Scarpetta (Book 15) (The Scarpetta Series) - Book of the Dead

I found the characters to be interesting and appreciated the loyalty Kay exhibited towards those she was close to. While I found the plot to be interesting, I found myself feeling remorseful for Will, being unwanted and abused child only to then find himself a part of yet another unforgiving, unforgettable child of war. As thoroughly as each persona was examined in this work, I found it surprising that Will 's character was only briefly touched upon and the illumination of his character remained that of darkness. While this may have been an effort to keep his identity hidden or to keep the focus on other characters or possibly the plot as it unfolded, I tend to feel a piece neglected in the absence of his, less monstrous, more human side.
I remained captivated by the plot, despite this fact, and found myself saddened more profoundly as the nature behind Will 's transformation become more revealed.
The connections between the characters kept me at bay sufficiently to remain oblivious until the ending.
In conclusion, this work was a good read and was able to keep me in suspense. I would recommend it highly.

I drive truck,and the radio is nothing but commercials,just like TV, about how you are not living a full life without this or that product,or the big he said,they said,she said;our world is falling apart.Hours and hours of driving the interstate is boring.So,I use audio books to get my mind into something.It does not distract me from what is going on around me,but it does make me want to wait,so as to hear what is going to happen next.I really enjoy good books and this is one of them!

My least favorite of the series, sorry to say. The storyline didn't flow-went in too many directions. Character development was poor so I didn't care what happened to any of them. Too much going on in one book.

My least favorite of the series, sorry to say. The storyline didn't flow-went in too many directions. Character development was poor so I didn't care what happened to any of them. Too much going on in one book.

I finally caught up with this recent "Kay Scarpetta" adventure, and what can I say about Patricia Cornwell's latest installment in her "Bonfire of the Vanities of the Criminal Forensic Set" ongoing opus? Well, here are a few things that immediately come to mind...

A dozen scenes, some character and some plot oriented, go on pages and pages further than they need to in order to make their points;

Regular cast members Scarpetta, Benton, Marino, and Lucy, along with the handful of new or newer supporting characters appearing this time out, remain not only as grumpy and unlikable as ever, but especially grumpy and cranky toward each other, too (and in one case, there's surprising violence in the mix);

Traditional thriller elements like scary set-pieces involving the villain, and a dramatic confrontation and resolution, are nowhere to be found, with- and this was so rich- the final confrontation being treated as a brief, inconvenient interruption to Scarpetta's internal ramblings!

But you know what? Despite AND because of the things described above, I loved it all. Why? Because it's refreshing to read an ongoing series that repeatedly breaks every rule about what makes a good thriller and simply indulges whatever whim the author has on a given day at the word processor. I don't know... maybe if every thriller was like this, I'd give up thrillers and read something less disjointed and more planned out. But for some reason I genuinely like that this series, year in and year out, stubbornly continues its "take it or leave it" attitude, as if Ms. Cornwwell is saying to us, "Hey, this is the series. If you don't like my whiny characters, their endless prattling on about this and that, the whatever-strikes-my fancy method of telling my story, etc., etc, then there are plenty of slick James Patterson books out there, so knock yourself out."

Me, I'm jumping right into the next entry, the simply-titled "Scarpetta", knowing I'll be once again getting the author's trademark formula of frustration and delight.