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Title: Cruel & Unusual by Patricia D. Cornwell ISBN: 0-380-71834-0 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 May, 1994 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.26 (68 reviews)
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: 5
Summary: Plenty of Twists and Turns
Comment: First off, let me say that although all of Cornwell's thrillers stand alone, it's better if you read them in the order they were written. More so in PC's case than in other authors who continue with the same character, book after book. This is because PC does the impossible, she keeps her characters continually growing with each story. Pass one up and you miss some of their development and the very interesting, but very flawed people that walk through the pages of her books are like people we know, friends, and one should stay current with one's friends.
"Cruel and Unusual" opens with Kay waiting for the execution of murder/rapist Ronnie Joe Waddell, but even as she's waiting someone is being killed, the killer using Waddell's M.O. One of his finger prints even shows up at one of the crime scenes.
This book has the usual Cornwellian twists and turns and as usual I was glued to my seat as I read this five star novel. I loved every second of it, because nobody does Cornwell, like Cornwell.
Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne
Rating: 4
Summary: Great page turner
Comment: I really liked this book. It is a page turner for sure. I would read before I went to bed and have to force myself to find a stopping point. If the ending was written differently I would have given it 5 stars, but it was still fun 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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