Isle of Dogs (Andy Brazil)

In a departure from her many forensic thriller books, Patricia Cornwell has written in 'Isle of Dogs' a silly satire of the Commonwealth of Virginia, including Tangier Island. She skewers the First Family and the state police among others. 'Dogs' is the third book that features Andy Brazil, now a state trooper, and Judy Hammer, now superintendent of the Virginia State Police. (They were also in 'Southern Cross' and 'The Hornet's Nest.') It took me several days to finish this overlong book, unlike most of Ms. Cornwell's previous page-turners. As a fan of her Dr. Kay Scarpetta series, except for 'The Last Precinct,' I tried to suspend judgment on 'Dogs' and be open-minded about its postmodern narrative. Even so, aside from some very comical dialogue, I couldn't find much to like about this novel. Dr. Scarpetta made a cameo appearance in two chapters, but she seemed robotic. Judy Hammer was among the least-developed characters in the book. The quasi-historical Internet postings by Trooper Truth a.k.a. Andy Brazil were informative at times but distracted from the narrative flow. Governor Crimm's 'submarine' seemed like a poor imitation of Ignatius J. Reilly's valve. 'Dogs' is somewhat like other postmodern satires I've read, but it never really comes together as a novel. Ms. Cornwell, count me as another disappointed fan who would like to see a revitalized Kay Scarpetta back on the scene.

This was a comedy? I honestly couldn't even tell it was supposed to be...it made me think of something a 6th grader would have written in Creative Writing. I have no idea who the hero or villain is supposed to have been as many characters seem stupid and evil but none are remotely likeable. There is an asinine relation drawn between each of the characters that is far beyond the realm of believability, yet not interesting enough to be funny. I have read almost every other Patricia Cornwell novel and am a big fan especially having lived in Richmond once, but I am severely disgusted by this book. This may be the last Cornwell novel I ever pick up. I appreciate that challenge of staying fresh, but Patricia Cornwell really "jumped the shark" with this one. She's lucky if she isn't sued by the residents of Tangier Island for her abuse of their home and culture in this cruel joke. This is an insult to Cornwell's loyal readers and a phenomenal waste of time.

I have read each of the Cornwell series and enjoyed every one until this one. I pre-ordered this book in March of 2001 and have been reading other writers works to occupy my time until this one came out and it took me over twice as long to read this one as most. This should have been penned under a different name so the readers would not associate it with her other works. I will not blindly pre-order another book until I hear that the next one is better. The 2 other books with Hammer & Brazil were not as exciting as Dr. Kay's but they were entertaining books. This book is just plain boring ! It wanders ! It is hard at first to even piece all the events together ! My copy is available for free if buyer will pay for shipping and handling ! I do not want it in my house !

When the doddering governor of Virginia declares war on speeders, a miscommunication sends state workers to paint speed traps on the streets of tiny, eccentric Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay, where most of the residents travel by golf cart. Tangier is an insular world unto itself and does not take kindly to interference from the outside world. Tangier's response to the governor's newfangled traffic crackdown is to declare war on the Commonwealth of Virginia. The first prisoner of war is the crooked dentist from the Mainland who has been "taking care of" the Islanders' teeth for years.
Enter Judy Hammer, head of the Virginia State Police, and her right-hand man, Andy Brazil, a/k/a TrooperTruth.com, almost at wits' end trying to figure out who has bamboozled whom and where the traitor in the governor's mansion is and striving to keep them all from killing each other.
To understand the peculiar, anachronistic English still spoken today by Tangier Islanders, it helps to have been there. But even if you aren't familiar with Tangier, you'll feel like you've been there after soaking up Ms. Cornwell's deft descriptions which capture the cadence and atmosphere of the Island.
The reader will howl with laughter at the pratfalls of the bumbling governor and his bizarre family, the villainous aide, the tiny guide-horse, and all the other sundry and very colorful characters. Patricia Cornwell is not generally associated with black humor; I think she has found another calling. Look out, Scarpetta, to say nothing of Carl Hiaasen.

The worst garbage Cornwell has ever produced and the narrator is the worst of the worst, makes everyone sound like Billygoat Gruff. I think she must have written this for high school freshman class and only got it published on her name alone. I would not recommend this poor excuse of a book to anyone unless I really hated them. I'm very sorry I wasted my money.

According to the jacket, the San Francisco Examiner said "Patricia Cornwall has switched to Hiaasen's world of black humor and nearly conquers it." USA Today concurred: "Cornwell has coined a new penny". What kind of penny? The kind that is made out of lead?
This is a truly bad novel. Although Cornwall supposedly has tongue in cheek, the icons of the noble state of Virginia that are somewhat related to this horrendous mishmash of "humor" have every right to send Cornwall packing.
The governor is downright senile, his family too ridiculous for words, the people of the island of Tangier are made to look ridiculous, instead of the charming back-country types they really are. Cornwall manages to poke "fun" at lesbians, Christians, dog lovers and the old TV show, "Bonanza", in a way that makes you wonder what each or any of these constituencies ever did to her. This is not black humor, just vile writing.
The villains are incredibly shallow, but the worst is the hero, Andy Brazil, who has come up with some obnoxious website by an alter ego named "Trooper Truth". The reader is supposed to believe that by discussing DNA, Mummies, the real history of Virginia and pirates, that his erstwhile web site somehow captures the imagination of the whole state, and all who see it are intrigued by it.
As Trooper Truth would say..."Be careful out there! Cornwall may decide to write another "black humor book" to insure that she punishes her publisher for making her write so much so quickly." It is obvious that the pace of turning out a book a year has far exceeded her ability to put interesting words on a page.
Don't buy it, don't take it out of the library, don't even wrap your trash in it.

Well, there is no chance that Patricia Cornwell will be competing with Carl Hiaasen in the genre of quirky tales and offbeat characters, as the publisher claims on the book jacket, but surprisingly she did manage to hit some high moments in this rather messy and ill-conceived book. The idea as originally conceived, that an inbred and isolated community of Chesapeake Bay islanders would secede from the state of Virginia in a dispute over government interference in their lives, has excellent possibilities. Unfortunately, Ms. Cornwell never tied all the loose threads of her narrative together very well, leaving huge gaps where the logic of what was happening got lost. Also lost was the usefulness of certain characters which could have been central to either this story or, better still, an entirely different book, specifically the psychotic serial slasher "Unique". More than a few readers will probably be irritated by the "backwoods" portrayal of the islanders as too much like the Beverly Hillbillies instead of the descendents of pirate outcasts who find themselves out of place and out of time. There is no problem with having talking crabs and trout, and a Boston Bull Terrier who communicate with each other or give instructions to human characters, IF you carry that through the whole story, and Cornwell did not, which makes it seem like gratuitous fantasy rather than a plot device (i.e., why didn't the "seeing-eye pony" also talk?) The worst idea she had in this book was to use characters who had already been introduced in other novels as SERIOUS characters, such as Judy Hammer, Andy, and especially her claim-to-fame Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Scarpetta's lines in this book do not sound like the crime-solving coroner of before, she seems like she is sleepwalking through this story instead.
Novels which have outrageous flights of logic and surreal characters who proceed entirely within their own personal universe CAN work, and work very well. Hiassen does it well, in my opinion Stewart Woods does not, and Elmore Leonard is a master at it. As another reference I recommend Richard Brautigan's THE HAWKLINE MONSTER for an exceptional example of this genre. Can Patricia Cornwell do it? I don't know, probably not.
Since my family has been in Richmond, Virginia, since pre-Civil War days, as well as in costal North Carolina, I am always delighted with the very accurate and affectionate descriptions that Cornwell gives of the area. My sister's wedding reception was at the Country Club of Virginia, and everything Cornwell says about it is true. By now I suppose the real governor of Virginia is ready to run her out of town, though. The Anti Bellum South, and Richmond in particular, is very rich ground for an author with a GENUINE talent for satire and creative characters. Unfortunately, as a reader I kept feeling like a teacher examining a not-so-great effort by a budding writer. I wanted to tell her "Take this back and clean it up; it's not good enough for publication the way you have submitted it. You have some very good ideas and I can see your technical skills are mastered, but you got mixed up when you changed from what you already do best. Figure out who you are and if you really want to stick your neck out like this."

I can not believe this book was actually written by Patricia Cornwell. I bought this novel knowing it was not a Kay Scarpetta series but I assumed it would be well written. The HodgePodge references to Nascar; Tangier Island and the unlikable charachters made this book a chore rather than a page turner. The only redeeming quality of the book was the tidbits of history about Virginia revealed in the equally mind numbing columns penned by Trooper Truth; and I am begining to believe this book was more about using up any reference materials Ms. Cornwell discovered in her writing career than to actually entertain her reader. Do not waste your time or money.

This was described as being some sort of black comedy. Unfortunately, there was no humor beyond what a third grader could think up. Not clever, not funny, not ironic - just stupid. I regret spending the time to finish this book.

I have read plenty of her Scarpetta novels, so I would not have guessed that this turgid mess was what awaited me. I agree with another reviewer who said that if this book were written by anyone other than Cornwell it would never have been published. Having just suffered through 'Port Mortuary', I am afraid that Cornwell may be becoming incapable of writing another good book.

I'm really surprised at all the negative reviews of this book. While definately not her best, I think it's a wonderful attempt for her to get away from the Kay Scarpetta series. I think the more recent Kay book are depressing to read and I can't imagine how depressing they would be to write, so her attempt at humor is refreshing. Is this book perfect? No. Is this book a literary masterpiece? No. What I did find pleasing when reading this book is the historical information and the humor she can make -- which means she really understands her research. That is something I can appreciate and look forward to more books like this -- give Kay a rest.

I really enjoy the Scarpetta books and have no problem with Cornwell branching out into another series, but the three 'Andy Brazil' books so far have been hugely disappointing. 'Isle Of Dogs' has to be the worst of the lot so far. It's awful, has a stupid plot and characters that I failed to relate to or care about. I couldn't finish it, there was no momentum to the storyline and no suspense to keep me turning the pages. It's a shame because I was excited by the prospect of another series of books from Cornwell....but she's lost the plot with this one.

I feel that she is losing a bit of credibility after this book and the 'Ripper' book which also mainly got panned. Hope she get's back to her top form soon.

I bought all of Patricia Cornwell's books after reading Blow Fly. I enjoyed the Kay Scarpetta character and her stories...however after reading more of them I have found that many details are inconsistent from book to book. I read Isle of Dogs after reading three Scarpetta books...it was not believeable which I had expected from this author...so that was ok though...she is taking a turn away from the realistic...no problem...well it was all over the place. Characters are not developed...stories intertwine in a truly unbelievable way...something can be fantasy but should still follow a reasonable path of understanding...the end of the last three books I have read from this author all of a sudden come to a halt...the endings are all of a sudden and just give the full attention to the detail to leave the reader satisfied.

I dont think I will waste my time reading the other Hammer/Brazil books. If they have the fantasy like talking crabs and dogs that can read emails, this just isnt my cup of tea. The bottom line was I expected more. I think blow fly on its own was a good book...trying to tie them all together has not been rewarding.

I love Patricia Cornwell's books. This book is an exception. I can't make it through a chapter a night. I think I have to quit. The characters are boring (I'm halfway through); it's definitely not plot-driven - the reader can't hardly trudge forward.
Ms. Cornwell had to have been experimenting when writing this book. I applaud anyone's attempts to stretch themselves, but this book should have just served as back-story for a real novel. What was her editor thinking? I am definitely not buying another one of her books just based on her name; I'll check out reviews in the future.
As for this book, don't even pick it up!!!

Isle of Dogs is yet another Hammer-Andy Brazil episode valued only as proof that Cornwell is a bored author writing for her own amusement instead of her readers'. This alternate series of books is as bad as the Scarpetta series is good -- and Isle of Dogs is the mutt of this litter. The plot is asinine, the writing infantile and the intended satire woefully un-Swiftian. I suspect this manuscript would have netted quite a collection of publishing house rejection slips had it not been from a prize-winning author with a ready-made readership to fleece. Frankly, I feel abused -- if Cornwell no longer finds Scarpetta entertaining, she should just be honest and quit writing instead of resting on past laurels. As for me, I won't be paying hardcover full prices again for another of Cornwell's non-Scarpetta efforts. I'll either await the paperback, or skip it entirely.

I've followed Patricia Cornwell since Postmortem was published in 1990. Throughout the last decade, till she published Isle of Dogs, Patricia Cornwell, along with Robin Cook, has set the example for prospective medical thriller writers. Her prose has been clear and sharp but above all, her work is realistic. When I picked up Isle of Dogs, I was expecting something slightly different, considering that this is not a Kay Scarpetta novel. I was unpleasantly surprised when I started reading this story and stumbled upon the scenes with the talking animals. I have to admit that I'm truly shocked. This coming from a writer of very well written, highly praised, bestselling medical thrillers. Putting the book down for the last time, after reading approximately half the book, I thought to myself, "This is not Patricia Cornwell." I am writing this not just to provide a review for prospective readers of this novel. I am also writing this as a bid for Ms. Patricia Cornwell herself. Please, Ms. Cornwell, go back to what you were truly best at. Please go back to the Carpetta novels. I recall that The Last Precinct went unfinished. It went so in the sense that Kay Scarpetta quit her job as a medical examiner. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to know what happens next. Please go back to those suspenseful story lines, to that spectacular way of making medical science intersting and highly relevant to the story. Please go back to Kay Scarpetta. Good luck in your future endeavours.

I bought this audio book because it had Patricia Cornwell's name on the cover. I was disappointed to find that this book used the names of characters I liked from previous books, but those characters do not have the same personalities in this book. This is filled with slapstick characters who are funny mostly because of the misunderstandings created when they all totally destroy the English language. The action takes place in Virginia and the island of Tangier. The 650 citizens of Tangier are simple people who speak "backwards" which means they say one thing and mean another. They are the victims of dental fraud by a dentist named Dr. Faux. The governor, manipulated by his nefarious press secretary, sets off a rebellion when he decides to install arial speedtraps in the island. The kicker is... golf carts are the fastest transportation on the small island. And what do Trooper Truth's essays have to do with anything? The concept of a Trooper Truth is great, but you have to take notes to keep up with the lengthy dissertations (and even then I am not sure I got all that stuff). There are road pirates, a stolen dog who can type, crabs who communicate, a seeing eye horse, a serial killer, Nascar personalities and much more. After listening to nearly 14 hours of story, I was extremely unhappy that the story just stopped. Obviously the bad guys got caught, but what happened to all the other characters? Does that mean a sequel is in the works? If they lived happily ever after I want to know all about it.

I truly think Patricia Cornwell had a ghost writer for this book and not a good one at that. I was expecting the usual gripping Kay Scarpetta mystery but instead got all the "fringe" characters with an absurd plot.
I don't think this will give anything away about the book but really now....talking crabs, talking dog & a seeing-eye horse?
I think Cornwell was busy trying to find out the true identity of Jack the Ripper and had to just put something down for a book because this is definitely not her usual superb writing.
I hope her next novel gets back to the basics of Dr. Scarpetta and Marino. I really missed them in this one.

I always look forward to spending time with Patricia Cornwell (and Kay Scarpetta.) When I got this treat for Christmas, I decided to set aside New Years' day for this "great" read. What a disappointment!! I forced myself through it (kept thinking that it HAD to turn better -- if I just stuck with it.) It did not. What a waste of my time and her time....and the time of everyone else looking for the standard Cornwell fare. I didn't see the humor in it, and will be very reluctant to pick up another Cornwell book in the future -- Skip this one, and keep your positive feeling towards Kay Scarpetti alive!!

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta books, but this book is unbelievably awful. It doesn't qualify as a mystery or thriller. Maybe it's supposed to be an attempt at humor, but it fails miserably. The main cast of characters are base, incompetent and repulsive, including a governor whose world revolves around his bowel problems. The scenario is predictable and trite, with no surprises and no depth. I kept reading only because I thought I must be missing something somewhere, but whatever it was, I never found it. I'm sorry there isn't a zero-star option, because that's what I would rank this book.

Patricia Cornwell has never been a great writer, but you could at least count on her books for some up-to-date forensic technologies and law-enforcement technique. While I admire her for trying something different in Isle of Dogs, it is jaw-droppingly bad. Despite my normal compulsion to finish even lousy books out of a feeling that some value can still be squeezed from them, I'm quitting this one halfway.
Among the book's problems: her portrayal of an African-American helicopter pilot is a racist stereotype that features a laughable attempt at capturing black dialect; her "Governor Crimm" is a two-dimensional farce whose best-described feature is his monumentally gassy internal plumbing; her attempts at retelling history from a Southern perspective are unconvincing; and her efforts to be whacky and comical fall flat. Whoever compared this book to Carl Hiiasens' was snorting airplane glue. I didn't laugh once.
If I weren't morally opposed to burning books, I'd torch this one. Perhaps I can recycle the paper somehow. Donating this book to the library would be cruel.

Like another reviewer, I listed one star only because there is no choice for no stars. You can work at reading this book as dark humor or whatever, and no doubt produce clever deconstructions of it. It still sucks. In Canada hardbounds cost [$$$]. I'd been a Cornwell fan up to now. This isn't just a bad book. Cornwell had to work to make it as bad as it is. Three friends, all previously Cornwell fans, blasted the book, so I thought I'd write this to help get the word out. Too bad; Cornwell brought me entertainment pleasure in the past. I've kept all her other books, but won't be buying the next one.

This is really bad. Really bad. Bad, bad novel. I gave it one star because there aren't any negative stars in the reviewers' pull-down menu. Thank goodness I got it for 20 cents as a book-club enrollment offer. But I wish I'd selected the tote bag instead.
This book establishes that Cornwell will have to write off any thought of ever using Judy Hammer and Andy Brazil as serious characters again. They deserved better, despite being weak creations to begin with. They could have developed into an ordinary, somewhat likeable crew for a police-procedural series. Instead, they're well on their way to becoming shallow and ludicrous cardboard cutouts.
Poor Andy, who began life as a somewhat competent journalist, becomes a masked-crusader Web author -- Trooper Truth -- with a badly-conceived public-service mission. Chapters of the novel are interspersed with truly dreadful Trooper Truth columns, rambling, badly-written, poorly-researched, lurid, condescending pieces indeed. If my eighth-grade grandson ever wrote a history paper as truly stupid as Trooper Truth's lesson on mummies, I'd have him in summer school until he turned 35. Judy Hammer also fares badly, and a particularly labored subplot about her kidnapped dog makes her silly rather than sympathetic.
Obviously, the author has no understanding of the culture of Tangier Island -- having used it as a contagion site in an earlier Scarpetta novel, she should have left it alone thereafter. Instead, she recycles her left-over notes on the location and performs an all-out and somewhat ugly lampoon this time out. And she doesn't do the Commonwealth of Virginia any great service, either, creating a dotty, half-blind governor who is so one-dimensionally absurd that he fails as a caracature and seems to exist solely as a vehicle for potty jokes. Even Mr. Magoo was loveable. Hiassen's Skink is a classic example of the Wise Fool. Governor Crimm is a whining oaf and his family and advisors are weak adolescent humor at its tasteless nadir -- not even good satire.
If Cornwell is trying to duplicate Carl Hiaasen's deft satirical scalpel, she'd be better off abandoning the attempt; the reader can balance Hiaasen's concern for the fragile Florida environment against his dislike for the developers and tourists who exploit it. Cornwell apparently neither loves Virginia nor its law-enforcement workers and is determined to milk everything in sight for cheap laughs. There's no cerebral humor here -- just school-yard slapstick that's far too fragile to sustain a full-length novel.
It's bad enough that each successive Kay Scarpetta novel becomes more issue-driven, losing ground to the vastly better-delivered work of Kathy Reichs. Isle of Dogs gives every indication of having been tossed off as an easy way to finance Cornwell's rather peculiar and self-congratulatory Jack the Ripper research trip. It's a shame when authors start believing their own reviews and decide that their fans will, sheeplike, cherish everything that falls from their word processors. One has to wonder what Cornwell's editor was thinking of; usually, edotors try to make their best-selling authors look good even in their weaker moments. Is it possible that we have a case of an imperious, arrogant author who has cheesed off her publishers enough that they're letting her readers see what she's really like?
No, next time, definitely the tote bag.

Patricial Cornwell is a true writer. Even if I gave this a one star, it's because she missed the boat when she tried to translate a native spoken word and action thru her eyes. didn't work. Failed miserably. I am from Maine and people do that with us at times and unless they are extremely good, which almost never happens, they fail. The Isle of Dogs makes no sense what so ever, and what was meant to be funny (I think) simply dropped like a lead balloon. Didn't like it. HOWEVER I give Cornwell KUDOS because she continues to test and probe her work, and I find that she is walking into true thriller territory now. But not with this book.

It's tough to say something original about how bad this book is. I thought Cornwell's other two Judy Hammer/Andy Brazil stories were pretty good and a somewhat welcome departure from the ongoing saga of Kay Scarpetta and her niece. But this one is like dumb and dumber -- an assinine plot, little character development, a weak wrapup; basically the whole book is an attempt to prove (NOT) our usually great author could be as funny as she usually is serious. I totally agree with whoever said that if this were a first novel, it would have been rejected by one and all. Suggest you, dear reader, do the same.

A lady I worked with got me reading the Scarpetta mysteries several years ago, so it was only natural that I picked up a copy of "Isle Of Dogs" when I saw it in the grocery. I'm amazed at the difference between the Scarpetta series and this turd. Even though the last couple of Scarpetta books haven't been up to the standards set in the early books, they still had some class to them. No such luck here. I got the idea that Ms. Cornwell wanted this to be a humorous swipe at someone, but it comes off as anything but humorous. It's like reading a junior high kids snotty send up of his teachers; done without class, without humor, and worst of all, without heart. It's obvious that Ms. Cornwell has some axes to grind, but I can't say I care to do the research necessary to figure out why. If you haven't spent your money on this yet, by all means, don't. Amazingly bad.

This was my first book by Patricia Daniels Cornwell. I can't believe that I forced myself to read 70+ pages in hopes of finding some saving grace for purchasing this book. I finally conceded to bury this book as far away from any other reading material as possible, in order that it not be confused by others as my reading material. I should have scanned the pages of the book first; maybe I would have had a clue of the absurdity of the story by noticing the "names" of some of the characters. The jacket mentions names like Judy Hammer, Andy Brazil, and Governor Crimm. The characters in the story (taking place near Long Island Sound ! ) are: Unique First, Major Trader, Fonny Boy Shores, Trish Trash, Billy Bob etc. By the time I decided to put the book down, I was expecting to read about characters named Flub 'a Dub, Clarabell, and Buffalo Bob! This book appeared to be a test to see just how far a writer can go towards ludicrous and absurd writing and still have the public purchase her books. If this would have been Ms. Cornwell's first book, she'd certainly be pursuing another occupation. It is an insult to anyone that has learned to read.

Agree with most of the reviewers who have given this book 1 star only because there isn't a category for no stars. I love Patricia Cornwell & have read all of her other books. Was she stoned out of her mind when she wrote this? I resent the fact that some reviewers have compared this work with Carl Hiaasen, a talented author who really knows how to pull off black humor. Cornwell is not in the same league as Hiaasen when it comes to this style of writing. Isle of Dogs is utterly pointless, a waste of time, and an insult to Cornwell's many loyal fans.

So many writers have said they could not finish this book! They were the smart ones! I actually listened to the whole thing, hoping against hope that it would finally make sense. I was wrong! It is a book that doesn't know what it wants to be! Is it a crime book? Well. . . not really! Is it a popular presentation of regional history and lore? Maybe, but that's not enough reason to listen to or read it. Is it a comic romp? Most assuredly, no! Is it a carefully crafted novel of forensic investigation starring Dr. Kay Scarpetta? Hah! Scarpetta appears as a very minor character. . . and she was probably embarrassed to be there.
People will buy this book because it's by Cornwell. They should read all these reviews before they part with one cent. And Cornwell should go back to doing what she does best: giving readers more of Dr. Scarpetta and her pathology lab!

Dog is certainly appropriate in the title of this book. I had read all of Cornwall's up to this one. I forced myself to get about a quarter of the way through, but that was it. I couldn't bear to continue. What Cornwall does well, she does well. Unfortunately, this attempt at comedy does not do well. It's been a very long time since I have been unable to finish a book, especially one from an author I otherwise like. Don't make my mistake and buy this book because of your familiarity with the author. It truly is a "Dog."

Patricia Cornwell has certainly had many story ideas, this 'novel' is many story ideas loosely thread together. Characters are introduced and then not developed. The 'plot' is not comic it is insultingly absurd. It reads as if it were written by a group of Jr. High students taking turns at alternating paragraphs. I finished it just to see if it could possibly be redeemed.

It couldn't. It wasn't worth the time, money or effort.

This is my first negative review ever but I had to....

It is the most ghastly drivel I have ever suffered.

Jim Dennis

I have to join the other reviewers in my disappointment and frustration listening to the audio version of this story. There seems to be a pervasive lack of thought or review that is maddening. I don't know how this got past an editor.
Even more difficult for me personally is that I enjoy both scientific, logical stories (like her earlier books) *and* mystical fantasies (Neil Gaiman, for example, or Richard Bach), and blendings of the two. . .so why don't I like this story?
Simply, it's because there is no consistent contextual framework presented to understand the events in the story: A horrific sociopath is presented who is 'directed by evil' and who can 're-arrange her molecules' to be come invisible. I was very interested in this at first, seeing a classic self-delusional psychosis and wanting to see how it would play out. Then the crabs start talking to the trout, and I start to wonder; *is* she some mystical monster? Will Andy find he can re-arrange *his* molecules to become super-strong, or invulnerable? Nothing seems to be too ridiculous for this story, and we are left with no mythology to explain it, no sense of the rules of this reality, just a vague unease that the next chapter is going to feature a discussion between the Governor's helicopter and a NASCAR racecar.
On the writing itself, after the third or fourth major plot twist that begins with "through an incredible coincidence..." and/or "inexplicably,..." you start to get the feeling that the 'explanation' is that the author is incapable or unwilling to put the effort into composing a decent storyline and is just throwing characters together for convenience's sake. Another problem may just be my naivete; does every person living in Virginia who doesn't have a Master's degree talk like an Amos and Andy episode (not with slang, just with an embarrassing mangling of common words)? The prominent black male is a very well-endowed man who needs a women who can "stay on, no matter how hard the ride is," the prominent black female is named "Hooter", white female "Barbie",. . .{sigh}.
This isn't a comic romp, it's more like a drug (or marketing) induced spew with no consistent rhyme or reason. Properly directed and edited (with broad and generous strokes of red ink) there might have been something here, but its simply pure drivel.

Patricia Cornwell has realized that unrelenting serious Scarpetta mysteries can get samey and stale, and so has diversified her writing by creating a couple of Carl Hiaasen-esque novels incorporating with zany characters and dark humor (the first was *Southern Cross*). I say, "Bravo!"
*Isle of Dogs* is readable, funny, and even informative, what with the historical lectures penned by "Trooper Truth." The characters range from the pathetic (the governor's youngest daughter) to the sleazy (the crooked dentist), to the grotesque (the she-devil, "Unique"). I do suspect that the book will seem funnier and more topical to readers familiar with Virginia history and culture, but even for this Californian there were plenty of laughs.
The only real weakness in the novel is that the plot is eminently lightweight and is clearly secondary to the tongue-in-cheek tone Cornwell endeavors to create. Consequently, I found that while it was an easy book to pick up, time and again it also was easy to put down. In other words, it's not exactly a "riveting page-turner." Still, *Isle of Dogs* is a fun and easy read that showcases Patricia Cornwell's diverse talents.

As a million frenzied fans are whenever the great intellect of Patricia Cornwell hits the page, I was first in line at Borders the day it came out. I have eagerly awaited this book for about a year. I followed the progress of the novel via Patricia's web site and couldn't wait to get my hands on it.
This was a vain attempt at historical fiction, vainity being the operative motive of the author. She squeezed a vast amount of research, along with her knowledge and love of "Helichoppers", into a weakly organized plot or should I say plots. I can't figure out if the characters belong on the sci-fi channel or an episode of King of the Hill on FOX. Psychotic Nazi chics that rearrange their molecules to become invisible??? My breaking point too was the crab and the trout conversing in the trunk. It was worse than Clarice letting Hannibal nurse on her breast in in the sequel to Silence of the Lambs (skip that one also). I didn't think any character stretch could be worse than that one.
There is something to be said for celebrity, if it hadn't been for Patricia's, this manuscript would be collecting dust in her closet. I would enthusiastically welcome a new group of characters, as Scarpetta is nearing her twilight years, but I guess Patricia is better at writing about who she fantizies herself to be rather than creating new and interesting cast members.
Venting aside, I think that Cornwell is a woman of immense intelligence and I look to her as a role model and an inspiration to the creative soul. I struggled through this novel, giving third and forth chances only out of repect to Cornwell and to the memory of her past litery accomplishments. I think I will go read Postmortem just to wash the taste of this one from my brain.

The first Hammer/Brazil novel was much better than this new book, but neither of them can compare with the "Scarpetta series". The Scarpetta books, even though very heavy on lesbianism, were well researched and the story-telling was gripping. The latest, The Isle of Dogs, is tepid in comparison; its only saving grace is her vitriolic view of politicians - which I share. Would I buy it? No, but I have read it after borrowing it from the library. Note to Ms. Cornwell: you are a fine writer and so, please go back to the knowledgeable amd absorbing writing of the "Scarpettas".

Well, I think it's pretty unanimous on this book: this one's a real stinker. Patricia Cornwell tries to reinvent herself --- or just try something a bit different than her usual Scarpetta cut-em-uppers --- and fails miserably. Her attempt at Carl Hiaasen style crime humor falls flatter than a lead pancake. Funny? This isn't even cute. What was she thinking?

Patricia Cornwell is an undisputed master of the crime/mystery genre; her Kay Scarpetta series in particular is wonderfully executed. In "Isle of Dogs" Cornwell tries her hand at the dark comedy genre, in the vein of Carl Hiassen, and does okay, but no more. Perhaps Lloyd Bentsen would say to Cornwell, "You're no Carl Hiassen" and he would be right. Some gifted mystery writers can change genres (such as John Gisham and David Baldacci) but Cornwell seems to be trying too hard to be funny. It just does not really work. The reader is mildly entertained -- Cornwell does write well, and is easy to follow -- but ultimately we just do not care that much. So this reader requests: go back to what you do best!

I am still slowly making my way through this book and cannot keep asking myself who might have kidnapped Patricia Cornwell, fed her psychotropic drugs and forced her to write a book that includes talking dogs, trout, and crabs, and so much bizarre "sitcom style" humor? She has always been one of my favorite authors and if it weren't for the fact I know she is capable of really good writing, I would probably not bother with another of her books again.

I think I would have handled it better if the book were entirely different from her Scarpetta novels instead of using bits and pieces of that world and wrapping this weird comedy around it. Dr. Scarpetta (who is practically a cameo in the book) seems wholey out of place. I keep hoping for some good crime drama parts to come through, but I've given up hope now that I'm in the last few chapters.

I also agree with a prior reviewer - she also seems to "have it in" for the Virginian government and the inhabitants of Tangier island. Departing from the norm is fine - the cookbook she created based on Kay Scarpetta's recipes was wonderful, but this book was just a little too weird for me!

Patricia Cornwell has a great talent for writing intense mystery/thrillers and I have been completely disappointed by her lastest work. I found Isle of Dogs to be dry and boring without the famed Dr. Scarpetta. I see many opportunities in this book that could have included Scarpetta even in a background way. I hope that her next attempt will include Scarpetta, Lucy, and her detective sidekick. This is a book you will want to borrow from a library instead of spending your hard earned money.

If you are expecting the standard Cornwell offering - Kay Scarpetta & Co. solving murders and fearing for their personal safety... then put this book down. If you are looking for a more humorous view of crime with a dash of political satire and social commentary, you are in the right place. Isle of Dogs is an excellent read and is an interesting departure from the usual Scarpetta plot. Follow Judy Hammer and Andy Brazil as they resolve some unusual problems plaguing the Commonwealth of Virginia. Even with the humor there are still some tense moments to keep you on edge. Just requires an open mind - not everything Cornwell writes has to revolve around multiple Y incisions!

This is absolutely the worst book I have ever read in my life. I bought it before boarding a plane and could not believe how badly conceived and badly written it is. It borders on offensive to not just Tangier Islanders but also to African Americans who are broad charicatures, ditto lesbians. What was she thinking? But more amazingly, what was her publisher thinking? It is sophomoric and moronic. I don't think Cornwell is a great writer but at least past books have been entertaining, but this was dreadful.

In the past, I have greatly enjoyed Ms. Cornwell's series featuring Kay Scarpetta, although the later books have not been as compelling as the first few.
But, this book is beyond terrible! It doesn't deserve any stars.
The author writes as if her book were geared toward elementary school children. The language is too simple, the plots (?) are
mundane. The characters are not plausible. This book is for the dogs.
I am extremely disappointed with this book. Please bring a good Scarpetta back again, soon!

If I could give this book negative stars, I would. I've read most of Patricia Cornwell's books and this one marks a new low. Ignorant, unpleasant characters, meaningless subplots, stupidly unrealistic reactions by crabs and trout which, if meant to be humor, fall devastatingly short, a dog that is light-years more intelligent than the human protaganists, nothing in the literary style or characters or plot development that is remotely close to "dark humor", or humor of any sort, and the most infuriatingly annoying local dialect ever. Cornwell must have been n a coma when she wrote this piece of garbage. Epic fail.

I certainly don't blame Patricia Cornwell for trying something new, but it seems to me that if she's going to go as far as cognizent crabs, it might be a good idea to move out of her usual genre as well. Still, she is such a good writer that I stuck with the book despite its many obvious faults. For example, I was baffled by the content of the Trooper Truth essays, which were part of a web site ostensibly set up to help solve crimes, but seem to be more an opportunity for the author to show off some of the knowledge she's collected over the years. It seemed to me that the editor failed to go beyond copy editing to be sure the story made effective use of its various threads. I'd put this down more to a failure to follow up with care on an interesting idea than bad writing. It would be interesting to see what would happen if Ms. Cornwell took it a step further and changed her venue, sort of like Larry McMurtry does: he uses silly humor to great effect, and doesn't lock himself into the same time period or characters from book to book. She can obviously be funny and insightful, but it doesn't work all that well in the context of morgues and murders, at least in this case.

It is inconceivable that this book was written by the same person who gave us so many wonderful, exciting novels early on in her career. Isle of Dogs is....well, it's a dog. Any book that has characters with names like "Windy Brees" and "Unique First" should be filed in the reject pile.

Cornwell's attempts at humor with Windy's malaprops is just not funny. The book is just really really really awful. Perhaps Ms. Cornwell should concentrate on quality rather than quantity. I venture to guess that by now, her bad books are outnumbering her good ones.

Cornwell's attempt at comedy has gone awry. A nicely tangled plot of various mystery strands developing throughout the novel seem to promise the straightforward thrill of suspense that readers associate with Cornwell's books. In Isle of Dogs, the effect is marred by an ill-advised comical overlay of faux-native Virginian characters with repulsively stilted dialects. The author mistakes exaggeration and silliness for wit. The book is hard to slog through, the tape is nauseating to listen to. Cornwell, stick to hard-nose crime! Readers, stick to traditional Cornwell!

I struggled through this book hoping to find that one shred of information that would tie it all together. I initially thought the book would take me down a path of crime and forensics, then the path split into bizarre, tongue-in-cheek events and personalities. Characters were introduced, mildly developed, then dropped without ever helping to develop the plot. Basically, I was very disappointed and I won't be so quick to pick up the next Patricia Cornwell novel.

As an avid Patricia Cornwell reader I could not believe this book was written by her. It was horrible, I failed to find the humor in it (guess if you like very dark humor you could find it) and the characters were poorly described and the plot very fragmented. I put the book down after reading half of it, I just wasn't motivated to finish. Picked it up several months later, and finishing it was something I regretted wasting my time on.

Talking crabs and talking trout, need I say more. The book reveals only shallow descriptions of the characters and an overabundance of plot lines (i.e. the governor's wife and her trivets, the fraudulent dentist and his kidnapping, the bungling trooper who flies the govenor and family, the rambling essays of Trooper Truth, the kidnapping of Popeye the dog, oh, and then the actual crime storyline). As if to further confuse and put-off the reader she adds backward talking islanders who are portrayed to have the brains of 5th graders. I began reading this book with an open mind and perused eagerly through the first Trooper Truth essay excited to see where his "from left field" comments were headed, but was disappointed to find out that the essays lead nowhere. I can say that I finished the book, but it was a chore and I will think twice before buying her next book even though I have devoured all of her previous novels.