With unparalleled high-tension suspense and the latest in forensic technology, Patricia Cornwell once again proves her exceptional ability to surprise—and to thrill—in this electrifying Kay Scarpetta novel.A body, oddly draped in an unusual cloth, has just been discovered inside the sheltered gates of MIT, and it’s suspected the identity is that of missing computer engineering grad student Gail … grad student Gail Shipton, last seen the night before at a trendy Cambridge bar. It appears she’s been murdered, mere weeks before the trial in her $100 million lawsuit against her former financial manager, and Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta doubts it’s a coincidence. She also fears the case may have a connection with her computer genius niece, Lucy.
In Dust, Scarpetta and her colleagues are up against a force far more sinister than a sexual predator who fits the criminal classification of a “spectacle killer.” The murder of Gail Shipton soon leads deep into the dark world of designer drugs, drone technology, organized crime, and shocking corruption at the highest levels.
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Dust by Patricia Cornwell is the twenty-first book in the Kay Scarpetta series consisting of about twenty-five (and still counting) novels in the medical and FBI thriller mystery sub-genre. I began reading the novels nearly two decades ago but stopped for a while when I ventured into other genres. I recently picked them up again and want to get current before the next one releases in late 2019 (from what I can tell thus far). They focus on a medical examiner who’s worked for the states of Virginia and Massachusetts but now runs an even larger firm where she employs security, investigative and technical staff. Her husband, Benton, is an FBI profiler. Her niece, Lucy, is a tech whiz. And her best friend, Marino, is now a cop again. All in all, I don’t particular like any of them as people; however, as characters they’re strong, complex, and challenging… hence why I keep reading these books.
In Dust, the body of a young tech whiz who was suing a company for losing some of her money, is found dead on campus. A weird dust covers parts of her body and she’s wearing underwear that don’t belong to her. Scarpetta realizes the girl has ties to a serial killer several states away, but she shouldn’t know this because Benton let a few things slip about his case. Unfortunately, his boss is out to get him, which makes the case and any next steps quite difficult. Benton comes home for a surprise weekend and helps Kay connect the dots on the cases, which leads to an all-out investigation. What is Benton’s boss hiding? How is a dead person’s DNA still showing up on new murder victims? What does this have to do with a case Kay oversaw years ago where she thought the victim was murdered but her deputy filed it as a suicide? And how connected is Lucy to this new victim since they were both working on the same tech inventions? Phone records show many people were connected in secret.
Overall, the plot is intense and complex. It’s the best part of the book. The story unfolds with a great deal of medical and technical details; some is over the top, but much of it is easy to follow. The conclusion has a nice surprise twist and made the book feel quite strong. That said, I had a few concerns which I can’t help but wonder how they slipped through in the final editing process. The reason the first victim was killed is still unclear. Unless that’s the plot of a future story, that’s a problem for me. The who/what/when/where/how of why the killer is connected to someone else in the story isn’t explored enough. It’s just dropped as a suspenseful cliffhanger mid-book, then shares a one-page explanation near the end where we’re supposed to connect the dots on our own of how it all began. It needed more development in those areas to tie things together more closely.
There were a few other incidents like this which prevent me from giving it a 5-star rating. I end up with 3.5 star rounded higher on the book sites, but I really hope the next one is cleaner. I’m ordering it this week and will buddy read with my friend, Medhat, in the near future.
I’ve enjoyed this series.
I have read most of her books but stopped half way thru I got tired of all the bickering between the characters
Love all her books
I Love ALL of the Scarpetta books!!
Patricia Cornwell — awesome. As always.
Love this book
I thought it was terrible. The plot line was the least part about the whole book. It was all about Scarpetta’s feelings and relationships. I want a good mystery when I read a book, not one that is all filler. This book could have been written in 100 pages and gotten to the point rather than over 500.
I have read all the books in the Scarpetta series. All the books in the series must be read in the proper order to be able to follow the action as characters may disappear and then reappear. And there may be references to prior happenings.
A good thrillet
Great book. As usual, Patricia Cornwell has written a great adventure for Kay Scarpetta. What made this one more interesting was her inclusion of Kay’s husband in solving the case.
I love her style and topics but I do wish the language would be cleaner. Other authors can write as well without their characters having to use words that I don’t care to read.
I was very disappointed in this read. Not the norm. TOO wordy about items that just didn’t add to the story line. And I love this series, everyone deserves one love spot. Hope this isn’t a continually change
Cromwell is one of my all-time favorite Authors, I’ve read everything she has written.
Did not finish as I found it too complex as many of Cornwall’s books have become.
Cromwell cannot write a bad book
Couldn’t put it down
A little too much description of surroundings not necessary to plot.
Very disappointed in this book. Writing was horrific and not up to Patricia Cornwall’s standards. Skip.
This book was a disappointment. It was scattered, and not terribly interesting. I expect so much better from Patricia Cornwell…it was NOT a page turner.