The Last Precinct - Patricia Cornwell

I started reading Patricia Cornwell years ago at the recommendation of my sister. I started with a book called Body of Evidence. I loved it. I couldn’t get enough of her books. I looked for them at the library constantly. I read and loved all of what I found. I watched the progression of her main character, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, through many books. I saw characters evolve, come into her life, grow up, even die. I felt like I knew her. I felt like her life was all there for me to read. Then I read a book called The Hornet’s Nest. I didn’t read the inside flap and assumed it was a book about Dr. Kay. It wasn’t. Not only wasn’t ...  Read the complete review

For those of you who are familiar with Patricia Cornwell and her novels you will be aware that her Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner series is by far her most famous work. "The Last Precinct" (2000) is the 11th novel in this series, which is as follows: -1- Postmortem (1990) -2- Body of Evidence (1991) -3- All that Remains (1992) -4- Cruel and Unusual (1993) -5- The Body Farm (1994) -6- From Potters Field (1995) -7- Cause of Death (1996) -8- Unatural exposure (1997) -9- Point of Origin (1998) -10- Black Notice (1999) Having read all of the series and being a big fan I feel I should offer some background to ...  Read the complete review

As a fan of long-standing, even I was begiining to be fed up with the rank commercialisation of some of the recent Scarpetta outings: the all too obvious bids for Hollywood attention (helicopter chases, computer geeks and their gadgets, people in body armour storming buildings with machine guns etc) often resulting in contrived endings. I think Patricia Cornwell knows this in her writer's heart, and with The Last Precinct has set out to make some amends with her readership. Those of you who have read all of the books, think back to the first two where first person dialogue and scrupulously slow attention to detail were what grabbed us round the gut and ...  Read the complete review

Patricia never fails me! Every Christmas morning for the last ten years I’ve unwrapped the latest in a line of gripping novels. I’ve normally finished by New Years Day and then have to sit about waiting for the next 360 days to fly by until the next one comes along. Reader: So she doesn’t write very often? Well to get a great book like that, I don’t blame her taking a year to do it! There have been 10 in the Kay Scarpetta series, each one taking a year to write. Reader: I’ve heard that her latest is like the second part of her last book, is that true? It is true to a certain extent but each of her ...  Read the complete review

Kay Scarpetta is back!!! Hurrah!!! I love Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta novels, and opened this as soon as I got home with it. But.... Come on Patricia! There are so many references to the previous book Black Notice, it should have been called part 2!! Her books are not usually like this. A couple of references are ok, but there are so many. I think people who haven't read black notice wouldn't know, but those that have get a severe feeling of deja vous! Plotwise, the "Loup Garrou" has been caught. But other players in the scene are not entirely who they seem to be. Kay faces losing her credibility, her job as ...  Read the complete review