The Readin Roos

I love the Kay Scarpetta novels, and this one was better than some of the earlier ones. I didn't feel quite so locked out of Kay's personal life or quite as wound up in the relationship between she and her niece Lucy. This episode focused on a bizarre death in the Elizabeth River. Kay switches up jurisdiction a bit due to the absence of one of her medical examiners, which leads to even more trouble.

The characters feel a bit more real and a little less contrived this time out than in the last couple of stories.

This sixth installment in the Kay Scarpetta series is no less gripping than the first five. Kay and her niece Lucy, now an employee of the FBI, team up to find the serial killer whose had Kay in his sights since the fourth novel in the series, Cruel and Unusual.

As always, Patricia Cornwell weaves a strong, fast-paced story complete with personal complications and moral quandaries. It's another excellent chapter in the ongoing saga.