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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780425213384
ISBN number: 0425213382
Label: Berkley
Manufacturer: Berkley
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 368
Printing Date: January 02, 2007
Publishing house: Berkley
Sale Popularity Level: 34467
Studio: Berkley
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
This New Year's Eve marks the end of a life-and the beginning of a nightmare for Kay Scarpetta.
Amazon.com Review:
Patricia Cornwell's heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta is back; this time to solve the mystery of the death of an Associated Press reporter who was killed while nosing about in a decommissioned navy yard. Scarpetta's involvement in the case leads her to be targeted for murder herself by a nasty little neo-fascist cult with delusions of grandeur that include a plan to 'kill and maim, frighten, brainwash and torture' all who oppose their plan to rule the world. Helping Scarpetta is her niece Lucy, an F.B.I. agent whose computer expertise leads to a heart-stopping journey into cyberspace.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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Once Cornwell stopped writing the Scarpetta novels in very first person, they have gone completely downhill. NOW if you read the earlier novels, they are GREAT. Point of Origin.. my personal favorite
Rated by buyers -
Patricia Cornwell has been on my to-read list for some time now, but the last two books I've read from her Scarpetta series are making me doubt my steadfastness! This one especially goes to prove the point that Ms Cornwell doesn't have the gift of consistency, as I'd expected from such a writer, some of whose works are unarguably brilliant and remarkable, very nearly landmark. This, however, most certainly doesn't come in that category.
The story is badly written, the plot very flimsy, the premise kind of hard to believe, and as someone else has mentioned in their comments here, Ms. Scarpetta is shown to be a know-it-all in everything she comes across. IMHO, this is the most unbelievable aspect of this book, which takes away any credit that might have come to this book otherwise.
Not worth a read, unless you (expect to) have difficulty NOT reading it!
Any average reader could see through the clutter and guess the plot less than halfway into the book, and it is painful to see the usual retinue of Ms. Scarpetta - her prodigal niece Lucy, the ever-resourceful Wesley and Marino - wasted on this sub-quality, ridiculous plot!
Overall: 1 / 5
Rated by buyers 
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I thought this was a great read. Came across it recently and realized I hadn't read it although I have read a lot of Cornwell's other books. As usual, I was not disappointed. Cornwell is a master storyteller and doesn't give the reader a chance to take a breath before the subsequent twist appears. An amazing forshadowing of the critical role terrorism plays in this country today, Cornwell is once again ahead of her time. Don't skip this one!
Rated by buyers 
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I'll probably spend more time on this post-mortem than Dr. Kay Scarpetta spends in the autopsy room. What with having to conduct international missions for the FBI, or was it the Justice Department; being relied upon for expert advice on everything from Civil War battlegrounds to satanic cults; lending out critical evidence in a murder case with less care than a librarian would use with the latest Patricia Cornwell novel; and then being forced to save the East Coast from a nuclear disaster by intervening in crucial hostage negotiations that would otherwise be conducted by a local police captain and a profiler (there apparently being no one more qualified to do that sort of thing...)
Well, suffice it to say, there is precious little time left for Dr. Scarpetta do the mundane work of an M.E.
This is the very first book I've read by Patricia Cornwell, and it's in a dead tie for Most Implausible Suspense Novel with the last book I'll ever read by Catherine Coulter. Mercifully, I've forgotten what that one was called. (It might have been "Eleventh Hour.") I had also forgotten what it felt like to have paid only a few cents plus shipping for a nice used copy, and still suffer Buyers' Remorse. Now I remember.
Question: is "Cause of Death" typical of the famous Kay Scarpetta novels? Or was it just an unfortunate choice from an otherwise stellar series? I've become a fan of Tess Gerritsen's M.E. character, Maura Isles, and was expecting a similarly fascinating look at the forensics side of detective work. Instead, I found myself reading a sci-fi/spy fairytale. I rate it two stars only because I read the entire book. The one-bomb is generally reserved for books I find unreadable.
Rated by buyers -
I was just looking at the reviews for this book and couldn't believe I had read the same book that the previous reviewers have read. Perhaps it is because I have been reading all of the books of the series in order, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters and their relationships continue to evolve, as do their relationships with each other. This book, as well as the previous ones are solid police and forensic procedurals. Some have complained that Kay is a super woman...well, she is, that is her character. She is an over achiever professionally and academically. That counters with the decisions she makes in her personal life, where she doesn't do so well. The woman not only is the top in her field, she also possesses a law degree. Like I said, I don't understand all of the negative reviews. I enjoyed the book and look forward to continuing with the series.
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