Body of Evidence (Scarpetta)

Now in a new premium edition, #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell’s suspense fiction classic, featuring gutsy medical examiner Kay Scarpetta.

A reclusive author, Beryl Madison finds no safe haven from months of menacing phone calls—or the tormented feeling that her every move is being watched. When the writer is found slain in her own home, Kay Scarpetta pieces together the intricate forensic evidence—while unwittingly edging closer to a killer waiting in the shadows.

Average Customer Review: ( 99 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

Some reviewers here criticize the lack of non-stop action. To the contrary, I think the style is highly effective. Cornwell indulges in her well-developed, diverse characters with introspection and dialog. Furthermore, investigations are not a linear progression -- everything isn't always wrapped up in a tidy little package, every piece of evidence isn't used, and every fact isn't explained. But that's life.

The series has also been criticized for being a bit "nerdy". But that's appropriate -- it's strength. The use of evidence and the examination of the crime scene reminds me of my favorite crime author, Canon Doyle. The magnifying glass is replaced by a substantially more expensive apparatus, but the attention paid to analytic methods and thinking is quite enjoyable.

The combination of rich character development and intellectual analysis makes this a really enjoyable book, and worthwhile series. I really highly recommend it. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is I reserve that for the highest tier of fiction, and I'm not sure this is quite there. But it's certainly some of the best work I've read in a long time.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

More of the same for better or for worseJun 06, 2006
By S. A. Johnson "misterscooter"
After reading the first book in the series, I felt good enough to want to read the second book sooner rather than later. Book two is fashioned out of some of the basic framework as the first but with enough changes to the facade that it really doesn't detract too much from the story.

Most of the same characters are back for this installment with some new players thrown in. The forensics play along and provide physical clues to go along with the psychological clues. Like the first book, we are given plenty of clues to figure out the twist and don't feel like we've been cheated when it is revealed. As with the first book, I like that we only see what Kay sees and nothing more or less.

Kay Scarpetta, we learn, will always be very *involved* with her work and that will always play havoc with her personal life. Even this early in the series, that thread is obvious. Fortunately, even though this running thread is becoming concrete and will remain in future books, it doesn't overwhelm the main story.

The plot of this one is a little more convoluted than the first. There are several interweaving plots that connect or seem to connect and they provide us with quite a bit of depth in the mystery. What starts out fairly straightforward quickly becomes messy and confusing (on purpose) but comes together fairly nicely at the end.

For a second novel, this one does well and doesn't fall into many of the traps and pitfalls that are out there and because of that, I'll be reading the third.

11 of 12 found the following review helpful:

Scarpetta rules~Jun 10, 2004
By - Kasia S.
This book, really went into nice character development. By the middle of it, I felt like Beryl Madison, the first victim, was a real person, and I too wanted to know how she died, why and who did it.

I had a very hard time putting it down, when it was 4am, its a page turner. The evidence and clues are amazing, and they really make u think.

Overall, an excellnt medical thriller mystery....And despite what anyone says, I like Scarpetta, shes not harsh or feministic. She's just perfect.

6 of 7 found the following review helpful:

Still love Cornwell, just a sophomore bump in the road hereMay 16, 2005
By clifford "akitonmyers"
This is not Patricia Cornwell's best book. I have read two others by her, a little out of order, `Body Farm,' which is a magnificent mystery/thriller achievement and `Postmortem' was a grand opening to what is turning out to be a wholly engrossing series I hope. But `Body of Evidence' felt like an unsure sophomore effort on the part of Cornwell. Not that it was bad, I have no real glaring complaints about this book, but on the other hand the plot was a bit clunky. I think that if you do read the entire series, which is my plan, this is an adequate book that won't leave you terribly disappointed. It just felt a little unnecessary, as if you were renting the 14th James Bond flick. The book was fun, but predictable and pretty much the same as its predecessor. All of that aside, having started in the middle of the series with `Body Farm', I know in advance that Scarpetta will undergo a series of personal upheavals that I will enjoy encountering I am sure as the novels progress.

My main complaint here (and this could be a spoiler) is that the ending is almost identical to `Postmortem'. Not only that, but it was a fair stretch to pull Scarpetta in as the victim here. I just did not buy it. Also, as she travels around, the descriptions of place were a little underwhelming as others have pointed out. I felt like the first half of the book; Cornwell was attempting to imitate some of Agatha Christie's work here. The second half of the book became a mish mash of styles that set up a wholly new genre; only it was done here unclearly and ultimately unsatisfactorily.

If you like Cornwells books, I would recommend two other authors that don't go way over the top. Denis Lehane, who wrote `Mystic River,' (perhaps the best thriller I have ever come across) also wrote a series of five books that were fun to read about a pair of detectives in Boston. Harlan Coben wrote a series of books that he is well known for (Myron Bolitar) but they are just ok. If you check out Coben's stand alone, more recent novels you will be in for a treat.

10 of 13 found the following review helpful:

Facts. Characters. Twists. Love Interest. It's there.Mar 31, 1999
By Russ "Lower your expectations, have a few beers, and enjoy"
Unlike Post-Mortem, Body Of Evidence lays itself out like a roadmap with many blind curves. Kay Scarpetta knows her stuff but is a little out of touch as far as police work goes. (I don't know many people who maintain constant dialogue with the FBI to help out with their case-load.) That's the only down-side to the character. The one thing I appreciated was that the "Who-Dun-It" was introduced in the series of fact-finding points throughout the story. So, at the end, when they caught the person, you as the reader could say, "OK. I remember how this fit earlier." Post-Mortem pulled the killer out of a proverbial hat, as if the author suddenly needed to end the book. But Body of Evidence was a good read with mystery, a twisted love-interest, and Detective Marino. (I think Marino secretly likes Kay.) Enjoy.

See all 99 customer reviews on Amazon.com