crashtestwoman
02-02-2006, 07:35 PM
Predator is the newest installment in the ongoing series by Patricia Cornwell featuring forensic scientist Dr Kay Scarpetta. This is the 13th book in the series and I have to say probably the most disappointing. I have been an avid fan and have been reading this series for the last 10 years and although the plot lines of the various murder mysteries that Dr Kay has solved, sometimes quite convoluted and twisted, the romantic tension between herself and Benton Wesley (FBI profiler, extrodinaire) and the unhappy and sometimes quite disfuntional relationship between Dr Scarpetta and her neice (Lucy, gay helicopter pilot), and rogue cop Marino, (overweight, lonely and secretly in love with Dr Kay), these plot lines always played second fiddle to the intricate and beautifully woven mystery that was at the core of the book.
NOT THIS TIME.
Almost from the word go you are dragged into the depressing and often bewildering occurances of Dr Kays personal life. The other characters in the book are often hard to understand and you are somtimes left wondering who is exactly who and what is there relationship to the plot of the book. The main story line is a macabre murder mystery that is so unbelievable that you often wonder is the writer only threw it in the justify the ongoing soap opera feel of the rest of the characters. The scientific aspects of the book can be a little overwhelming for someone without some basic knowledge of forensic science and the continueing problems that Dr Kay seems to have with other characters intruding into the central plot is a distraction that can be both boring and infuriating at times.
If you have never read a Patricia Corwell novel before, DON'T start with this one, start with the first book in the series, Postmortem, a thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery that will enthrall you from the word go.
I paid an amazing $35 for the hardback copy of this novel and really regret it, if you get the chance to borrow it or buy it for next to nothing, give it a go. Otherwise my suggestion is give it a miss, which is really disappointing because as I said I loved the other 12 books.
NOT THIS TIME.
Almost from the word go you are dragged into the depressing and often bewildering occurances of Dr Kays personal life. The other characters in the book are often hard to understand and you are somtimes left wondering who is exactly who and what is there relationship to the plot of the book. The main story line is a macabre murder mystery that is so unbelievable that you often wonder is the writer only threw it in the justify the ongoing soap opera feel of the rest of the characters. The scientific aspects of the book can be a little overwhelming for someone without some basic knowledge of forensic science and the continueing problems that Dr Kay seems to have with other characters intruding into the central plot is a distraction that can be both boring and infuriating at times.
If you have never read a Patricia Corwell novel before, DON'T start with this one, start with the first book in the series, Postmortem, a thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery that will enthrall you from the word go.
I paid an amazing $35 for the hardback copy of this novel and really regret it, if you get the chance to borrow it or buy it for next to nothing, give it a go. Otherwise my suggestion is give it a miss, which is really disappointing because as I said I loved the other 12 books.