Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Berkley (1999), Edition: Reissue, 416 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:The clues to a series of remorseless killings go up in smoke�??and only Kay Scarpetta can find them in this #1 New York Times bestseller from Patricia Cornwell. �??Sears its way into the psyche�?�Ablaze with Cornwell�??s finest, scariest writing.�?��??Atlanta Journal Constitution The devastating fire tore through the horse farm, destroying everything it touched. Picking through the wreckage, Dr. Kay Scarpetta uncovers human remains�??the work of an audacious and wily killer who uses fire to mask his brutal murders. And when Scarpetta learns that her old nemesis, Carrie Grethen, has escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is somehow involved, the investigation becomes personal. Tragedy strikes close to home. And Scarpetta must match Grethen�??s every move with one of her own to douse the inferno of evil that threatens everyone around her... Includes an Introdu… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member MsBeautiful
Good mystery, especially for someone who likes science/anatomy
LibraryThing member brooksbooks
This book was pretty good. It was about Dr. Kay Scarpetta doing an arson investigation on a house.
LibraryThing member hopemccormick
CAUTION: SPOILER
Awesome book, but I can't imagine how Kay can continue in her line of work after what's happened to Benton. Honestly, if she CAN go back, I don't know that I'll like her. So far she's been tough, cold when necessary, but still human and feminine. I just can't imagine how she'll
Awesome book, but I can't imagine how Kay can continue in her line of work after what's happened to Benton. Honestly, if she CAN go back, I don't know that I'll like her. So far she's been tough, cold when necessary, but still human and feminine. I just can't imagine how she'll
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change now. Of course, this Cornwell's done a fabulous job with the series, so I suppose I should have more faith. Show Less
LibraryThing member miketroll
One for lovers of gruesome autopsy reports. After all Cornwell' s serial killers in Richmond VA, I don't understand why anyone still lives there.
LibraryThing member debavp
Interesting read, but main characters have too much happening off the page leading Cornwell to have to catch you up to speed quickly which results in a weaker plot
LibraryThing member Darrol
I liked this book, except the final assault by the perpetrators. The book had a tragic tone and substance. I think it would have been better if this mood had been totally unmitigated. I do not see the series diminishing, yet; the strengths and weaknesses are fairly consistent (with the exception of
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Cause of Death, which I thought was weak). Show Less
LibraryThing member sringle1202
This was the first book I have ever read by Patricia Cornwell, but I really liked it and plan to read more. I like her writing style. It's almost like you are watching a movie instead of reading a book. This was a great book with a predictable ending and an unpredictable twist thrown in to throw
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you off. Show Less
LibraryThing member verenka
Finally the mystery from the last book is solved. Again, I'm not sure why they completely ignored an important bit of information that eventually led to the murderer but alltogether I liked the book.
LibraryThing member delphimo
A thought that came to me during Unnatural Exposure happened in this novel. The case of the limbless torsos continues in this story. The basis for this story is arson and charred bodies. Lucy has quit the FBI and Wesley has retired. Pete Marino continues his unhealthy life style of booze,
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cigarettes, and greasy foods. Luckily in this story, no worker in the morgue is killed. In Cornwell's usual style, arson and helicopter flying are thoroughly explained. Maybe I need to cease reading Cornwell for a while. She has explicit violence, which is usually balanced by Kay's love and concern for Lucy, Wesley, and Pete. After reading these novels, I feel that the world is populated with only evil. Show Less
LibraryThing member NicolefromCarmel
The good old days of Patricia Cornwell's writing. When the case was the focus and not as much about the messed up relationships. I really enjoy the earlier novels in her series. I have read this multiple times and is one of my go to series when I just need something familiar.
LibraryThing member buffalogr
Number 9 in the Scarpetta series, found it average in story and character development. It's got only a few twists and turns, with exciting chases and a mystery or two, Fun, but not exciting.
LibraryThing member ElizabethCromb
Have decided that there is far too much gory detail in her books. No more.
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
Dr Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia returns for her ninth outing, As the novel opens, she receives a letter from Carrie Grethen, a psychopathic killer who has appeared in several previous books, and who has appointed herself arch nemesis for Kay, her niece
Meanwhile, Kay and Marino are summoned to the site of a gruesome arson attack which has levelled the capacious house and stables of a prominent and immensely wealthy businessman, with whom they have crossed swords before. In addition to the string of horses housed at the property, a human body is found, prompting a federal, cross-agency investigation. The owner of the property is an African American, and racial motives for the attack are suspected.
This novel was slightly less frenetic that some of its predecessors had been, although Kay Scarpetta remains on the cusp pf paranoia. Her niece Lucy is slightly less objectional that in some of the recent books, too, which certainly came as a relief.
The plot is soundly developed, and while by this stage of her writing career Cornwell seemed happy to leave no cliché knowingly overlooked, the story moves along briskly. It still seemed a long way from the string of excellent books that launched the series, such as Postmortem, All That Remains, and Body of Evidence.
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Lucy, and crime fighting associates Benton Wesley (formerly the suave, head profiler for the FBI and now established as Kay’s Lover) and ultra rough diamond Police Captain, Pete Marino. Grethen is in custody, undergoing psychiatric assessment while awaiting trial for multiple killings. The letter is far from lucid, but within its frantic scrawl Kay perceives an urgent if undefined threat.Meanwhile, Kay and Marino are summoned to the site of a gruesome arson attack which has levelled the capacious house and stables of a prominent and immensely wealthy businessman, with whom they have crossed swords before. In addition to the string of horses housed at the property, a human body is found, prompting a federal, cross-agency investigation. The owner of the property is an African American, and racial motives for the attack are suspected.
This novel was slightly less frenetic that some of its predecessors had been, although Kay Scarpetta remains on the cusp pf paranoia. Her niece Lucy is slightly less objectional that in some of the recent books, too, which certainly came as a relief.
The plot is soundly developed, and while by this stage of her writing career Cornwell seemed happy to leave no cliché knowingly overlooked, the story moves along briskly. It still seemed a long way from the string of excellent books that launched the series, such as Postmortem, All That Remains, and Body of Evidence.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1998
Physical description
416 p.; 4.26 inches
ISBN
0425169863 / 9780425169865