‘Unnatural Exposure’ by Patricia Cornwell

My Review (5 stars out of 5)

A series of murders committed thousands of miles apart sets Kay Scarpetta on a path to find the connection. But discrepancies with the most recent corpse suggest someone else may be behind the killings. When another body is found, however, the body points to a sinister and deadly threat that fills Scarpetta with terror – the killer is armed with the smallpox virus.

This is book 8 in the Kay Scarpetta series and this time we find the good doctor with a possible epidemic on her hands. As usual, the depth of the research relating to the medical details are what make the book stand out. The development of the characters, too – Marino, Lucy, and Wesley in particular – is always interesting and we get a nicely rounded picture of how their relationships with Scarpetta have altered over the years. Nevertheless, while the plot has plenty of suspense, the book doesn’t have the same tightly plotted feel as her previous books, and the rather irritating Detective Ring is a little too generically prejudiced for belief.

An interesting and thought-provoking read.

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