Scarpetta series Books 15-17 by Patricia Cornwell

I have gone from really enjoying this series, to being glad I've read the last book. When another is released I do not believe I will buy it. If someone else offers it to me to borrow, I'll read it, but I won't buy another one. The first books were incredibly well done. And the last two books in the series were getting close to the enjoyment level of those first books. But, not enough to make me anticipate the release of the next book.

I said in my last review of this series that I wasn't convinced that these books are being written by the same author who wrote the first four books of the series. The voice is different, the dialogue is different, the plots aren't anywhere near as well thought out, the procedures aren't being handled the same way within the text... they don't feel like the same series. Is that because the author has changed so much in the time since she wrote the first book? Probably.


Book Rating: Book of the Dead: 7 of 10
Book Rating: Scarpetta: 7 of 10
Book Rating: The Scarpetta Factor: 8 of 10

Series Rating: Kay Scarpetta Series: 6 of 10

As you can see, these latter books are getting higher ratings than some of the previous books in the series. But I didn't raise the series rating. Considering that the first six books in the series had five 9's and one 8 - that tells you that the series has gone through some drastic changes.

I do enjoy reading about how computers are being used to solve crimes. I've also enjoyed reading about various other crime fighting tools. And I love that Ms. Cornwell sometimes makes people's names fit their profession, and how Marino always points that out. There are parts of the books that I really enjoy. Unfortunately, the storytelling part has changed, and that's a pretty big part of why we buy books.. the author's voice, the character's dialogue, how many "threads" we are expected to keep up with at once. I suppose it's a given that as an author grows and changes that her work will as well. I've seen it with the Anita Blake series and with the Stephanie Plum series, too. Of course, I'm mostly okay with the changes in the Anita Blake series... but the Stephanie Plum series has gone from funny to silly, which hasn't worked for me. So, I guess it's just one of those things: Any series that spans 15 or 20 years of an author's life is going to go through changes, because the author is not the same person now that he or she was 15 or 20 years ago.


1 and 2. The Scarpetta Collection Volume I: Postmortem and Body of Evidence
3 and 4. Scarpetta Collection Volume II: All That Remains and Cruel & Unusual
5. The Body Farm
6. From Potter's Field
7. Cause of Death
8. Unnatural Exposure
9. Point of Origin
10.Black Notice
11.The Last Precinct
12.Blow Fly
13.Trace
14.Predator
15.Book of the Dead
16.Scarpetta
17.The Scarpetta Factor

Scarpetta series Books 9-14 by Patricia Cornwell

I try to always say something positive about a book, even if it is one I didn't really care for. Most of the time it's easy to say something positive amongst the negative, but with these five books I'm going to have to stretch.

To be honest, I'm not convinced that these books are being written by the same author who wrote the first four books of the series. The voice is different, the dialogue is different, the plots aren't anywhere near as well thought out, the procedures aren't being handled the same way within the text... they don't feel like the same series.

I have three books left to go in this series, and quite frankly I am only sticking with the series because the ratings for the latter books seem to be back up and I'm hoping to see something along the same caliber of the first four books. Oh, and because I've already bought the books.

Book Rating: Point of Origin: 7 of 10
Book Rating: Black Notice: 5 of 10
Book Rating: The Last Precinct: 5 of 10
Book Rating: Blow Fly: 5 of 10
Book Rating: Trace: 4 of 10
Book Rating: Predator : 4 of 10

Series Rating: Kay Scarpetta Series: 6 of 10



1 and 2. The Scarpetta Collection Volume I: Postmortem and Body of Evidence
3 and 4. Scarpetta Collection Volume II: All That Remains and Cruel & Unusual
5. The Body Farm
6. From Potter's Field
7. Cause of Death
8. Unnatural Exposure
9. Point of Origin
10.Black Notice
11.The Last Precinct
12.Blow Fly
13.Trace
14.Predator
15.Book of the Dead
16.Scarpetta
17.The Scarpetta Factor

Scarpetta series Books 5-8 by Patricia Cornwell

I've managed to read four books since I last reviewed this series. I've read: The Body Farm, From Potter's Field, Cause of Death, and Unnatural Exposure.

I continue to be annoyed by the things that happen in between books. But other than that, I'm mostly enjoying the series: The writing is good, the prose is good, the plots are good. There are some things that happen that I don't believe would happen in real life though, and that tends to bug me. The pacing is also off in a few places.

I like the procedural stuff, and I like the action that happens. The personal stuff gets skimped on quite a bit, but I guess that's because Dr. Scarpetta doesn't really have that much of a personal life. We know she's got a therapist she can see, but we don't really know that much about what is said. We are told she's spent time with someone between books, and given a one paragraph summary of what happened during that time (could be months or more than a year), but it just doesn't feel the same as seeing it happen. What is the writers axiom about "show, don't tell"? We're told too much and not shown enough, I guess.

I'm almost halfway through the series at this point and for now I'll keep reading, but I'm still not sure this series is going to keep me interested enough to keep reading all the way through.

In the past the series has been a 9 of 10 for me, but I think I'm going to lower it to an 8.

Book Rating: The Body Farm: 8 of 10
Book Rating: From Potter's Field: 8 of 10
Book Rating: Cause of Death: 7 of 10
Book Rating: Unnatural Exposure: 8 of 10

Series Rating: Kay Scarpetta Series: 8 of 10

1 and 2. The Scarpetta Collection Volume I: Postmortem and Body of Evidence
3 and 4. Scarpetta Collection Volume II: All That Remains and Cruel & Unusual
5. The Body Farm
6. From Potter's Field
7. Cause of Death
8. Unnatural Exposure
9. Point of Origin
10.Black Notice
11.The Last Precinct
12.Blow Fly
13.Trace
14.Predator
15.Book of the Dead
16.Scarpetta
17.The Scarpetta Factor

Scarpetta Collection Volume II: All That Remains and Cruel & Unusual by Patricia Cornwell

This volume comprises books three and four of the Scarpetta series. I'll review both books separately in this review.

All That Remains picks up a good bit after the ending of the last book, and we're kind of slowly caught up on what has transpired since the last book. I don't really like it when authors do that.

Here is the blurb for All that Remains:

A serial killer is loose in Richmond, specializing in attractive young couples whose bodies are inevitably found in the woods months later -- minus their shoes and socks. After months of exposure to all the elements, all that remains of this killer's victims has in every case left Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta unable even to determine an exact cause of death. Frustrated that her high-tech forensic skills have apparently proved useless, Kay enlists the help of and ace crime reporter and a psychic whose powers have been vouched for by the FBI.

Racing against time, Kay finds she must draw upon her own personal resources to track down a murderer skilled at eliminating every clue. All that remains to her now is her courage and intuition and the will to stop a killer before he can strike again.

I will give All that Remains an 8 of 10. The plot was good, dialogue was good, and the pacing was mostly okay. There were too many parts of it that were not an enjoyable read, though. Stories need conflict, but some authors put too much conflict into a story.

Cruel and Unusual opens with a poem written by a man on death row. And once again, as the story progresses we learn that a lot has happened in Kay Scarpetta's life since we last saw her. Here is the blurb for book number four, Cruel and Unusual:

When convicted killer Ronnie Joe Waddell is executed in Virginia's electric chair, he becomes what should be a routine postmortem case for Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. But after Waddell's execution, the murders continue, as everyone connected to him begins to die -- including a member of Scarpetta's staff.

Then, when crucial records disappear from her files, Scarpetta comes underfire for incompetence. Caught in a web of political intrigue, betrayed by those she trusted, Scarpetta must fight to free herself from murderous insinuations -- and threats to her own life.

To save her career, Scarpetta soon finds herself retracing Waddell's bloody footprints, following a trail that might lead to long-hidden secrets deep within the state government. Either the truth will set her free -- or unleash upon her a punishment both cruel and unusual.

I go back and forth on what to rate this book. The plot could get a 10 of 10, but some of the personal stuff is down at a 7. And it really bothers me that important stuff happened between books and we have to just find out about it in conversation. But with everything taken into consideration I think I have to give the book a 9 of 10.

Book Rating: All That Remains: 8 of 10
Book Rating: Cruel & Unusual: 9 of 10
Series Rating: Kay Scarpetta: 9 of 10

I will keep reading this series for a while longer, though at this point I'm not sure I'll stick with the series long enough to make it to book 17.

I like Kay Scarpetta, and I've enjoyed working through these mysteries with her. I enjoy the procedural stuff, and I enjoy trying to figure things out as she does - sometimes I get it first, sometimes she gets it first. But I can see these books quickly turning into a bunch of stand alone novels. Plus, part of what is great about reading a series is that you get to follow a character's life. We aren't really getting to do that, since there are so many years of Kay's life between books, and since so many important things happen to her between books.

For now, I will keep reading.


1 and 2. The Scarpetta Collection Volume I: Postmortem and Body of Evidence
3 and 4. Scarpetta Collection Volume II: All That Remains and Cruel & Unusual
5. The Body Farm
6. From Potter's Field
7. Cause of Death
8. Unnatural Exposure
9. Point of Origin
10.Black Notice
11.The Last Precinct
12.Blow Fly
13.Trace
14.Predator
15.Book of the Dead
16.Scarpetta
17.The Scarpetta Factor