My Review (5 stars out of 5)
A serial killer leaves a young couple dead in the woods, producing yet another murder where Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta cannot establish the cause of death. With the latest murder involving the daughter of a powerful woman who wants answers, Kay finds herself in a difficult position. As the only clue to the murders is a playing card left at the scene, Scarpetta and Detective Marino set out to examine the crime scenes again. The investigation pushes our heroine into believing the FBI and other agencies might be initiating a cover-up. Added to the odd behaviour of journalist Abby Turnbull, Scarpetta struggles to see how they can ever track down the killer.
Being book 3 in the Scarpetta series, this is not a straightforward murder mystery, as much of the book details the personal issues of Scarpetta and Marino. This helps to flesh out both characters, giving them more depth and interest. I love the relationship been these two and the way they try to nudge each other into adopting more positive attitudes. There’s also a fair degree of suspense that simmers away throughout the book and kept me wondering which direction the story would go off in. Not for the first time, I found myself re-reading some passages because they were so well written. This, along with Ms Cornwell’s descriptive abilities, really brings each scene alive and adds to the tension, making it more and more difficult to put the book down each night.
An exciting and clever story that kept me riveted all the way through.
Colin Garrow 