From Potter's Field
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'From Potters Field' is the sixth book in the Kay Scarpetta series written by Patricia Cornwell. Scarpetta's nemesis Temple Gault is back, this time in New York City where he has murdered a young woman in Central Park on Christmas Eve. This begins yet another chase of this ruthless and extremely clever killer for Scarpetta, Marino and Wesley and another series of brutal murders.
Once again Cornwell has written another fantastic Scarpetta novel and this is one of the most exciting of the series so far. The action is non-stop and is full of unexpected twists and some of the most nerve-racking scenes in the series yet. The on/off love affair between Benton and Kay does begin to get a little tired and Kay's neice, Lucy is as annoying as ever, but other than that it is a top quality thriller that is on top form from Cornwell.
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Cornwell is My Queen!
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If I had not opened this book four years ago I would not be here reading and loving crime fiction. The book is a masterpiece in the sense that when you turn to page one you are in for the ride of your life. From the icy cold paths of Central Park to the humid Bayou's of the South. After an anonymous female is killed in New York, it looks as if Temple Gault has struck again. Scarpetta and her team are called in.
You will not stop turning the pages of this book, feeling fear slowly creep up your spine. I usually don't look over my shoulders when reading crime novels but the fear inspired in the reader is truly tangible in this Cornwell classic. And don't get me started on Temple Gault, the psychopathic villain featured in this novel. Patricia Cornwell truly created an excellent nemesis for Kay. In this novel we get to learn a bit about the history behind Gault's tendencies, which involved Kay heading into the swampy depths of the South.
This novel has everything a crime/mystery/thriller reader looks for: chills, thrills, exact forensic details, a terrifying villain, and a beautifully drawn and interesting heroine involved in a secret affair with one of her close colleagues - Benton Weasley. But soon one event will break these boundaries and make the relationships amongst the ensemble cast stronger than before.
You won't be dissapointed by this novel. It tuly encapsulates some of the early greatness of the Kay Scarpetta series and is a favourite amongst die-hard Cornwell fans.
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Not her best
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The problem with all the Kay Scarpetta books is that they're so completely unbelievable. Why the hell doesn't she just do her job, perform the autopsies, write a report and go home to bed? Why does she get personally involved in every investigation, and end up chasing the bad guys around the place? Why is she always pursued to the ends of the Earth (or at least all over America) by deranged villains who've decided to make her life a misery, for no reason that makes any sense? And how come these villains always seem to know exactly where she is and what she's doing, so that they can surface at her most vulnerable moments? Well, obviously, because there wouldn't be that much of a story if they didn't, I suppose.
The result, in this book, is a kind of mish-mash. There are some good bits, but a lot of it is just silly, and I'm beginning to get annoyed with the author's increasingly sloppy writing. What, exactly, is an 'older man'? Older than what? Older than a baby? Or a teenager? Or a pensioner? Almost everyone Scarpetta met in this book was an 'older man' or an 'older woman'. She seems to use this expression simply because she can't be bothered to invent an age for a particular minor character.
And I know the author is female, but some of the mood swings, irrational actions and leaps of intuition performed by Scarpetta are really beginning to bug me. I might give her books one more try, but after that I'm quitting, because there are so many better writers out there.
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From Potter's Field
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Number 6 in the Dr Kay Scarpetta series of novels and yet another good, solidly written book. This one ties in nicely with the previous two as it concerns the serial killer Temple Gault who is becoming something of Scarpetta's nemesis. As with all her books the storyline and writing is well crafted and keeps the reader engaged until the end. One other thing I appreciated this book for was the tying up of some loose ends in Scarpetta's personal life which were left unexplained in the previous offering, The Body Farm. One slight complaint is the limits to what Scarpetta can achieve. Surely primarily she is a Medical Examiner not a member of a SWAT team, yet once again it is she armed with a shotgun, creeping in the depths of the New York underground system who finally succeeds in bringing the killer to justice. In fact this book does tend to have a few too mentions of weapons and their accoutrements which doesn't make me think of the characters anymore heroic, but maybe this is a factor to pander to the American market. Anyway those gripes aside, it's with joy I look forward to the next instalment.
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Good read but arrogant protagonist
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Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta's series are very entertaining and manages to keep avid fans like me hook but reading this book, I am begininng to dislike the main character, she is only the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia but it seems she is the only capable person of solving all the violent crimes in the whole of US. Questions that crept through my mind as I read this book: how come the murderers are always shot/killed by Scarpetta at the end of the book? And Dr. Scarpetta is getting more and more arrogant in her views, putting Marino down through certain sections in the book; Benton Wesley is just like a useless sidekick to her and just the go-between FBI and her. No one is better than her; she has all the answers, and the Chief Medical of Examiner of New York can't hold a candle to her as well. She does not work along with others and thinks she is better than others and have descriptions like "my neighborhood was one of the wealthiest in Richmond" - mentioning her Mercedes car unnecessary, etc. She is always right while the others who have more experience in solving crimes (basing on their job titles, anyway) are clueless and she points out the obvious all the time. I'm in the midst of deciding whether to read the next in the series....if the Scarletta (haha) character becomes more arrogant in the next few books, I think I will switch to Temperance.
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