Unnatural Exposure - Patricia Cornwell

By now Dr Scarpetta is a familiar character (if you haven't read Patricia Cornwell's other books you should, but make sure you read them in the right order or you'll be ever so confused about Kay's love life and some cases stretch over a few books). She's still off the cigarettes, confused about Benton Wesley and worried about Lucy, her FBI agent niece. This time however the plot really is a bit far fetched, though not as unbelievable as the previous novel. This time a serial killer is on the loose and he likes to chop up his victims, he however is not the problem. Even more alarming is a copycat murder which doesn't quite fit the bill, it turns ...  Read the complete review

Unnatural Exposure is superbly written. It is impossible not to admire Patricia Cornwell's depth of research in a whole number of fields - pathology, computers, weapons ballistics, forensics - the list goes on. And the writing style is finely balanced so that the introduction of her vast knowledge never seems unnecessary, but pushes the plot on. A number of the main characters are very well fleshed-out, not just Scarpetta herself. The only slight disappointment about this particular book is that the murderer doesn't come into the frame until the very end. Scarpetta wishes to consult a colleague on the subject of the virus which is being used to kill people, ...  Read the complete review

As always this Patricia Cornwell book was very easy to get into and unputdownable once you'd started. The story follows on from Benton's death, with Skarpetta following up the usual deaths mixed with problems in the department. Although the story line was as intriguing as ever, the text was a bit stilted with the author refering to Skarpetta as I, I don't remember this in other stories or maybe it just flowed better in other stories. I enjoy these books very much, they hold your interest all the way through with the minimum of mush! While agreeing with the Times review that describes the books as running on high octane fuel, a cocktail of adrenalin and ...  Read the complete review

Virginia Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta has a bloody puzzle on her hands: five headless, limbless cadavers in Ireland, plus four similar victims in a landfill back home. Is a serial butcher loose in Virginia? But the butchered bodies are so many red herrings. Instead of a run-of-the-mill serial killer, we're dealing with a shadowy figure who has plans involving mutant smallpox, mass murder, and messing with Scarpetta's mind by e-mailing her gory photos of the murder scenes, along with cryptic AOL chat-room messages. The coolest innovation: Scarpetta's gorgeous genius niece, Lucy, equips her with a DataGlove and a VPL Eyephone, and she takes a creepy ...  Read the complete review