The Body Farm: Scarpetta 5 (Kay Scarpetta)

Nothing super special here. Once again a computer system gets hacked. I've only read the previous 4 books, and if I'm not mistaken a computer system gets hacked or used fraudulently in 3 of them. Also, spoiler alert - she has no remorse for sleeping with a married coworker, which I find troubling, as I think most women would give this some consideration as not being appropriate.

Reflections off the lake where a child's body was found hide what is beneath the surface, reflect the dark shadows along the banks, and can get even a sharp investigator lost. Cornwell masterfully, through her central character, Dr. Scarpetta, leads the reader to and eventually through these dark shadows to discover an even darker world of the betrayal of the human spirit.

In spite of the book being quite entertaining, after reading many Scarpetta novels (this wasn't my first) I simply realized how bad Cornwell's books are. Almost couldn't finish this one. The writing in itself is quite plain, and i would dare guess Scarpetta would be a great case study for how the author's personal issues may reflect in the fictional character -with little literary gain. A portrait of the american obsession with gadgety criminal investigation, also the obsession with crime in its explicitness (children raped and murdered, as in this case), and americans who investigate it among expensive cars and boring love affairs.

Good story with enough twists and turns to keep the plot interesting from the beginning. I actually bought this on audio and although the reader could have been better, overall it was a good bu and I would recommend it.

As an alum of the same college that Cornwell attended, I have been interested in her books and have found them entertaining and well written. The Body Farm, however, was a disappointment! I immediately figured out who the murderer was, and I feel that Cornwell left a lot of lose ends. She rushed to the ending of the story without giving her reader follow-up on Marino, Gault, Carrie Grethan, and her relationship with Wesley. Perhaps she is trying to peak our interest for her next Scarpetta novel, but she left out too much. I respect the research that Cornwell puts into her novels, but she entitled this book The Body Farm while only giving the Body Farm in Tennessee marginal emphasis. The evidence that Scarpetta brings away from there (i.e. the quarter marking) is certainly not the key piece of evidence in her case against the actual murderer. Cornwell had ideas for a good plot, but she never pulled it all together to make this a fascinating murder mystery.
Oh, one more thought, does Scarpetta have any faults at all, besides her screwed up family and relationships with men? She eats like a bird, cooks magnificently, jogs every day no matter how much sleep she has gotten (and she doesn't need much), and has every degree in the book. I might keep reading these Scarpetta novels, but, Patricia, make her a little more human!! Let her indulge in a big piece of chocolate cake or greasy french fries every now and then!

The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell
A medical based novel

A Forensic pathologist, Kay Scarpetta, is sent to a small town in North Carolina called Black Mountain, to help with a case of a 11 year old girl that was brutally murdered. The FBI suspect a serial killer named Gault that they have been trying to find for a long time may be the killer of the girl. After no being sure about the first autopsy of Emily,the little girl, she calls for a semiconductor autopsy. As she finishes she hears that the North Carolina investor was supposably in the hospital due to a heart attack which is later found to not be true. Everyone states to believe Gault is the prime suspect but Kay isn’t fully sure of that. Throughout the book she jumps between looking for and questioning possible suspects in the case and caring for her niece, Lucy. Lucy worked at the FBI academy until she was charged with trying to steal FBI evidence using her jurisdiction and soon after getter into a car accident that sends her to the hospital. All of this leads up to the climax of the story which is a very surprising one. I would recommend this book for anyone that is interested in the medical field or is just into reading about it. I has a lot of details and real life scenarios that could be interesting to many people. I really enjoyed the book as it had me wanting to read and know more. I also think it would be interesting if they made a movie off of this book. The book really makes you visualize what is happening and makes you suspect any characters and find a conclusion to the story. This book is not a easy or hard read but I believe it is the perfect book to read when you want a little thrill.

Chief medical examiner, Dr. Kay Scarpetta is on manhunt alongside the FBI for a gruesome serial killer named Temple Gault.
Eleven year old Emily Steiner's body is discovered close to her home. Sexually tortured and shot in the back of the head, every available means of law enforcement is used to bring this maniac to justice.
Author Patricia Cornwell stuns her readers with her vast knowledge and expertise of pathology and forensics. This fast paced saga brings us to the hills of North Carolina, Virginia, and Knoxville, Tennessee.
While every shred of evidence points to Gault, Dr. Scarpetta discovers that there are a few strange clues that doesn't quite seem to fit his psychological profile.
An agent is discovered hung in an act of apparent autoerotica. And during the investigation, Emily's skin is found in his freezer. Bizarre? Mrs. Cornwell points us at several suspicious characters that keep the readers minds constantly calculating and asking: "Who dunnit?"
This is the first novel I have read by this extremely talented author, and it turns out that this is the fifth book in her series, so I'm going to have to go back and start with the first one!
With things not adding up, Dr. Scarpetta travels to "The Body Farm" in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is a place where cadavers are experimented on to determine the different stages of decay and decomposition under various forensic scenarios. I found this to be very interesting because it is real!
I was glued to every page and was actually surprised at who the real villain turned out to be in this heart pumping "forensic thriller!"
You can't go wrong with this one, readers! You will enjoy realistic crime scenes, body exhumations and true mystery.