Predator, by Patricia Cornwell, will not disappoint Scarpetta fans: it is chock-full of her regular characters with all their attendant idiosyncrasies (neuroses) and conflicts. And, of course, there are the deranged scumbags that keep the good guys on their toes until the last word.
In this story, there’s a convicted serial killer who’s participating in a neurological study, run by Benton Wesley, who reveals some details of an unsolved case. Is he telling the truth or fabricating details of a crime to toy with the forensic psychologist? Then there’s the mysterious woman whom Lucy encounters in a bar. What’s her story? The unexplained disappearance of two women and their young charges rounds out this compelling forensic mystery.
I’m a long-time Cornwell fan and although I always enjoy her stories, this was an especially good one. The tensions between Dr. Scarpetta and her cohorts are wonderfully aggravating as they all try – with plenty of distraction - to get to the bottom of the mystery. On a personal note, the segments that discuss firearms examination and ballistics were especially interesting because I had just had instruction on these areas in class. Regardless, I think anyone who enjoys the Scarpetta storylines will thoroughly enjoy Predator.
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2 comments:
I have sort of given up on Cornwell, as she kind of veered into weirdness several books ago. However, I will say I've been reading good things about this latest.
I do love a good thriller and find myself reading more of them these days than other fiction. Have you tried the Vince Flynn books featuring superagent Mitch Rapp? I've listened to several of those. And I've recently finished Some Kind of Angel by Mel Harter. In this one, a forensic doctor turns crime- and terrorist-fighter, working with an investigative journalist. (Doctor/young-journalist/not so young, so you have the age dynamic going on, too.) The US is being blackmailed by a terrorist who wants radical publicy policy changes, otherwise there will be group assassinations in dense population centers. The villain in this one is no cardboard bad guy, either, which is all too common. Instead Harter has created an incredibly credible villain. We can identify with his noble values, and pity him. That makes the book more interesting, I think.
You'll be kept guessing by this one.
Liz,
Thanks for the recommendations about other thriller/mysteries - I'm always looking for new authors!
As for Cornwell's turn to weirdness, well this book might qualify for that category, but the inter-character dynamics are really compelling. Also, the pace moves very quickly and the story is interesting.
Cheers,
Renee
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