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A review by leahsbooks
From Potter's Field by Patricia Cornwell
5.0
CONTENT WARNING: murder, blood, mention of animal abuse, homophobia, drug use
Over several of the books in this series, Temple Brooks Gault is a supervillain that pops up but has always eluded justice. I was honestly hoping that he would finally get what was coming to him in this book, because he was such a horrible person and committed such heinous and devastating crimes.
What makes this series so compelling isn’t the crimes or the investigating of them, although that is done really well. The best part of this series is getting to know Scarpetta and how she connects to the people around her, both in positive and negative ways. She works adjacent to law enforcement, for the most part in male-dominated arenas, and works hard to earn the respect that she deserves. She’s amazing towards so many of the people that she comes in contact with—her coworkers and subordinates, even when they don’t deserve it, her loved ones, and even the people that have been directly impacted by the crimes that she investigates. She consistently views the deceased with dignity and respect, devoting her life to speaking for them. But that weighs on her:
“My disposition was built upon many layers of pain and sadness that had started with my own when I was young. Then over the years, I had added. Every so often I got in moods that were dark, and I was in one now.”
We get to see Scarpetta show her vulnerable and sensitive side even more in this book, and it allows us to see her as a real person, rather than a far-removed fictional character. Everyone reaches a breaking point at various times in their lives, and the events in this book hit her hard. She’s afraid for the people she cares about most, and anyone who reads this series already knows that her niece, Lucy, is her soft spot. She views her more as a daughter than a niece, and has had a strong influence in her life. Scarpetta is already struggling with seeing Lucy grow up and start to be even more independent as she becomes an adult and dictates her own future.
This is a series that I’ve grown to love even more over time, and I’m completely hooked. I already know that I’ll be checking out at least two more in this series on my next visit to the library. Between the compelling cases, my own investment in the characters, the masterful suspense throughout the stories, and the surprising plot twists, there’s no way I can put this series down.
Over several of the books in this series, Temple Brooks Gault is a supervillain that pops up but has always eluded justice. I was honestly hoping that he would finally get what was coming to him in this book, because he was such a horrible person and committed such heinous and devastating crimes.
What makes this series so compelling isn’t the crimes or the investigating of them, although that is done really well. The best part of this series is getting to know Scarpetta and how she connects to the people around her, both in positive and negative ways. She works adjacent to law enforcement, for the most part in male-dominated arenas, and works hard to earn the respect that she deserves. She’s amazing towards so many of the people that she comes in contact with—her coworkers and subordinates, even when they don’t deserve it, her loved ones, and even the people that have been directly impacted by the crimes that she investigates. She consistently views the deceased with dignity and respect, devoting her life to speaking for them. But that weighs on her:
“My disposition was built upon many layers of pain and sadness that had started with my own when I was young. Then over the years, I had added. Every so often I got in moods that were dark, and I was in one now.”
We get to see Scarpetta show her vulnerable and sensitive side even more in this book, and it allows us to see her as a real person, rather than a far-removed fictional character. Everyone reaches a breaking point at various times in their lives, and the events in this book hit her hard. She’s afraid for the people she cares about most, and anyone who reads this series already knows that her niece, Lucy, is her soft spot. She views her more as a daughter than a niece, and has had a strong influence in her life. Scarpetta is already struggling with seeing Lucy grow up and start to be even more independent as she becomes an adult and dictates her own future.
This is a series that I’ve grown to love even more over time, and I’m completely hooked. I already know that I’ll be checking out at least two more in this series on my next visit to the library. Between the compelling cases, my own investment in the characters, the masterful suspense throughout the stories, and the surprising plot twists, there’s no way I can put this series down.