A review by outsmartyourshelf
The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Dr Kay Scarpetta & Captain Marino head to Black Mountain, North Carolina to investigate a possible murder by Temple Gault. Eleven-year-old Emily Steiner was abducted from her bed & found murdered in a similar way to Eddie Heath, a previous Gault victim. When Benton Wesley joins Scarpetta & Marino in Black Mountain, simmering tensions between the three of them make it an uncomfortable case. Added to this, Scarpetta's niece, Lucy, is on an internship with the FBI but is accused of breaking into their secure system & sent home in disgrace. In both cases, Scarpetta realises that she is up against two remarkably clever & ruthless characters.

I amended my rating for this one down to 4 stars, as it is not as fast-paced as the previous books, & I didn't enjoy re-reading as much. The title is odd too, as the Body Farm actually plays only a very small role in the entire book, with the majority of the action taking place elsewhere. It was still an engrossing read, & the changing relationship between Scarpetta/Wesley, & Scarpetta/Marino is brought to a head.
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