Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think this is the last book in the series that i can stand before things go off the rails. Also I think the last one set in Richmond.
Maybe I should have given a little more time between books 10 and 11 in this series. There were so many references back to book 10 in The Last Precinct that felt incredibly redundant.
My favorite part of The Last Precinct was the description of Kay Scarpetta's kitchen. It sounds amazing - a huge butcher block, industrial appliances. If I had a kitchen like that, I'd never want to leave it. I'd also weigh a few hundred pounds more than I currently weight!
As for the story itself, it was ok. I'm glad Marino's over-the-top rude behavior was explained. That was incredibly out of character for him and it upset me, with him being one of the main reasons I continue with the series at this point.
I did learn a little about DNA and why DNA from a hair follicle isn't as effective as DNA from blood or saliva. So the tidbits of forensic info I pick up from these books is another reason I keep reading. Hopefully soon I'll come across another storyline in one of the Kay Scarpetta books that is compelling enough for me to say the stories are part of the reason I keep reading!
My favorite part of The Last Precinct was the description of Kay Scarpetta's kitchen. It sounds amazing - a huge butcher block, industrial appliances. If I had a kitchen like that, I'd never want to leave it. I'd also weigh a few hundred pounds more than I currently weight!
As for the story itself, it was ok. I'm glad Marino's over-the-top rude behavior was explained. That was incredibly out of character for him and it upset me, with him being one of the main reasons I continue with the series at this point.
I did learn a little about DNA and why DNA from a hair follicle isn't as effective as DNA from blood or saliva. So the tidbits of forensic info I pick up from these books is another reason I keep reading. Hopefully soon I'll come across another storyline in one of the Kay Scarpetta books that is compelling enough for me to say the stories are part of the reason I keep reading!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is probably the point I should have decided "No more", when it comes to Kay Scarpetta books, because this book is irritating. Really, really irritating. More than that. Phenomenally irritating.
First the dedication to Linda Fairstein. I always... feel a little queasy about dedications to famous people in books, because they seem a little like they're tempting fate? If Joe Blow from a dedication tarnishes their reputation, we'll never know. If someone famous does the same, then it raises questions. If an author introduces a new character who echoes the dedicatee is introduced and that character becomes incongruous to said dedicatee, I start thinking "that really didn't age well".
The book is a continuation of book 10 in the series. In that book a crazed Frenchman goes on a killing spree in the US, culminating in an "unexpected home attack" on Kay Scarpetta. Setting aside that the home attack is now a regular thing in this series, we get the attack on Scarpetta's professionalism lifted to another level too in this book, because Cornwell wanted to echo what was happening to her best friend (Fairstein) too maybe? The result is that the esteemed Chief Medical Examiner is accused of murder, and taken to a Special Grand Jury, by the Virginia Attorney-General because that makes complete sense.
At the same time, Scarpetta investigates the death of two men in Richmond VA, and deals with the continuing fallout from the events in book 10. She's allowed to do these things, despite being a murder suspect, because without it there'd be no story. Forget about realism. Forget about having a book series that makes sense. Let's stretch credibility to the point where people who enjoy stupid ideas think "Oh my gosh that is SO dumb I can't believe it."
The sad thing is even Cornwell knows that things are getting daft, with Marino (one of her characters) raising issues that the reader will be thinking on occasion. When that starts happening I honestly think authors should asking "Is this credible?" about their books.
In short, this book could have been better written if this book had been better written if it had been merged into book 10, heavily edited, and had the legal proceedings about Scarpetta removed.
First the dedication to Linda Fairstein. I always... feel a little queasy about dedications to famous people in books, because they seem a little like they're tempting fate? If Joe Blow from a dedication tarnishes their reputation, we'll never know. If someone famous does the same, then it raises questions. If an author introduces a new character who echoes the dedicatee is introduced and that character becomes incongruous to said dedicatee, I start thinking "that really didn't age well".
The book is a continuation of book 10 in the series. In that book a crazed Frenchman goes on a killing spree in the US, culminating in an "unexpected home attack" on Kay Scarpetta. Setting aside that the home attack is now a regular thing in this series, we get the attack on Scarpetta's professionalism lifted to another level too in this book, because Cornwell wanted to echo what was happening to her best friend (Fairstein) too maybe? The result is that the esteemed Chief Medical Examiner is accused of murder, and taken to a Special Grand Jury, by the Virginia Attorney-General because that makes complete sense.
At the same time, Scarpetta investigates the death of two men in Richmond VA, and deals with the continuing fallout from the events in book 10. She's allowed to do these things, despite being a murder suspect, because without it there'd be no story. Forget about realism. Forget about having a book series that makes sense. Let's stretch credibility to the point where people who enjoy stupid ideas think "Oh my gosh that is SO dumb I can't believe it."
The sad thing is even Cornwell knows that things are getting daft, with Marino (one of her characters) raising issues that the reader will be thinking on occasion. When that starts happening I honestly think authors should asking "Is this credible?" about their books.
In short, this book could have been better written if this book had been better written if it had been merged into book 10, heavily edited, and had the legal proceedings about Scarpetta removed.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Kay is so irritating at this point I might be done with this series.
Disappointing in many ways. Perhaps some of my issues are because I'm reading the series all at once, rather than one book a year, as I would have if I was reading them at the time they came out. Maybe I would have been less likely to notice the shift in telling the story in past tense in all the other books to present tense in his book, which took me a long time to get used to. Maybe I wouldn't have noticed continuity error between books, like Rocky Marino's real first name, which changed between books.
But then again, there were continuity errors within this book too, which I won't bother getting into here. Basically, I found this book to be more of a slog to get through, with much fewer can't-put-it-down moments.
I did find it interesting how Cornwell tied previous books together - enough that I'm willing to give the next book a chance to see if she can draw me back in.
But then again, there were continuity errors within this book too, which I won't bother getting into here. Basically, I found this book to be more of a slog to get through, with much fewer can't-put-it-down moments.
I did find it interesting how Cornwell tied previous books together - enough that I'm willing to give the next book a chance to see if she can draw me back in.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No