I gave up. I am sick to death of Patricia Cornwell hating her own characters. Once again, 100 pages in Pete Marino is the weak link, the person who is in the way, etc. Why bother? If Pete is such an incompetent compared to Kay Scarpetta, Lucy and Benton, then kill the character off. Instead, I quit the series. ( )

Patricia Cornwell's last few books have been excellent. Her newest book, Unnatural Death, is no exception. This is the 27th entry in the long running Scarpetta series. While the book picks up from the last entry, this book can certainly be read as a stand alone.

Kay Scarpetta is the Chief Medical Examiner for Virginia. This time around, Kay is sent to the woods and to a deserted mine in North Virginia. Two bodies have been found, as well as something very curious in a mine shaft. Kay is not sure why the Feds have taken over the case and the autopsy, but she has no choice but to follow orders.

The recurring characters all return in Unnatural Death. Sidekick Pete Marino is always by Kay's side. He hasn't changed much over the years and is one of my favorites. Niece Lucy grows more and more enigmatic with every new book. Kay's husband Benson has his own secrets. Lesser characters are just as well drawn - and are very easy to be separated into 'good and bad'. I applaud Kay's ability to hold her tongue - but her inner dialogue lets it all out.

I was truly blown away by some of the technology being used by the Secret Service and other agencies. Kay's methods and tools in the autopsy suite are just as technologic. In the 'about the author' notes, Cornwell mentions that her interests include space-age technologies, threats to contemporary life, artificial intelligence and more. Those interests are woven into the plot of Unnatural Death.

There's no way to predict where the plot is going to go. There's lots of action, suspense and unexpected turns. Cornwell held my attention right down the last pages.

A great entry that I quite enjoyed ( )

Unnatural Death by Patricia Cornwell is a highly recommended crime fiction for fans of chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. This is the twenty-seventh novel in the long running series.

Dr. Scarpetta is flown out to wilderness of Buckingham Run in northern Virginia by her niece, Secret Service agent Lucy Farinelli. Agents are already on the ground with her longtime associate Pete Marino. Scarpetta is there to retrieve the mauled remains of two bodies, Huck and Brittany Manson, owners of an outdoor gear store. The retrieval of both bodies is involved, one body in a mine shaft and another in the lake. The two are suspected of spying or links to terrorism so the retrieval and autopsies are top secret. Their trail cameras, which the Secret Service hacked, did not show the assailant. Even weirder is the large foot print Marino found in the cave which he believes is that of Bigfoot. He took a cast of it and has made arrangements to have it examined.

Having read and enjoyed almost all of her early books, I took a long hiatus mid-way through this series after several disappointing books. The pace does start out a bit slow as recovering the bodies and the autopsy take up the bulk of the narrative but does pick up speed. Appreciation of Cornwell's writing style will help. There is a lot of technical, step-by-step medical and procedural details as well as other details (food, technical devices, programming, vehicles, as a few examples) shared as the plot unfolds. Expect political views.

Suspension of disbelief is required with the return of an old nemesis. The major plot thread does reach a conclusion, but there are several other unresolved storylines. This one is for fans of the series who know all the characters, their backstories, and want to know what's happening now. It wasn't surprising (the major twist will easily be predicted by some readers) but it is entertaining and comfortable to see old characters. 3.5
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Grand Central via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/11/unnatural-death.html ( )

Here we are at #27 in a series that started my addiction to the crime thriller genre. Opening a new installment is like visiting friends — you pick up right where you left off.

As the story opens, Dr. Kay Scarpetta and Pete Marino are on their way to a remote abandoned gold mine in Buckingham Run in the Doomsday Bird piloted by her niece, Lucy, to examine the scene involving the deaths of outdoor enthusiasts Huck and Brittany Manson. The couple was under federal investigation, suspected of consorting with terrorists. The crime scene is a mess and the bodies are mutilated to such an extent that the investigators are having a hard time figuring out exactly what happened. Not to mention that a strange footprint has been found inside a mine shaft. Who are what are they dealing with?

This was definitely slow moving and I really hated to see the return of an old nemesis and too much focus on the past. The details are always meticulous whether they be about postmortem examinations or high tech toys and computers. I’ve always liked this author’s writing style, but not always the plots or some of the characters. Kay is an interesting protagonist and the relationships she has always provide more insights into what makes her tick. Her work colleagues and family are always a huge part of every book so there is a lot more than just crime solving. Still some loose ends even with this conclusion so if the next book is also about this returning villain, I might be disinclined to read it. I am more interested in the medical and forensic aspects of Kay’s job than in the secret service or terrorist plots.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend because every fan has to keep up. And I do believe that this is a series that is best read, in order, from the beginning. ( )

The latest novel from Patricia Cornwell features Dr. Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner for Virginia, investigating the murders of a husband and wife found in the dense forests of rural northern Virginia. Scarpetta’s niece, Lucy, who now pilots a souped up helicopter for the FBI, flies Scarpetta to the scene without revealing many details of why the FBI is so interested in these murders. As the facts are slowly revealed we find the murdered couple are involved in some extremely shady activity. They have used their business, Wild World, a huge retail store selling hunting and survival gear to the tune of millions of dollars, to cover their illegal activities. Apparently these illegal activities may very well have lead to their deaths. There are many mysteries surrounding their deaths, that need to be explained. They were tortured, mutilated, and appear to have been shot with a unique bullet. They apparently tried to defend themselves against an unknown enemy, but the many security devices they had installed throughout their property show no images of intruders. What illegal activities were they involved in? How could an intruder penetrate their security? Is this incident connected in any way to seemingly random deaths in other parts of northern Virginia? Is there a larger scheme at play here? Can Dr. Scarpetta and her team of forensic investigators shed any light on this dark mystery? Will they in fact become targets in this game of wits. The author provides plenty of detail including forensic examinations, the latest spooky hardware used by various law enforcement, drone activity, and AI computer software, all add up to a fast paced investigation with many surprises. This book was provided for review by NovelSuspectsInsiders. ( )