Release Date: October 27th/2015
Acquired: Print copy sent by publisher
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Indigo/Book Depository
Dr. Kay Scarpetta is working a suspicious death scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts when an emergency alert sounds on her phone. A video link lands in her text messages and seems to be from her computer genius niece Lucy. But how can it be? It's clearly a surveillance film of Lucy taken almost twenty years ago.
As Scarpetta watches she begins to learn frightening secrets about her niece, whom she has loved and raised like a daughter. That film clip and then others sent soon after raise dangerous legal implications that increasingly isolate Scarpetta and leave her confused, worried, and not knowing where to turn. She doesn't know whom she can tell – not her FBI husband Benton Wesley or her investigative partner Pete Marino. Not even Lucy.
In this new novel, Cornwell launches these unforgettable characters on an intensely psychological odyssey that includes the mysterious death of a Hollywood mogul's daughter, aircraft wreckage on the bottom of the sea in the Bermuda Triangle, a grisly gift left in the back of a crime scene truck, and videos from the past that threaten to destroy Scarpetta's entire world and everyone she loves. The diabolical presence behind what unfolds seems obvious - but strangely, not to the FBI. Certainly that's the message they send when they raid Lucy's estate and begin building a case that could send her to prison for the rest of her life.
In the latest novel in her bestselling series featuring chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Cornwell will captivate readers with the shocking twists, high-wire tension, and cutting-edge forensic detail that she is famous for, proving yet again why she's the world's #1 bestselling crime writer.
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Narratives that begin with a death seem to go one of two ways for me. It either gets intriguingly more interesting, forensically complex, and increasingly suspenseful, OR, my eyes are glazed over by the 4th chapter from lack of progress. Depraved Heart was, unfortunately, a contender in the latter category, with a storyline that dragged on, and repetitive questions that took chapters upon chapters to be answered.
For me, the forensic detail was the saving grace for this novel. While Cornwell's characters took their time with the emotional drama, I was kept engaged by the consistently fascinating world of crime scene investigating, and Kay Scarpetta's role in breaking down the gory evidence. After reading other reviews for Depraved Heart, I've gathered that Cornwell's previous books showcased even more of Scarpetta's scientific deduction, and skill, and less of the familial complications.
Kay Scarpetta seems to have accumulated an almost cult-like following, so it's a shame that I feel like I was simply band-wagoning for this one. I would really like to revisit this review once I've had a chance to catch up. And if you're in my boat with this novel, I highly recommend doing the same!
Recommended for Fans of: Forensic Crime Investigating, Suspense, Thriller, Crime Mystery, Michael Connelly, Janet Evanovich, Kathy Reichs.
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RESEARCH VIDEO
Below you will find a short video about some of the research
Patricia Cornwell did in preparation for writing Depraved Heart. Enjoy!
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Patricia Cornwell is recognized as one of the world’s top bestselling crime authors with novels translated into thirty-six languages in more than 120 countries. Her novels have won numerous prestigious awards including the Edgar, the Creasey, the Anthony, the Macavity, and the Prix du Roman d’Aventure. Beyond the Scarpetta series, she has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper, a biography, and two more fiction series. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the cutting-edge forensic technologies that inform her work. She was born in Miami, grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.
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Thank-you to Trish from TLC Book Tours for hosting this tour, and to William Morrow for sending me a print copy to review!
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