Another great crime thriller from Cornwell
931960
31/3 - Another great Scarpetta story. I haven't read this one as often as Postmortem, so I don't remember the complete story like I do with Postmortem. As I'm reading a new detail of the plot will come to me just a page or two before I read it. Instead of anticipating each twist and turn of the plot, I'm almost surprised by them. Re-reading the books as an adult, I do find it a bit unlikely that one Chief Medical Examiner could get into as many scrapes as Scarpetta does. Fortuantely I'm quite good at suspending disbelief inspite of illogical situations, and so I can jut ignore the sense of disbelief that rings at the back of my mind while I'm reading of the latest attempt on her life. To be continued...

2/4 - As with Postmortem, Body of Evidence ends with a the bad guy making a concerted, but ultimately failed attempt on Scarpetta's life. This time, at least, Marino isn't the one to come barging in gun blazing, her own gun does the blazing and she's able to save herself. I still love these books and the character of Kay Scarpetta, but at the same time I can see where some of the complaints of clichedness come from, now. When I read them as a young teenager I just read them as a great, slightly violent (for a 13-year-old) crime thriller (some of my first real, adult books). Now, with older, more cynical and informed eyes I can't quite read them as subtext and message free - I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
3242499
I just read a recent Scarpatta (Black something) and happened to read this one right afterwards. In both books Scarpatta falls for the same trick: the bad guy comes to the door dressed as someone else and she lets him in! Come on now. Other than that Cornwell did a very nice job on making a readable police procedural.
2339335
As with her previous book (Blood Orchid), Toby Neal demonstrates her talent in weaving together all the elements of a good crime novel.  Realistic characters who's lives develop through the story.  An exotic and vividly described background.  A developing sense of mystery, well paced writing, increasing tension, solid and realistic police procedure, explosive action.  Interestingly, this story also brought in some subtle but relevant spiritual elements.  All of which add up to a very good bit of story telling!
2123922
This is the way Patricia Cornwell used to write, with interest and even some humor, before she went weird and dark.  These characters, however, are much more real and human,,, they can even laugh.  The forensic information is fascinating.  I can't wait to read the rest in the series. I have started the second one already.
3115384
As a big fan of crime fiction I am always on the look out for new authors, and I was very happy to come across the new printing of this book.  The main character, Nick Stefanos, is relatively three dimensional for this  genre and likeable and the settings are realistic and believable.  I have  since bought the two further novels in this trilogy and 2 chapters into the  sequel its looking good!  If you are a fan of Elmore Leonard or James  Crumley type crime fiction then you will almost certainly enjoy this book.
1341236
I really liked this book and plan to read more from Patricia Cornwell. The main character is new to her position as medical examiner and  a serial killer is on the loose.  Political careers are at stake and some are in need of a scapegoat.  The main character is using forensic technology to find a killer before he strikes again, while security is being breached by someone breaking into the computer system (who, the murderer, a political enemy or an overzealous reporter?). Press leaks may jeopardize the case even if the killer is caught. The subplots are great and the action continuous.  While I am not thrilled at the last second entrance of the killer, I am pleased to read a book with an ending that wasn't given away in the first three chapters. I plan to read the entire series.
4291247
Patricia Cornwell has done it again. She has weaved a web of mystery around Dr. Kay Scarpetta. I love all of Patricia's books and this one did not disappoint. This book is a combination of a murder that Dr. Scarpetta is trying to solve but also revolves around the FBI is investigating Lucy. She also receives disturbing videos from someone who has tried to hurt her in the past.

I liked that all of the characters in this story were scared for their lives as some point. Dr. Scarpetta is usually unruffable but she has moments where you can see her scared for herself and her family. There are also plenty of tense moments between the characters. The story contains many moments that are interweaved with the situations. Does Lucy know the murder victim? What does the FBI have on Lucy? Will Carrie take another life? The mystery, suspense, and angst is there on every page. Just when they think they are safe they are not.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review from Chatterbox.
815909
Dark Secret by Janice Frost earns a 4 star rating as being book two in the crime thriller series starting DI Jim Neal and DS Ava Merry. It stands alone though it does reference the action from the first book, Dead Secret. The book starts out with the murder of former stuntman Gray Mitchell whose friends and lover all become suspects as well as key characters in the progression of the novel from the onset.

Merry is introduced as the first detective to take ownership of Gray's murder case by chapter three -It was interesting to see the story start out with the murder, plot progression, and immersion of the reader into the story before introducing the reader to the detectives who will lead the investigation.- and she is immediately more interesting than the background characters introduced before her. There's more development to her which fleshes her out very well. She's driven, career-oriented, yet has a feminine side as well as a devotion to her younger brother who lives with her. Ava Merry is the kind of heroine who is easy to root for when it comes to who will solve the case?

Neal shows up almost in the same breath as Merry. A Scot with more of a taciturn demeanor, his most redeeming features are his aversion to unpleasant smells at crime scenes and his love for his son who is raising alone for reasons undisclosed in this book. Neal works methodically to unravel the case in pieces. He steers the direction of the book as much as the investigation which makes him a solid lead character.

Overall, there is an attention to detail which is carried throughout and the plot is omnipresent. The focus of Dark Secret is finding the murderer before the murderer kills all those involved in the small circle of friends who surrounded our initial victim, Gray Mitchell. Chapters alternate between suspects, Merry, and Neal which gives the reader a 360 degree view of the case. It was a unique feature fans of the crime genre should enjoy. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a crime thriller as a solid read worthy of a four star rating.
311316
This book is a combination of Patricia Cornwell and James Patterson-murder and the law combined in one. And we all know that when lawyers are involved, you never know who to believe!
1435692
In "Dry Bones That Dream" Peter Robinson makes a nice comeback. This book is one of the better one in the series, after a couple of disappointing installments.

This time Alan Banks is dealing with the murder of Keith Rothwell, a seemingly dull accountant. Two masked men break into his farmhouse, tie up his wife and daughter, and proceed to blow his head off in the garage. It looks like a professional job, and after an initial investigation it is clear this is not just another murder. The involvement of Dick Burgess from Scotland Yard, a old nemesis of Banks, indicates that this murder has implications far and beyond a local Yorkshire crime.

Things become interesting when Banks follows a lead in Leeds (pardon the word game). A young and attractive woman there insists that the dead Keith Rothwell is none other than Robert Calvert, an extrovert, fun-loving playboy she used to hang out with. The fingerprints from Calvert's apartment in Leeds match those of Rothwell. Can the dull accountant and the playboy be the same person?

The plot is superb. Robinson leads the reader to believe he has "solved" the murder, but leaves the true surprise until the very end. Just what a good crime book should be like.
2873509
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We are back with Kiszka and Kershaw again, in another story of crime, murder and intrigue.

When one of his best-friends is killed in what appears to be a random attack, Janusk is pulled in for questioning as he was supposed to meet Jim the same day. When he is released, he sets out to find the people responsible for Jim's death.

DC Natalie Kershaw is having a coffee break on her last day at the local nick, when a man commits suicide off the top of Canary Wharf. Being the first on scene, she refuses to leave the case unsolved and so has to work on that case as well as finding her feet in the new police station that she was transferring to. She is also trying to solve Jim's murder and a suspicious hanging of a known paedophile, along with moving in with her boyfriend, fellow police officer Ben.

With a strange connection between the Canary Wharf jumper and a dodgy Polish gangster with ties to a Polish airline, Kiszka and Kershaw are going to be working the same case from different angles again as neither of them know that both of their cases are connected.

Dodgy gangsters, stunning women who could be supermodels, a best friend who gets into some seriously funny and sometimes hazardous situations and some relationship turmoil thrown in. This is a fantastic follow-on to Where the Devil can't go.

The author has written a wonderful tale, it has more twists and turns than a roller-coaster ride. There is a serious twist at the end that you definitely don't see coming. Plus you learn bits and pieces of a new language and get some great cooking ideas, or at least I did.
4216505
I am a Scarpetta fan and this story did not disappoint.

For readers who enjoy books by Patricia Cornwell, this is a must read.  For mystery lovers, take the leap into the world of Scarpetta.
1633423
I love Patricia Cornwell's work and she did not disappoint. Looking forward to her next book. If you are a Scarpetta fan you will enjoy.
1157548
It's true, I'm a Patricia Cornwell fan, have been so for years......but I find myself looking for Jefferson Bass books before Cornwell these days.

The stories are well plotted, and read like a comfortable sweater feels.  Dr. Bill is a likeable character  who shows compassion for those in need, while still being tough enough to take on the bad guys. If you enjoy murder mysteries and forensic type shows, be sure to give Bass a try. You won't be disappointed.
3961526
This book is well paced and Cornwell brings back the suspense.  I am an avid reader of Cornwell, or I guess I should say was.  I only recently started reading her again.  I was just bored with Cornwell's Scarpetta series after Black Notice, I mean a Werewolf!!!!, but this book is better, actually quite good.  Of her last three novels this is the strongest and Trace the weakest, which is most regrettable sence it is her most recent.  I do get tired of the seven degrees of Scarpetta, I mean is everyone she ever meets interconnected somehow, some of it is believeable, but much is just plain ridiculous.  Having said that I still consider the Scarpetta series to be one of the best and encourage anyone who loves thrillers to read it from start to finish or at least to Point of Origin.  If you are bored with Cornwell, try David Lindsey, now he IS the best.
2378648
I love Patricia Cornwell, so this may be biased.  Can't wait for the next edition of the Jack the Ripper story.
2858883
Chris Longmuir's latest Dundee Crime Series novel kicks off like a steroid-crazed Bruce Lee - hooking the reader at once. Reading on, I asked myself the same question as when reading Nightwatcher - how can the author sustain a whole novel, with such an apparently small pool of main suspects? Well, Longmuir can and does, keeping twists and suspense going throughout as we spiral round and round a traumatised family and the murders mount, feeling, surely we can tell who is doing what? But no, the enjoyable torment beloved of crime fans continues to the end! The author has great skill at tightly-drawn plotting and also at drawing characters who are believable and whose experiences have marked them in credible ways - but just who are victims and who are perpetrators, here? Another way Longmuir ramps up the tension is to feed us information (which could be misleading of course!) which her characters don't know - we want to shout out to them to see what's going on! Something else Longmuir does really well is deal with themes like child abduction and missing children and internet paedophile predators - I'm wary of books with these themes as they are often lazy ways of getting shock value into a book. Here, there is real knowledge behind the story, empathy, and a clever mixing of genders, ages, and motivations which use the stereotypes to keep us guessing even more.
This book brings back detective DS Bill Murphy, who is compassionate but a bit casual in his methods, and now we have a new cop in the form of takes-no-prisoners Kate Rawlings as his new, unimpressed, superior. I hope she will stick around, I feel their partnership will be a major asset to the novels, as we see things from both their points of view and, like the two of them, learn to appreciate the qualities of both. I look forward to their next case!