Book Of The Dead is the second novel by Patricia Cornwell that I've read recently and the only reason I've read them is because they were lent to me by a friend and I had nothing else to read. The previous one I read called Predator seems to be the book that precedes this one so I thought I would at least have some clue what was happening this time and where the team were based and why. Wrong. Book Of The Dead sees Dr Kay Scarpetta (Forensic Pathologist), her niece Lucy (rich, high tech fan who ran the Academy they worked at before), Pete Marino (ex cop who works with Kay) and the receptionist Rose move to Charleston to start a new little practice there. ...  Read the complete review

And so it is.... the final curtain and what long-time fans can only be praying is Kay Scarpetta's swan song!! Certainly for me, this novel signifies Cornwell's last chance to make things right and prove to me that this is not a series that has far out-lived it's sell-by date. So, the big question on everybody's lips is has she managed to pull this one out of the proverbial bag? The answer sadly is a resounding NO!! The votes are in, the results have been counted and the opinion from this quarter is that Kay Scarpetta- you have been evicted from the Sparkymarky bookshelf!! Now lets have a look at BOOK OF THE DEADS best bits.... oh no, thats right there aren't ...  Read the complete review

I've read a couple of Cornwell's books now but have only started getting in to them lately. I was a bit disappointed by the first I read, Red Mist, which was a more recent one; Book Of The Dead has bought my opinion of Cornwell up as I found it to be quite an intricate and absorbing read. Cornwell is a very popular crime writer and has lots of books behind her to show for her experience and expertise in the genre. Some appear to have a key character and timeline but I managed to pick Book Of The Dead up and follow it perfectly fine without much background knowledge or having read the books 'in order'. Book Of The Dead introduces us to protagonist ...  Read the complete review

Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta was the first crime novel character I really got into. From the first book in the series I read (Body Farm or Cruel and Unusal as I recall) I was hooked and read all the following book religiously. I enjoyed reading about characters I felt I knew and the combination of this and both scientific detail and mystery was a winner. Back to 'Book of the Dead'. Scarpetta has moved out to Charleston and set up private practise with Marino, Lucy and Rose. Benton, now left the FBI and working in a private hospital is engaged to Scarpetta early on in the story. However, they still don't live together or even in the same ...  Read the complete review