A welcome return to early form, more thought and less action (The Last Precinct - Patricia Cornwell)

Member Name: chizel

Product:	The Last Precinct - Patricia Cornwell
Date:	30/05/01 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Getting good

Disadvantages: Hmm, the plot

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 made our pulses lurch. While some reviewers have complained that the book is slow and overlong, I think this is what makes the book and in some measure is a balm against the ludicrous plot (with some plot points never adequately explained)and the all too rapidly expanding cast of hollow characters.

Why 4 stars then, if the plot is so bad? Well, because Patricia has been brave enough to re-evaluate her money-spinning character and recognise it is time to take her in a new direction. In many ways this is the end of Scarpetta as fans know and love her, but possibly the beginning of something better. I can imagine that the scene she has set for the next novel will give Kay Scarpetta a much broader canvas upon which to work, and that can only be a good thing.

But, Patricia Cornwell, if you ever read this, please do something more solid with Lucy or kill her off. Whereas Benton was sparingly portrayed but always a fully rounded character, Lucy has become nothing but a cliche: Lucy is in trouble, so lets make her rich! Lucy has a girlfriend, lets make her a psychopath! Can't she just be a little bit more, well, normal? I find it hard to fathom that, apart from Scarpetta herself, Cornwell has such trouble portraying her women as well-rounded and interesting characters. Enough of the ps
ycho-bitch-ice maiden-lesbo freaks already!

Don't read this if its your first Scarpetta, but a must read for everyone else.

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