Cause of Death

Although the book is just as solidly written and accurate as all the others, it is basically the same plot with slightly different scenery. Here you have Scarpetta on the trail of the perpetrator of the latest big news murders. Here you have Scarpetta verbally fencing with Marino in their own special brand of love/hate relationship. Here you have Scarpetta fretting and concerned about both her professional and personal relationship with FBI profiler Benton Wesley. Here you have Scarpetta playing both mother hen and fighting with niece Lucy as she struggles with her sexuality and her own professional life.
And to top it all, the book ends with Scarpetta saving the day as once again this medical examiner gets herself into the most unlikely of SWAT team action situations.

As I say, don't get me wrong, the book is good. It ticks along nicely, the evidence and clues are intriguing and educational and as ever the supporting characters are great, Marino especially. I'm just happy to say that the next book is set in Ireland and I'm hoping for something with slightly different angles.


Another Great Read   May 3, 2004
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Kay is called to a murder of a reporter, Ted Eddings on New Year's Eve. The body is found underwater, which gives the reader Kay's first underwater crime scene. This cases pulls together Lucy, Pete and Benton as further murders follow. The story weaves in the usual dectective work with the high tec world of Lucy. As with all Scarpetta novels, the lives of the characters have significantly moved on since the last novel, you are only given snipbits of information at a time to try and piece together what has happened in the intervening time period. Another great novel. The relationship between the key characters just gets better and better and there is a part of me that is routing for Marino and Kay to get it toegther - who knows....??