I have read almost oll of these books. They go down easily, they have recognizable characters and they used to, more than now, have some interesting forensic information. This may be the last one of hers that I read. Put more bluntly, this may be the time that Cornwell has “jumped the shark.” The book revives a chatacter that everyone thought was dead which involves a lot of retroactive explaining that invalidates many of the previous knowledge you had about the characters or plot points. Suck.

The re-explanation of the plot then becomes the focal point of the novel instead of Scarpetta who is a character I generally like. Her niece Lucy also is on the scene quite a bit, as a much less likable person, laden with gear and hardbody sensibilities. People might enjoy this book if they were curious about a “darker” side to any of the characters, but the book displays a sort of hopelessness that I didn’t personally enjoy.