Scarpetta (Kay Scarpetta, #16)
Scarpetta (Kay Scarpetta, #16)
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2008
Book Brief
Beta500
Novel • Fiction
•
Mystery & Crime FictionNew York City, United States
2008
Putnam Adult
Hardcover • 2008
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta leaves her Charleston practice for an assignment in New York City, where police ask her to examine Oscar Bane, an injured patient in Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric prison ward. Bane specifically requested Scarpetta and claims his wounds were sustained during a murder he did not commit, leaving her to decide whether his bizarre, paranoid account can be believed.
Dark
Unnerving
Mysterious
Contemplative
Challenging
Reviews & Readership
42,278 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Reviewers split sharply over Scarpetta. Admirers say Cornwell returns to her strengths: the characters have matured, the story feels fresh, and its mix of forensic investigation and technological intrigue should satisfy established fans. Detractors find the mystery riddled with holes and frustrating misdirection. The harshest assessment calls the plot formulaic, the characters caricatures, and the prose repetitive and weighed down by technical jargon and brand names.
Who Should Read Scarpetta (Kay Scarpetta, #16)?
Scarpetta will suit readers drawn to forensic thrillers, psychological suspense, and investigations led by a medical examiner. The opening assignment—examining an injured prisoner in Bellevue’s psychiatric ward—develops into a case involving surveillance, media obsession, and psychological warfare. Expect detailed, potentially graphic treatment of injuries and postmortem evidence. Although this is the sixteenth Kay Scarpetta thriller, the central mystery can be read on its own, making it accessible to readers new to the series.
42,278 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
The injured Bellevue psychiatric-ward patient who requests Scarpetta and maintains that he was hurt during a murder he did not commit.
Scarpetta’s husband, an FBI-associated forensic psychologist who works at Massachusetts’s McLean hospital and at Bellevue in New York City.
Scarpetta’s computer-gifted niece, who is back in New York running her company and dating District Attorney Jaime Berger.
A retired police captain and longtime investigative colleague of Scarpetta who reappears in this novel after having disappeared.
The New York district attorney who is in a relationship with Lucy during Scarpetta.
500
Novel • Fiction
•
Mystery & Crime FictionNew York City, United States
2008
Putnam Adult
Hardcover • 2008
Adult
18+ years
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