Livid: The new Kay Scarpetta thriller from the No.1 bestseller

Product Information

At this point we are 73% through the book at this point and it has not even been 24 hours since the book began. of this book was describing each “environment” within each scene and very little suspense or drama typical to this series. Full of all the action and sharp wit that the series possessed in its heyday, Cornwell keeps readers highly entertained and thoroughly captivated.

This book sees Scarpetta struggling with a lack of support from the Health Commissioner, and his nasty flying monkey who also happens to be Scarpetta’s secretary. Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has just inherited one of the most notorious cases of her career.As tensions mount for the case to be decided, Scarpetta must determine who is out there, lurking in the shadows. This passive ending is so frustrating, and I should mention it is the identical weak ending that was in the previous novel, “Autopsy”. Kay Scarpetta, the spunky and thoughtful chief medical examiner introduced in Cornwell's first novel, Postmortem , makes her second commanding appearance here. Once again, Patricia Cornwell offers a glimpse into a nightmarish future that is already here, reminding us that our deepest fears have likely become reality.

Bestseller Cornwell’s solid 26th Kay Scarpetta novel (after 2021’s Autopsy) opens with Kay, now Virginia’s chief medical examiner, testifying at a controversial murder trial, which has attracted media attention thanks to the angry and vocal friends, family, and supporters of the victim, former beauty queen April Tupelo. Cornwell fans who relish her Kay Scarpetta stories for the postmortem findings will welcome this tale of twisted minds and the gory havoc they cause.I live in Alexandria, so it was kind of fun to have the story centered in an area I am very familiar with. This October, the indomitable Scarpetta once again reappears in Livid, the series twenty-sixth entry. For over 30 years, I have liked Kay Scarpetta's attention to detail when she is working the field and conducting her autopsies. Why is her old law school roommate, Judge Annie Chilton, allowing Alexandria’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Bose Flagler to beat up Scarpetta on the witness stand? The attention to detail and means by which she could weave a tale left me in awe of Cornwel’s abilities and kept me coming back for more.

I was bored out of my mind reading this, desperately waiting for a little bit of action or for something exciting to happen. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. I read the first six or so books in this series a few years ago and nothing since so to suddenly jump to book twenty six was quite a leap.CIA employee Rachael Stanwyck, the sister of judge Annie Chilton, who’s presiding over the Tupelo case, is lying dead on the kitchen floor of Annie’s secluded country house. The next 113 pages up through page 252 covered the inspection of the body, inspecting the murder site, going home, and debrief in the kitchen while eating. Scarpetta holds the key to the forensic evidence and her word, should it be taken serial by the jury, could free a man or condemn him forever. While the Chief Medical Examiner would ordinarily find herself in alignment with state’s council, Bose Flagler, her interpretation of the case—that Tupelo died of drowning rather than homicide—is met with hostility and a desire to impeach. I loved reading her books years ago but really wish I had left it at that and never ever picked up this one.

But alas, there is a lengthy number of pages with her driving from Old Town down to the Fort Hunt area in Alexandria (I live near here). Whatever the reason, this, the 26th book in the popular series, is another one I really didn't want to put down. So happy that Kay's horrible secretary, Maggie, wasn't in this one as much undermining and plotting against her at every turn like the last one.The courtroom crowd and prosecutor are openly hostile and the judge seems to be also, even though she is Kay's friend. After a "One week Later" chapter heading (thank goodness we did not have to endure 1733 additional pages detailing the week's passage based on the 10 pages on average each previous hour was allotted) we are given a summary of how the bad guy was formed from a horrible childhood.