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Title: Cruel and Unusual by Patricia D. Cornwell, Burton Kate ISBN: 1-55994-712-8 Publisher: HarperAudio Pub. Date: 01 May, 1993 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 2 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.27 (66 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Cliffhanger
Comment: First of all, this book really should receive 3.5 stars, but due to the lack of "half-stars" in Amazon.com's rating system, a mere three will have to do. This is my fifth Patricia Cornwell book, but definitely is not my favorite. The plot was terrific--the idea of a death row inmate possibly escaping from prison is a frightening concept, especially since Cornwell is always right on the ball when it comes to accuracy of details. As always, the characters are so realistic that the reader often must test himself to remember that they are indeed fictional. This book got a five star rating from me until about halfway when political injustices against the main character intervened. Although this was a good idea for a plot twist, it seemed that Cornwell was digressing from the main idea of the story, taking the reader into another story completely separate from what we read in the beginning. The ending was a disappointment--throughout the story, Cornwell is setting the reader up for the usual great climax where the perpetrator is discovered and captured and all is well--and then, it doesn't happen. In my opinion, it seemed like the ending was written by not Cornwell, but another author who rushed to complete this chapter of Kay Scarpetta's adventures as soon as possible. Overall, Cruel and Unusual was a good book that unfortunately could have been a great book if the right elements had been present.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Stunning Mystery
Comment: Ever since I read "Postmortem," the first book in Cornwell's famous Kay Scarpetta series, I was hooked. Cornwell's characters are all so real and the plots, although obscure, are completely believable as you read them. Cornwell does an excellent job of putting the reader in the thick of Scarpetta's mind; you will feel her pain as well as her success. The Kay Scarpetta series is definitely one of the best collections of crime fiction books ever written, and I believe that "Cruel & Unusual" has been the best of the books that I've read so far.
In her fourth adventure as the chief medical examiner of Virginia, Scarpetta must investigate a peculiar string of homicides. The book begins as, on the night of an execution, Scarpetta recollects the heinous sexual crime committed by the criminal that was just executed (Ronnie Joe Waddell). Later that night, after she performs Waddell's autopsy, Scarpetta is informed of another brutal homicide that was committed in the exact same fashion as Waddell's crime which occurred just minutes before Waddell's execution. This homicide, however, is only the first in a string of homicides that, in one way or another, are linked directly to Waddell even though he is now dead -- or so he seems to be. In the weeks following the execution, Waddell's fingerprints suddenly disappear from the FBI's computer, and since Scarpetta forgot to fingerprint Waddell during the autopsy, the police have no way of knowing whether or not it was Waddell that got executed. The reader is left to speculate about the source of these eerie murders as Scarpetta's credibility and reputation come under heavy fire for the mistakes associated with the missing fingerprints. As the reader impatiently waits for answers, both Scarpetta and homicide detective Pete Marino must work together to discover the startling connection between these recent deaths, which are (as the title suggests) all "cruel and unusual."
As I said earlier, "Cruel & Unusual" has been the best book in the series so far. I felt that this book was the most suspenseful of the four that I've read -- I absolutely could not put this one down. Cornwell's penchant for realism combined with suspense dominate every page of "Cruel & Unusual." I highly recommend it to fans of Cornwell or of crime fiction in general. If this is the first Scarpetta book that you read, I guarantee that you'll want to read every book in the series -- it is fiction that is simply second to none.
Rating: 4
Summary: A good mystery
Comment: This is a darn good mystery read that certainly keeps you up at night turning the pages. Isn't that what we all want here? More enjoyable Kay Scarpetta for fans of this series. Well worth staying up late to read!
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Title: All That Remains by Patricia D. Cornwell ISBN: 0380718332 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 July, 1993 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Body Farm by Patricia Daniels Cornwell ISBN: 0425147622 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: September, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell ISBN: 0671038567 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: From Potter's Field by Patricia Daniels Cornwell, Don Peppers ISBN: 0425154092 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: August, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell ISBN: 0671023616 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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