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| Scarpetta (Kay Scarpetta) | 
 enlarge | Author: Patricia Cornwell
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $16.10
You Save: $11.85 (42%)
New (26) Used (3) from $14.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 27
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 2.1
ISBN: 0399155163
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399155161
ASIN: 0399155163
Publication Date: December 2, 2008 (New: This Week)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New book. Never opened, never read. For fast delivery, please opt for expedited shipping.
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Product Description
From Americas #1 bestselling crime writers comes the extraordinary new Kay Scarpetta novel.
Leaving behind her private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina, Kay Scarpetta accepts an assignment in New York City, where the NYPD has asked her to examine an injured man on Bellevue Hospitals psychiatric prison ward. The handcuffed and chained patient, Oscar Bane, has specifically asked for her, and when she literally has her gloved hands on him, he begins to talkand the story he has to tell turns out to be one of the most bizarre she has ever heard.
The injuries, he says, were sustained in the course of a murder . . . that he did not commit. Is Bane a criminally insane stalker who has fixed on Scarpetta? Or is his paranoid tale true, and it is he who is being spied on, followed and stalked by the actual killer? The one thing Scarpetta knows for certain is that a woman has been tortured and murderedand more violent deaths will follow. Gradually, an inexplicable and horrifying truth emerges: Whoever is committing the crimes knows where his prey is at all times. Is it a person, a government? And what is the connection between the victims?
In the days that follow, Scarpetta; her forensic psychologist husband, Benton Wesley; and her niece, Lucy, who has recently formed her own forensic computer investigation firm in New York, will undertake a harrowing chase through cyberspace and the all-too-real streets of the cityan odyssey that will take them at once to places they never knew, and much, much too close to home.
Throughout, Cornwell delivers shocking twists and turns, and the kind of cutting-edge technology that only she can provide. Once again, she proves her exceptional ability to entertain and enthrall.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED!! December 2, 2008
14 out of 20 found this review helpful
"SCARPETTA" is absolutely fantastic, proving once again how Cornwell began a genre that has lasted 20 years.
In this book, which is so beautifully written and fast paced, it feels like a movie, we are treated to a riveting case which will keep you guessing until the end. No spoiler for those who haven't read it yet, I'll simply say that in "Scarpetta", Cornwell addresses many previously unanswered questions and allows us to get to know the characters in ways we haven't seen before. Oscar Bane is fascinating and more than once, I found myself leaping to conclusions that turned out to be way off base. Whether you're a diehard Cornwell fan or a newcomer to the series, this book will amaze you, and you may find that after reading it, you're ready to do it all over again. A must have, treat yourself and buy the book!
INDESCRIBABLY WONDERFUL!! Classic Cornwell!! December 2, 2008
13 out of 18 found this review helpful
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!! Patricia Cornwell has done it again!! Scarpetta is a magnificent work sure to become a classic!! Focusing mainly on the brilliant work of Dr. Kay Scarpetta, and likewise bearing her name, Patricia Cornwell's newest work is truly a "must read!"
In this latest thriller, Dr. Kay Scarpetta is called in from Boston to solve a heinous New Year's Eve crime that makes no sense to investigators. As a personal favor to her colleagues, Dr. Scarpetta walks right into this complex case and tackles it "head on."
The case has a confusing trail of DNA and a confounding set of circumstances that baffles even New York's finest. The plot swirls and spins around a complex cast of characters, all of which seem mutually exclusive until the final chapters of the book when Ms. Cornwell reveals a carefully woven matrix of unlikely and sinister connections. And, ....... the ending will fool you!
This thriller has more twists and turns than a mountain road, and it enthralls its reader from its first word to its last. It's a true page turner. I stayed up half the night finishing this book because I simply could not put it down!!
This reviewer's favorite crime thriller author. December 2, 2008
11 out of 16 found this review helpful
Kay Scarpetta and Benton Wesley are married and for the first time in their long relationship, they are not only in the same state, they share the same house. She is the medical examiner for the Northeastern District of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and both are guest lecturers at NYC's John Jay College of Criminal Justice. They also provide free consulting services for agencies to include NYPD.
Oscar Bane, a little person, checks himself into Bellevue after seeing his lover, also a little person, dead; a homicide victim. Benton does a pre evaluation and Oscar reveals he will not talk to anyone except Scarpetta. When she arrives Oscar tells her that "they" are watching him and know every move he makes. He also tells her to find a disc hidden in his apartment so she will know he is not paranoid. The police believe Bone killed his significant other, but Scarpetta based on forensics does not even believe he warrants a warrant. Further research reveals other people were killed in a similar fashion; each wearing an ankle bracelet. Kay, Lucy, prosecutor Jaime Berger, and investigator Pete Marino begin to seek a serial killer who enjoys torture and murder.
It has been two decades since Scarpetta was introduced and over that time the characters have changed and grown. Bonds have formed and others broken; now Kay and Benton take the next step in their relationship. However as always in this great series, SCARPETTA is first and foremost a superb crime thriller filled with action though character driven. Readers will fully enjoy the heroine and her horde's latest adventures as Patricia Cornwell affirms why she is this reviewer's favorite crime thriller author.
Harriet Klausner
Amazing and Unexpected! December 2, 2008
10 out of 15 found this review helpful
Those are the two words that I would use to describe the latest offering from Cornwell. It appears that she has returned to her roots, writing with dynamic prose, leaving the reader in full suspense. From the shocking reveal of the main protagonist to the unbelievable conclusion that was absolutely mesmerizing, Scarpetta delivers on all accounts. It is a 500 plus page turner and one that I could not put down. You won't be disappointed!!!
 Comments by Michael Calum Jacques author of '1st Century Radical'. December 2, 2008
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
For those readers as yet uninitiated with Patricia Cornwell's writings, it is probably worth pointing out that Kay Scarpetta is the author's main protagonist in her series of crime novels, of which this is the latest, the 16th, in fact, as far as this reviewer is aware. Cornwell's 'Scarpetta' series of novels are noteworthy for her employment of 'up to the minute' forensic technology. The novels constitutes also, to some extent, a genuine, progressive series being interlinked with 'peripheral' characters (and not so peripheral ones, such as Pete Marino, Lucy Farinelli, and Benton Wesley et al) occasionally reappearing or being revisited.
Briefly, the fictional Dr. Kay Scarpetta was born in Miami, Florida and is of Italian parentage; she witnessed the death of her father from leukemia, and this has haunted her ever since and, as a pathologist, this spectre is imported into her professional life. This is a key element in Cornwell's Scarpetta novels and a key to understanding what appears to be a predominance of forensic and 'scene of crime' detail.
It is impossible to predict accurately whether or not the new reader, unacquainted with Cornwell's works, will be smitten by her hallmark features and style. Much emphasis rests upon forensic and pathological matters - with which the authoress is thoroughly at home in a professional manner. The books indulge in detail of the particular crime scene, victim etc. and Cornwell's characterization is usually detailed and often quite intricate. The reader is rarely, if indeed ever, allowed to stray far from the proximity and vulnerability of human mortality. Readers and fans, already familiar with Cornwell's works, will certainly be delighted with this one!
In this plot, as the eponymous title suggests, it is Scarpetta herself who becomes the focus of a killer's - and of a stalker's - unwelcome and unworthy attentions. She has left her forensic pathology practice in South Carolina, and accepted an assignment in New York City. Therein she is asked to assess an injured house patient - the forcibly restrained and cuffed Oscar Bane - in a psychiatric clinic. Bane has specifically requested to be treated by Scarpetta. Suffice it to say, without giving anything away, that the good Dr Scarpetta gets slightly more than she'd bargained for!
This was a rivetting read with many interesting social an phsychological themes thrown in for good measure. This reviewer is happy to commend this book to all who are not overtly phased by the peculiarities of the darker, human psyche.
Michael Calum Jacques (author of '1st Century Radical: the shadowy origins of the man who became known as Jesus Christ')
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