Helpful Score: 1
Another page-turner by Cornwell, featuring Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner.
Helpful Score: 1
I really liked this book, but sometimes, it makes me glad that I'm not an M.E. in Scarpetta's position. It sure seems like a lot of people have a vendetta against them whether it be personal or political. (Well, this one anyway.)
Some of the narrative in this book did drive me a bit nuts because it felt sloppy. Characters would comment on something out of the blue, or something would happen, and I'd have to look back to see if I missed something because I was tired while I was reading. Turned out, it wasn't me, just lack of description in certain situations. One such was when Mark's death was mentioned. I know it was meant to be shocking, but it was stuck within a chapter in such a nonchalant place that it didn't give it the importance it deserved. It would have been better to have mentioned it at the end of a chapter. Especially since Scarpetta frequently thinks about him during the course of the story.
Overall, though, this has been my favorite book in the series, as it was the most interesting so far. I'm looking forward to the next one!
Some of the narrative in this book did drive me a bit nuts because it felt sloppy. Characters would comment on something out of the blue, or something would happen, and I'd have to look back to see if I missed something because I was tired while I was reading. Turned out, it wasn't me, just lack of description in certain situations. One such was when Mark's death was mentioned. I know it was meant to be shocking, but it was stuck within a chapter in such a nonchalant place that it didn't give it the importance it deserved. It would have been better to have mentioned it at the end of a chapter. Especially since Scarpetta frequently thinks about him during the course of the story.
Overall, though, this has been my favorite book in the series, as it was the most interesting so far. I'm looking forward to the next one!
Awesome book!!
I just Patricia Cornwell- her books get better and better!
Forensic novel. 3 murders examined by Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a fascinating hard-to-put-down read.
"Chilling detailed forensic thriller confirming Cornwell as the top gun in this field" --Daily Telegraph
"Chilling detailed forensic thriller confirming Cornwell as the top gun in this field" --Daily Telegraph
I love this series. It keeps getting better.
Another mystery series. The Kay Scarpetta books are great reads. I love the style, characters and page turning excitement that Patricia Cornwell offers. What is not to love?
Kay Scarpetta was a fictional hero of mine. At one time in my life, I wanted to be just like her :)
Kay Scarpetta was a fictional hero of mine. At one time in my life, I wanted to be just like her :)
Patricia Cornwells Kay Scarpetta is a character who becomes addicting. Smart, Funny, brave, and tough she is a character who sticks with you, and you will find yourself wanting to read the whole series. Chapters are on the shorter side so the book is easier to digest.
11:05 p.m. Convicted murderer Ronnie Joe Waddell is pronounced dead in the Commonwealth of Virginia's electric chair. In the morgue, Dr. Kay Scarpetta has been waiting for Waddell's body. It's a strange feeling, preparing for an autopsy before the subject is dead. But Scarpetta's been here before. As Virginia's chief medical examiner, she knows the tension of watching the clock as the execution hour draws near. Waddell's death isn't the only newsworthy event on this cold December night. Three hours after 13 year old Eddie Heath goes out to a convience store to buy a can of soup, his nude, grotesquely wounded body is found propped against a dumpster. Waddell's execution, the attack on Eddie-the two events seem unrelated until Scarpetta and richmond police lieutenant Pete Marino remember that Waddell arranged his victim in a strikingly similar position to Eddie's. And then there's a new murder, the most puzzling of all. The crime scenes yield few clues:old bloodstains, fragments of feather, and-most baffling-a bloody fingerprint that points Scarpetta to the one suspect who could not have committed this murder....
Richard M. (algernon99) -
Another entry in the Kay Scarpetta series. She's a Medical Examiner who serial killers have a curious desire to kill. Very, very popular books--NYTimes bestsellers.
Two apparently unrelated murders wind up being linked. To add to the intrigue someone in the coroner's office is trying to frame Dr. Kay Scarpetta and ruin her reputation.
VERY GOOD! I WILL CONTINUE TO READ THE KAY SCARPETTA SERIES!
As I already stated, this author uses imagery and fiction to spin tales of remarkable realism. The Kay Scarpetta character (who is a forensic doctor as well as other credits) is believable and this book is a great read for anyone who enjoys mystery thrillers.
Another excellent book
Sandra M. (Lighthouses4Sandy) reviewed Cruel and Unusual (Kay Scarpetta, Bk 4) on + 145 more book reviews
Scarpetta is the best! Loved this one.
The best Kay Scarpetta yet! Kept me guessing even when I thought I had it figured out.
This was pretty good.
I liked it alot
kept me guessing till the end.
Patricia Cornwells Kay Scarpetta is a character who becomes addicting. Smart, Funny, brave, and tough she is a character who sticks with you, and you will find yourself wanting to read the whole series. Chapters are on the shorter side so the book is easier to digest.
I love the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell. This was one of the earlier ones and one that kept me reading. I couldn't put it down.
One of the first in her Kay series and they are all great. I love that the main character is a woman and she is a normal woman. she has feelings and emotions, and definitely professional
Patricia C. (NovelTgirl) -
One of my favorite writers!
good stuff!
Typical Patricia Cornwell. If you like her writing you'll like this book.
This is a first rate thriller from the best selling author. It recounts a suspenseful case built around the character Dr Kay Scaretta who is a medical examiner for the state of Virginia. When she finds the fingerprints of a man who has been executed on another new crime scene the next victim may be someone she knows.
good book - very suspenseful
Lynda C. (Readnmachine) reviewed Cruel and Unusual (Kay Scarpetta, Bk 4) on + 1474 more book reviews
Solid suspense novel in the Kay Scarpatti series. When the fingerprints of a recently-executed killer show up at a crime scene, Scarpatti has to unravel a plot as intricate as any tapestry.
Patricia Cornwells Kay Scarpetta is a character who becomes addicting. Smart, Funny, brave, and tough she is a character who sticks with you, and you will find yourself wanting to read the whole series. Chapters are on the shorter side so the book is easier to digest.
Patrica Cornwell does it again. Her books are always a good read. Toward the end, I had a hard time putting it down and often read until the wee hours of the morning.
Jessica D. (jessicadeaton) -
All of the Patricia Cornwell books are great. This one has action, adventure, & murder.
Kay Scarpetta is a great character. Any of you that like Forensic Files will love these books.
Kay Scarpetta is a great character. Any of you that like Forensic Files will love these books.
excellent read
Another great Scarpetta novel by Cornwell. This one holds plenty of twists and turns, many that I did not expect. The book was so good I could barely put it down. The plot line is intriguing and well-written. I would reccommend this book to anyone I know that likes crime and mystery fiction.
This is the 4th in the Kay Scarpetta series. It was originally published in 2003 and I don't know how I missed it. It has all the hallmarks of a Scarpetta and Cornwell book. It's a must read for CSI fans.
i absolutely love all things cornwell, kay scarpetta is smart, gutsy, a great read.
Patricia Cornwells Kay Scarpetta is a character who becomes addicting. Smart, Funny, brave, and tough she is a character who sticks with you, and you will find yourself wanting to read the whole series. Chapters are on the shorter side so the book is easier to digest.
Linda A. (Springfieldreader) reviewed Cruel and Unusual (Kay Scarpetta, Bk 4) on + 458 more book reviews
I have read the entire Scarpetta series and have loved them all. This one is no exception.
A good read - clever story line
Joan W. (justreadingabook) reviewed Cruel and Unusual (Kay Scarpetta, Bk 4) on + 1726 more book reviews
Excellent book, you can't miss with a Kay Scarpetta book, they grab you from the beginning and take you for a great thrill ride. A great read.
Another good story in the Kay Scarpetta series.
As always I love all the Kay Scarpetta Novels they are the best. I was up all night just reading this book, I just couldn't put it down.
If you like storys about Medical Examiners, you will like Patricia Conrnwell books. She is one of my favorites.
It was a fun read, but I don't consider it one of her best books. In the 4th book of the Kay Scarpetta series, a man on death row is executed, and yet his prints are found at a homicide that occurred the same day of his execution, as well as a handful of other homicides that take place shortly after his execution. Kay Scarpetta finds her job on the line again as files go missing from her office and the computer database is broken into....clearly an inside job.
ANOTHER GREAT SCARPETTA ADVENTURE!
Excellent read!
"The plot is riveting...The pace is unrelenting, the suspense nerve-jangling, the dialogue scalpel sharp....Kay Scarpetta is truly a heroine for out times."
"Killing me won't kill the beast" are the last words of the rapist-murderer Ronnie Joe Waddell, written four days before his execution. But they can't explain how Dr. Kay Scarpetta finds Waddell's fingerprints on another crime scene-after she'd performed his autopsy. If this is some sort of game, Scarpetta seems to be the target. And if the next victim is someone she knows the punishment will be cruel and unusual
Another Kay Scarpetta mystery - a very good one. It appears the world is against her as things just pile up along with the bodies. Her niece Lucy in this one is 17 and you learn more about their relationship here. Great for Scarpetta fans!
The brutally wounded body of a 13-year old boy is left propped up against a dumpster, and the only fingerprint found on the scene belongs to Joe Waddell, a recently executed criminal. Dr. Kay Scarpetta and police Lieutenant Pete Marino are puzzled by the crime and strikingly similar M.O. to Waddell's victim. Then when a murder occurs implicating Kay as a suspect, she and Marino investigate before this unseen enemy destroys Kay.
Another Dr Scarpetta forensic thriller. An executed murderer's fingerprints turn up at a new grisly crime sceen.
This is the 4th book in the Scarpetta series...a must read!
This is one of The Kay Scarpetta series books and an excellent read. I love this series of books. I tend to migrate towards series, since I like to follow characters. Cornwell does a great job of creating new stories while making the characters evolve in a natural way through their lives and relationships.
Excellent Book!!!
The fingerprints say the murderer is the man who's just been executed ...
At 11.05 one December evening in Richmond, Virginia, convicted murderer Ronnie Joe Waddell is pronounced dead in the electric chair. At the morgue Dr Kay Scarpetta waits for Waddell's body. Preparing to perform a post-mortem before the subject is dead is a strange feeling, but Scarpetta has been here before. And Waddell's death is not the only newsworthy event on this freezing night: the grotesquely wounded body of a young boy is found propped against a rubbish skip. To Scarpetta the two cases seem unrelated, until she recalls that the body of Waddell's victim had been arranged in a strikingly similar position ...
At 11.05 one December evening in Richmond, Virginia, convicted murderer Ronnie Joe Waddell is pronounced dead in the electric chair. At the morgue Dr Kay Scarpetta waits for Waddell's body. Preparing to perform a post-mortem before the subject is dead is a strange feeling, but Scarpetta has been here before. And Waddell's death is not the only newsworthy event on this freezing night: the grotesquely wounded body of a young boy is found propped against a rubbish skip. To Scarpetta the two cases seem unrelated, until she recalls that the body of Waddell's victim had been arranged in a strikingly similar position ...
Love the Kay Scarpetta ones. Very good
I just LOVE cornwell's books with Kay Scarpetta. Lots of good stuff in the morgue!
Not my favorite Patricia Cornwell, but a worthy read anyway.
Dawn R. (godblessourhome) reviewed Cruel and Unusual (Kay Scarpetta, Bk 4) on + 518 more book reviews
well written. engaging main character.
great book!
As always Cornwell is thorough and compelling in her Kay Scarpetta mystery.
A very good suspense/thriller mystery.
This book is a good read, especially if you like Patricia Cornwell or crime thrillers.
This is such a wonderful puzzle and mystery - it's fun to try to figure it out.
I haven't read this book in YEARS but it has always stood out as one of the best thrillers I ever had the privilege of reading..... wonderful reading!!!
I thought it was good. Well written. I love Cornwells books.
excellent as usual. Keeps you interested and in suspense
Elizabeth B. (meowysmiles) -
great crime fiction...
AWESOME READ!!!!!
scarpetta is preparing to do a post mortem on a murder being sentanced to death in the electric chair, however there is another post mortem to do, one that is very similar to the way the man on death row killed. Is it related? is it a copycat or is the wrong man on death row?
Good Mystery!
all her books are excellent reading
In this fourth Kay Scarpetta mystery, the chief medical examiner for the state of Virginia is once again challenged by gruesome murder and confusing evidence. How could the fingerprints of Ronnie Joe Waddell appear at the scene of a murdered psychic after Waddell was executed in the electric chair? In the midst of many puzzling matters come other difficult issues to confront Kay as she tries to do her job. She becomes the object of hysterical media attention, and finds that she herself might be indicted for the very crimes she is trying to solve. Someone is sabotaging her efforts by hacking into her computer files and leaking information. Exasperated, she calls upon her niece, Lucy, a 17-year-old computer whiz, whom readers will remember from earlier "Scarpetta" novels. Along with FBI agent Benton Wesley and police chum Pete Marino, Lucy helps Kay solve the murders and ferret out the traitor in her office. YAs will enjoy the teen's angst and the exciting twist at the book's end.
Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!!
Escellent book,couldnt put it down.
I can read the Scarpetta books over and over. They're kind of like your favorite snack food that you never overdo.
This one's a good one.
This one's a good one.
Good mystery. Hard to put down.
I love Dr Scarpetta!
about a recently executed murderer whose fingerprints show up at a crime scene.
Great book - very intense.
I am not much of a Patricia Cornwell fan but this is really a good book.
"AN INTRIGUING PUZZLER... The most intricately
plotted and fully characterized novel yet in
Cornwell's admirable series."
Publishers Weekly
plotted and fully characterized novel yet in
Cornwell's admirable series."
Publishers Weekly
One of her best! I loved it.
Kay Scarpetta is involved in a case where a recently executed murderer's fingerprints turn up at a new crime scene.
great mystery book
Love her, and all the Scarpetta books. Great series.
gripping
"The brutally wounded body of a thirteen year old boy is propped up against a dumpster, and the only fingerprint found on the scene belonged to Joe Wadell, a recently excuted criminal....." Good Reading. DG
Great read!
An early Dr. Kay Scarpetta mystery. Your attention never lags. Excellent thriller.
Patricia Corwell's series starring Kay Scarpetta as the Chief Medical Examiner is one of the best series of books I have read. Mysteries have never been my genre, but I love the CSI TV series and this book intrigues me in the same manner. Corwell is very knowledgeable and her writing style is descriptive and flowing as well as easy to read. Its not so packed with technical jargon that you cant sit and enjoy a nice quiet read without having to reach for a dictioary.
Classic Cornwell - chilling, riveting and utterly convincing.
Kay rocks! Love the forensic anthropology, written before the days of CSI!
"Engrossing...An extremely effective novel of suspense, in all its varieties...Conrwell embroils Kay Scarpettia in agrisly case involing a recently executed murderer whose fingerprints turn up at a new crime scene...Cornwell's sleuth is the best in the business"--Entertainment Weekly
Good book.
Very detailed
Dr Kay Scarpetta has a Case involving a recently executed murderer whose fingerprints turn up at a new crime scene. PB 407 pp's
Gotta love the Kay Scarpetta mysteries.
Patricia Cornwell is a great author... or so I've been told. I have read several of her books and I just don't think they are that great. However, Many other people like her and she's selling more books than I am, so I don't feel I have room to complain.
Cameron-Ashley H. (BigGreenChair) reviewed Cruel and Unusual (Kay Scarpetta, Bk 4) on + 461 more book reviews
#1 Ny Times Bestselling author who writes great murder mysteries. A 1st rate thriller, taught and terrifying as Silence of the Lambs. Chief Medical Examiner must unravel the case. Engrossing, chilling, riveting, a knockout is how the book has been described. Patricia Cornwell's first books were outstanding--somewhere along the line toward the most recent books her writing changed and fell apart, but the earliest books in this series are GREAT. She used to be one of my favorite authors I looked forward to--
Another good Scarpetta mystery.
Patricia H. (beachcomber) reviewed Cruel and Unusual (Kay Scarpetta, Bk 4) on + 320 more book reviews
Another in Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series.
