New Years Resolution Book #12. I'm a big fan of crime and for me there used to be nothing better than Patricia Cornwell. The first 10 books were fantastic - page turners yes but well crafted with real characters too. And then she took a break, and then she came back, and the new ones for me varied between average and pretty poor :(.And then we get to The Scarpetta Factor, No17 I think. I've already read it before but having bought the next one I really couldnt remember it - NOT a good start. So I thought I should read it again.Yet while I couldnt remember the content it rang a bell that it was half-decent, and it is! In fact it's very decent. It starts off with an array of plots (a murdered runner whose body seems to lie, a missing millionairess, a struggling chat show host who is desperate for a story, an ominous package) but it is all woven together skilfully, just like the old days.Quick note though: In what I can only assume to be an attempt to sell more books, the standard endorsement quotes describe this as the perfect start to the Scarpetta novels. This is NOT TRUE - the books links back to atleast 2 other books that I think should be read before. Bad publishers... I began reading Patricia Cornwell books in the mid 90s ... back when Kay was in VA and Lucy was just a "young 'un" ... and found them very entertaining and difficult to put down. In the late 90s, my interested waned. A while back I came across The Scarpetta Factor at a used book sale and decided to give it a try. It had some merit ... but I probably would have liked it more if it had been shorter and far, far less convoluted. I actually am relieved I can move on to something else.
What do You think about Scarpetta Factor (2001)?
Couldn't finish it. I may come back when I can focus more on the jumping around of characters.
—Samtoosday
Excruciating irrelevant detail, very slow. Good if you have trouble getting off to sleep.
—alice
I found this book confusing and hard to get into.
—Nabilla
