About this title: When a reclusive writer is found slain in her own home, the intrepid Kay Scarpetta pieces together the intricate forensic evidence--all the while edging unwittingly closer and closer to a killer lurking in the shadows. Reissue. Postponed from 9/04
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Pocket Books, New York
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780743493918ISBN:0743493915
Description: Good. A Scarpetta Novel. 403 pp. spine creasing, light edge wear; A reclusive author, Beryl Madison finds no safe haven from months of menacing phone callsóor the tormented feeling that her every move is being watched. When the writer is found slain in her own home, Kay Scarpetta pieces together the intricate forensic evidenceówhile unwittingly edging closer to a killer waiting in the shadows. read more
Description: Fine. 0743493915 Very Good Condition, average wear for a book that has been read 1x or 2x, some creases on spine, minor wear on the edges and corners of the cover, Great Book. ** Satisfaction Guaranteed ** Orders ship same or next business day. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Pocket
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780743493918ISBN:0743493915
Description: Acceptable. MAY HAVE COVER WEAR, SPINE CREASES, HIGHLIGHTING, UNDERLINING & PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE. FASTER SERVICE FROM US! ! ! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Pocket
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780743493918ISBN:0743493915
Description: Good. Standard used condition. May have light reading or storage wear. All orders processed within 2 business days. Ships from Foxboro MA. read more
"Still a cut above the bland police procedurals that require ridiculous plot convolutions to make sense of what has come before. Additionally, the heroine is not some nearly one-dimensional pawn that the author moves from one set piece to another."
"I'm trying to read the Kay Scarpetta novels more or less in order even though I've heard it's a series you don't really have to take sequentially. So this is the second--the first being Postmortem. So far I'm having a pretty consistent opinion of the books, even though I'm only two in.
Body of Evidence is a mystery novel. And the mystery part of the book is done very well. It had me guessing a new suspect, a new motive, etc. with each chapter. That, I think, is the strong point of this novel. It manages to keep the reader hooked, and the mystery is unraveled at a reasonable pace. The forensic element that is prevalant in the book keeps it realistic--you can tell that Cornwell knows her stuff. (There were, though, a few mini-info dumps that made my eyes glaze over but nothing it was nothing I couldn't apply myself to with a little effort.)
I couldn't fault the characterization. The characters were likable, they struck me as real people. I applaud Cornwell for this. The heroine was flawed the way a human being is expected to be and she was just my type of lead female character--strong, smart, independent. (And I'll just go ahead and come out with it, I love her name. Kay Scarpetta. It's so delicious to say.) The thing about some mystery novels, though, is that I sometimes feel more in touch with the victim than the protagonist. That was the case in this book with Beryl Madison. I'm not saying this is a bad thing--it kept me reading. But I sometimes felt myself getting frustrated when I felt more of a connection to Beryl than I did Kay.
Now as much as I liked the characters and the mystery, I felt like there was something barring me from getting too caught up in the novel. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but I think the problem was Cornwell's prose. It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination but it didn't do much to draw me in. I noticed a few cliches as I was reading, but besides that I can't really explain my problem other than saying it just didn't draw me in. The book was good, no doubt, but it wasn't the kind of book that sticks with me.
I also felt that the ending followed in too much of the same vein as the first. I won't go beyond that so as not to spoil it.
I was also disappointed with the lack of Lucy, who was my favorite character in Postmortem.
The final verdict is 3.5 stars. It wasn't anything to get excited about, but I would recommend trying the first book if you like mysteries or forensics."
"OK I am definitely not a Kay scarpella fan. Like a good crime mystery, just did not care very much for this book. I went from bored to curious to disappointed. I'm sure Pat Cornwell deserves her audience I just won't be in it."
"Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series tends to have gruesome murders which make me sleep with the light on until I finish them. But the suspense is real and she throws in a nice twist or two that I didn't see coming. The one ding I have for them is she always ends up personally involved with the murders. Once in a series, ok, but not every time. Enjoyed it in a gruesome, guilty pleasure sort of way."
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