The books in the series I've read so far, in published order: Postmortem, Body of Evidence, All That Remains, Cruel and Unusual.
Plot: Kay Scarpetta is the medical chief examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia, a sharp-minded, professional woman. Though some acquaintances think her distant and heartless, Kay is actually a caring, mothering person - however, in her job, it often pays to keep a blank face and a cool head. As chief medical examiner, Kay performs autopsies (a form of investigative surgery on dead bodies) in an attempt to learn everything about the unfortunate person, from cause of death to stomach contents to health problems. Most of the bodies in the books are horrifically maimed in some way, adding to the drama and increasing the urgency of Kay's work.
Comments: I've noticed several common themes in the few murder mysteries I have read. One, the ones I read (though this is probably by choice) all have female main characters, and were all written by female authors. The main character is some kind of forensic or scientific expert rather than a detective or supervisor, and they often have someone dependent on them - either a daughter from a previous marriage (which they all seem to have had) or a niece, a friend, etc. They are professional and good at what they do, but there are always sexist, annoying men that antagonize them. They get into a relationship with a good-looking, protective, law-enforcement man of some kind, and try to keep it secret from everyone. At some point, the relationship deteriorates as the main character suspects them of unfaithfulness (or just disinterest). Then, without fail, the female main character falls into deadly danger and is rescued at the last minute by some male-figure, generally the one they'd had a relationship with. And that's the general idea of most mystery novels I've read. Why is it that the woman can't be the detective? And why does she always have to be rescued by a man? It's almost enough to put me off mystery novels. Almost.
This series is pretty good so far. I believe it goes on for a while. I don't particularly love Kay Scarpetta (which is unfortunate, her being the main character), mostly because she smokes and drinks and has a short temper. Also, I sometimes feel that she is rather cold and often paranoid. Altogether, I don't really like her as a person. The cases are okay, but I feel that the gory details try to make up for lack of detailed and complex mystery. Cornwell definitely likes describing the blood and exactly how many stab wounds and when they finally died, etc. I don't really mind it, but I know some people want a mystery novel rather than a horror film.
Another thing is that the writing is a little old-fashioned. The books I've read came out in the early 90's, but I still can't get over my feeling that everything is too scripted. I don't know anyone that talks as precisely and formally as these people - even when talking to friends or family, they use fancy words and just sound like they're in court testifying. It gets annoying. Finally, I'm continuously feeling that I've skipped a book or three. Time goes by so quickly in these books that it gets confusing. Spoiler alert!!! When I read Cruel and Unusual, I found out by vague comments that Mark, a man she had been in a relationship with, had died in a bombing, apparently somewhere between Cruel and Unusual and the previous book, All That Remains. I don't appreciate the way Patricia Cornwell skips important things and decides to mention them later on when she feels like it.
You may wonder why, if I don't seem to like these books very much, I keep reading them. Well, I don't know. I guess I just love murder mysteries, and I like the Detective Marino whom Kay works with. Who knows?
Rating: I rate this series so far a six and a half out of ten.
Plot: Kay Scarpetta is the medical chief examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia, a sharp-minded, professional woman. Though some acquaintances think her distant and heartless, Kay is actually a caring, mothering person - however, in her job, it often pays to keep a blank face and a cool head. As chief medical examiner, Kay performs autopsies (a form of investigative surgery on dead bodies) in an attempt to learn everything about the unfortunate person, from cause of death to stomach contents to health problems. Most of the bodies in the books are horrifically maimed in some way, adding to the drama and increasing the urgency of Kay's work.
Comments: I've noticed several common themes in the few murder mysteries I have read. One, the ones I read (though this is probably by choice) all have female main characters, and were all written by female authors. The main character is some kind of forensic or scientific expert rather than a detective or supervisor, and they often have someone dependent on them - either a daughter from a previous marriage (which they all seem to have had) or a niece, a friend, etc. They are professional and good at what they do, but there are always sexist, annoying men that antagonize them. They get into a relationship with a good-looking, protective, law-enforcement man of some kind, and try to keep it secret from everyone. At some point, the relationship deteriorates as the main character suspects them of unfaithfulness (or just disinterest). Then, without fail, the female main character falls into deadly danger and is rescued at the last minute by some male-figure, generally the one they'd had a relationship with. And that's the general idea of most mystery novels I've read. Why is it that the woman can't be the detective? And why does she always have to be rescued by a man? It's almost enough to put me off mystery novels. Almost.
This series is pretty good so far. I believe it goes on for a while. I don't particularly love Kay Scarpetta (which is unfortunate, her being the main character), mostly because she smokes and drinks and has a short temper. Also, I sometimes feel that she is rather cold and often paranoid. Altogether, I don't really like her as a person. The cases are okay, but I feel that the gory details try to make up for lack of detailed and complex mystery. Cornwell definitely likes describing the blood and exactly how many stab wounds and when they finally died, etc. I don't really mind it, but I know some people want a mystery novel rather than a horror film.
Another thing is that the writing is a little old-fashioned. The books I've read came out in the early 90's, but I still can't get over my feeling that everything is too scripted. I don't know anyone that talks as precisely and formally as these people - even when talking to friends or family, they use fancy words and just sound like they're in court testifying. It gets annoying. Finally, I'm continuously feeling that I've skipped a book or three. Time goes by so quickly in these books that it gets confusing. Spoiler alert!!! When I read Cruel and Unusual, I found out by vague comments that Mark, a man she had been in a relationship with, had died in a bombing, apparently somewhere between Cruel and Unusual and the previous book, All That Remains. I don't appreciate the way Patricia Cornwell skips important things and decides to mention them later on when she feels like it.
You may wonder why, if I don't seem to like these books very much, I keep reading them. Well, I don't know. I guess I just love murder mysteries, and I like the Detective Marino whom Kay works with. Who knows?
Rating: I rate this series so far a six and a half out of ten.
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