Dr. Kay Scarpetta is starting over with a unique private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina. But in this thrilling #1 New York Times bestseller, her fresh start ushers in a string of murders more baffling—and terrifying—than any that have come before…The Book of the Dead is the morgue log, the ledger in which all cases are entered by hand. For Kay Scarpetta, however, it … Kay Scarpetta, however, it is about to acquire a new meaning.
A sixteen-year-old tennis star, fresh from a tournament win Charleston, is found nude and mutilated near Piazza Navona in Rome. The body of an abused young boy is dumped in a desolate marsh. A woman is ritualistically murdered in her multimillion-dollar beach home. Meanwhile, in New England, problems with a prominent patient at a Harvard-affiliated psychiatric hospital begin to hint at interconnections among the deaths that are as hard to imagine as they are horrible.
Scarpetta has dealt with many brutal and unusual crimes before, but never has she seen a string of death like what she’s facing now. Before she is through, that book of the dead will contain many names—and the pen may be poised to write her own…
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I have read all of Patricia Cornwall’s books and started losing interest in the pass 2 – 3 books. This was was more like the Patricia Cornwall I had come to enjoy, look forward to the next, and just loved all the Scarlett’s books. Then, you get to the end and the reader is left “hanging”. I feel exploited ..
Patricia Cornwell is a great writer.
She is getting harder to read. I try to stay a fan but the endings seem to happen as an afterthought. More like the deadline was looming.
It was great!!
It just is like the first books that were awesome.
One of my favorite authors for many years. She knows how to tell an amazing story that seems real and has characters that feel like family.
I love Kay Scarpetta!!!!!
just boring. i read few of cornwell before which were ok. but this one so boring. forced writing. i just could not swallow it and left it unfinished
Outstanding fast read.
Wonderful storyline. Great suspense. Love the characters.
Oh wow
Grabs you & doesn’t letgo
Complicated characters and twisting plots. I love love love all her books!
Excellent!
Scarpetta is always interesting even while being gruesome. I read these books in small doses because too much at one time is depressing.
Always good.
Excellent
I use to devour her books but any more they are just mediocre compared to her earlier books. It basically is the same thing over and over again. Very predictable. It is a shame.
I am a big Patricia Cornwall fan and this was my least favorite of any of her books. It was slow to develop the story line and even then it was somewhat of an uninteresting story. I grudgingly finished this book and the plot twist at the end did take me by surprise. But there were parts in the middle that just didn’t seem to make sense to the story line and I have to wonder why they were included as they had no merit and didn’t lead the story anywhere. If you are a Patrica Cornwall fan and have nothing else to read then maybe I would recommend this.
I didn’t think this book was up to her usual standards. Hard to follow, confusing and pointless.