

Things I liked; fast moving plot, the main character Win was likeable and I loved his interactions with his Nana, who is a psychic. Any scenes with Miss Dog in them :)

[I just discovered that a made-for-TV movie of At Risk was released in 2010 - it only has a 4.3 rating on IMDb but it might be interesting to see how this very short novel translated to a film.] show less

While the characters of Win Gerano, his Nana, D.A. Monique Lamont, and Detective Sykes are very well drawn and interesting, the plot/mystery of this book is not. Just when I thought we were getting to the end of the 'exposition' portion of the book, we were having the whodunit explained to us...as well as the political machinations behind it. Also of annoyance: the fact that almost every character has a nickname, and Win has two!
I was just confused the whole time I was reading this book, and for the kind of book one reads for escape purposes, one doesn't want to have to think so hard. Not a fan, won't be obtaining more of this series.

I've been a fan of Ms Cornwell for a long time, and I have a hard time believing that the author who wrote the first nine Scarpetta books is the same person who wrote Blowfly, Trace, Predator, and now, At Risk.
When I first read the jacket on At Risk, I was very surprised and pleased to see that it wasn't another Scarpetta novel - all her characters in that series had become much too bizzare, pathetic, or just plain unlikeable - and I had great hopes that she had written something new and fresh. However, At Risk is no better (and probably worse in many ways) than her last three. It actually doesn't start out too badly (not brilliant, but the characters and plot have some potential), but then, just as the plot and suspense are rising, show more you start the next chapter and find out that the detectives have it all solved! The story has no rhythm, continuity, or logic to it. The last half of the book reads like it was thrown together in about an hour. Very disappointing. I'm still hoping that Ms Cornwell will write another wonderful thriller (particularly if she continues to concentrate on fresh material and forget about the Scarpetta series) - after all, that talent must still be in there somewhere! Come on, Patricia. You can do better than this. show less

First, let me start off by saying I am a huge Patricia Cornwell fan. I normally rush out to buy her books as soon as they hit the shelves, but, I had a REALLY hard time with At Risk. Thank God it was a bargain book from Borders, I only wasted $5.95!

Set in downtown Boston, our main character, Win, is a detective who has been assigned to work for the district attorney, Monique LaMont. Characters don't often come as shallow and self absorbed as this woman who, although she becomes the victim of a horrible crime, I just couldn’t sympathize with. Win is called back from a special forensics course in Tennessee to work on the DA's new project, At Risk. The motto of the At Risk program is "any crime, any time” and Win's assignment is to show more solve a 20 year old murder of a wealthy old woman that appears to have connections to several other cases. There are about 5 other plot lines thrown in for seemingly no other reason than to fill pages.

The book was originally written as a 15 part serial for a magazine and it shows! The characters are never fully developed and the different plot lines seem to peter out before they come full circle. Chapters end with a little bit of suspense, and the next chapter would begin with detectives discussing how they solved a completely unrelated case. BOO! Please, please Patricia, get back to the Kay Scarpetta series we love so much! show less

This little novel was originally a serial story for The New York Times Magazine, then published as a hardcover book in 2006. It was another of the good reads from a huge bag given to me by a good friend. We met up at a book sale yesterday, each buying more books than we can hope to read very soon, and both grinning from ear to ear.

In a departure from her award-winning series featuring Dr. Kay Scarpetta, this story is set in Boston and Knoxville, and the crime solver is a Massachusetts state investigator. His sexy lady boss, the district attorney, had sent him to the National Forensic Academy in Knoxville and he was perplexed as to why he was there. Suddenly he is called back to Boston urgently to meet with her and finds himself in the show more middle of a rape and homicide.

Winston Garano is the detective and I was just as confused as he was for quite a while. I can see where this would be successful as a serial with people anxious to buy each Sunday newspaper to read the next installment. Another character involved with the investigation although not always willingly, is another student at the forensic academy who Win has befriended there. She is an older woman, an experienced investigator, trying her best to move up in her department and thus learning something new. I get the feeling she is angry with herself for helping Win at the cost of her own prospects, but she becomes so intrigued by the case that she hangs on.

D.A. Monique Lamont, who Garano thinks of as "Money Lamount," is confusing. She lives the high life, enjoys the fact that men find her sexy, and adores anything glass. Her office and home are full of decorative glass items that reflect light to make an almost skewed vision. She is as tough as nails and constantly yells as people in her office. Is she involved in the case? Is she what she appears to be? Why does she order Garano this way and that - to keep him from making sense of anything?

At Risk is a short but excellent book. It isn't too late for a beach read and this one is perfect for that purpose, although you must pay attention to what you're reading or you won't follow the story and the end will totally surprise you.

Recommended
Source: another book lover show less

At less than 200 pages (with large margins), this novelette is a weak attempt by the author with little to recommend it. The plot is contrived and the characters aren't all that easy to like or believe in. The main character, Win Garano, is a peculiar man of "mixed race" (as we're periodically reminded) and gorgeous (from the way women throughout the book swoon in his presence) -- yet a fellow who has a chip on his shoulder because an Ivy League education, snappy suits, and expensive shoes are beyond his reach financially. He works with another detective (female) named Sykes who has similar resentments. And while they crack the case, they don't fall in love or even into bed. Too bad, they could have spent evenings in each other's arms show more complaining about the snobbishness and wealth of the rich and well-educated. Maybe they find true love in the sequel, for readers more intrepid than I.

The plot line contains two seemingly unrelated themes. In one, Win Garano is sent from Massachusetts to investigate an unsolved murder in Tennessee; in the other, his boss, D.A. Monique LaMont is assaulted by a man hired to kill her. Connections between these two crimes and other aspects of the plot turn out to be too tenuous and contradictory to accept..

I expected more. I've only read one other book by Patricia Cornwell, and am glad to see from other reviewers that this small book is not representative of her earlier work. I'll give her work another try, but this time I'll rely on other LibraryThing reviewers for guidance. show less