Livid: The new Kay Scarpetta thriller from the No.1 bestseller

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As tensions mount for the case to be decided, Scarpetta must determine who is out there, lurking in the shadows. When POTUS arrives in town and an attempt is made on his life, Scarpetta knows that this is not your run of the mill killer, but rather some terror cell out for something larger. Someone is surely trying to send Scarpetta a message, while making an impact on the television news cycle as well. It will take everything in her being to keep Kay Scarpetta from letting justice be perverted, though everything comes together to unveil the truth about another crime that has haunted her for the past few years. Cornwell does a masterful job in this piece to resurrect some of her past greatness in the Scarpetta series. Way too much time spent on the scientific research, which overwhelms and almost drowns out the story at time. There was good character growth (just a little growth since the series has been around for years, so you expect the character's to have done their growing) -just enough to keep them fresh. An interesting new weapon, at least to me.

In this 26th book in the 'Kay Scarpetta' series, the medical examiner helps investigate a high-tech murder. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a bonus. Just like her previous outing – “Autopsy” – the structure of the novel was the same. Everything takes place over a period of less than 48 hours. It is all slammed together in a wham-bam-thank-you-reader storytelling experience.It just seemed a little clinical & little familiar - the machinations of a boss who dislikes her, earlier cases now under revision - you would think Scarpetta had earned a little trust & respect by now. I'll keep reading these as long as they keep being released, but I feel they've lost the heart & soul of what they were originally. I've re-read the first five or six books many times, but I'm not sure I will re-read the later ones as often. 3.5 stars (rounded up).

For me, the Scarpetta series was good for a long time and then went downhill. This novel seems like a slight resurgence, but there's still a ways to go. As things play out, Rachael's homicide seems to have a connection with an attempt on the life of the POTUS, as well as the murder of a Virginia merchant. Thus the FBI and the Secret Service, as well as the Virginia police, are all involved in the investigations. This means Kay's FBI profiler husband Benton Wesley...... funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.” I’ve read most of the Scarpetta books. This one I am glad to say may be my last if Cornwell’s return to the character is as mindless as this one is. Here is a summary so you won’t have to waste your time. The first few chapters were hard going due to the obnoxious prosecutor. You know that they have to try their utmost but he took the phrase "adversarial legal system" extremely literally. The overarching plot was good & I particularly liked how the different crime scenes were eventually tied together. All the main characters of the core group were involved: Scarpetta, Benton, Marino, & Lucy, & there were a few new ones too.They drive to Norfolk (to confirm her boss whom she doesn't like is up to no good) from Alexandria and while driving some of the "terrorists" are arrested. Another 15 rounds for Virginia chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her well-placed enemies past and present. The use of microwave guns is an alarming escalation in weaponry, and is of GREAT concern to the authorities, because instructions for building these guns can be found online.