Apr 17, 2008 07:25 PM
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(Updated Apr 12, 2020 11:34 PM)
The Author:
Patricia Cornwell is the author of this highly successful ‘Kay Scarpetta’ Medical Detective series. She is a compulsive, and prolific writer churning out a novel a year. She has written 15 books under the ‘Kay Scarpetta’ series, beginning from "Postmortem"( 1990) to "Book of the Dead"( 2007) and "From Potter’s Field"( 1995) is the 6th in line. She has also written novels under the ‘Andy Brazil’ series apart from many Non-fiction books, including Cookbooks, notable among them being "Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper – Case Closed." Her fictional chief medical examiner, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, won the 1999 Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author.
Patricia’s writings dwell deep in the exciting field of Forensics, which is always central to her writings. Her successful writings have inspired the TV serial "CSI – Crime Scene Investigation"( Fictional) , and "Cold Case Files"( Documentary) .Her new book "The Front, " not related to the Scarpetta series, due to release in May this year promises to be another roaring success.
Reading Patricia Cornwell’s books is like strolling through the park aimlessly at first, then something happens and you’re suddenly sucked into the thick of things. Nothing can explain her writings better than this excerpt "… like riding one of those amusement-park roller coasters. The rider gets on, and the car starts slowly up the first big hill, momentarily hesitating at the top before plunging down, down, and around, leaving the rider gasping and breathless, with trembling limbs and a palpitating heart, exhilarated but shaken, even after the ride is over.
Cornwell lulls the reader with a slow start, then builds relentlessly to a heart-stopping climax…"-Info drawn from various sources.
The Book:
Potter’s Field is a place where the dead who remain unidentified are buried. The story begins at a comfortable pace, but then jolts you with the finding of an unidentified nude female propped up against a fountain in a Park on Christmas Eve. When it seems this ill-fated woman’s final journey would be the Potter’s Field, something turns up.Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, arrives to look for clues. Routine investigations turn macabre when the name of a possible suspect turns out to be Temple Gault, a serial killer still on the loose who murders for fun and more often than not has been the nemesis of Dr. Scarpetta.
Scarpetta’s main concern at the moment is to give a name to the nameless through her Forensic expertise so that she can prevent the victim from the Potter’s Field ignominy and provide for a decent burial. But, things are not easy, Gault appears to have done his homework well. He plays a cat and mouse game with Scarpetta, at the same time always being a step ahead of her.
Gault’s continued offerings to her in the form of more unsolved murders begins to affect Dr. Scarpetta’s mental balance. She, her family, and her close friends are always under constant threat and it shows on her nerves. Sadness, helplessness, rage, fear and terror are the gamut of emotions that Dr. Scarpetta undergoes while she is trying to unravel the mystery. This is where Cornwell really excels, her characters are full of life and utterly believable.
As if wading forensically through multiple murders was not enough, Dr. Scarpetta learns that Gault has broken into CAIN, the know-all, see-all FBI computer system that Scarpetta's niece, Lucy, has created. Symbolically, it appears as if Gault has taken control of Dr. Scarpetta's fevered mind, anticipating her every move and plan as he goes about his own drug-induced, psychotic killing games.
Scarpetta must hold her nerve and fight back keeping her wits about her, or else the constant fear of Gault might get to her ultimately, before Gault himself did. A tightly woven crime story that keeps you hooked till the end.The Comment: I wouldn’t say this is Cornwell’s best book, but then it’s because she has written so many absolutely thrilling ones that you keep expecting the same standards from her. But, that doesn’t mean that this book can be kept aside, it still sinks its teeth into you.Since, it’s a crime thriller, some of the scenes are gory and sometimes you get the feeling that the author is dwelling unnecessarily on describing the gory scenes in detail, but that’s only a personal opinion.
Though, it’s a book from the middle of the series, the readers will not feel that they missed out on the characters. Cornwell has done pretty well in this regard, and any book can be picked up to read, if it is not possible to start at the beginning. Having said that, I believe the first book "Postmortem"will really set you up wanting for more.It is clear that Cornwell has deep knowledge of Forensic science and writes with admirable consistency. Her plots are not easy to decipher, and always come with that rare element of surprise… that’s how a crime thriller should be.
You’ll love it if you are into crime thrillers.
mbfarookh( C)
