ISBN: 0-55690-892-X Order from:
A tense, at times gruesome, mystery with a professional, slightly annoying protagonist, exaggerated but meticulously solid investigation details, and a marked lack of humor.
Reviewed by David on June 23, 1999
Genre: Mystery (Police Procedural, Forensics)
Synopsis: This is the unabridged recording of Postmortem.
Dr. Kay Scarpetta is the Chief Medical Examiner of the State of Virginia. A series of cruel serial murders in Richmod involve her in desperate investigation trying to pinpoint the suspect before he strikes again. As the bodies in the morgue accumulate, and Kay loses sleep, her competence is called into question at the very moment that the terrified city demands answers.
Full Review: While the plot maintains almost unrelenting but mostly low-level tension and frustration, the heroine, a single, intelligent woman in a male world, increasingly suffers from exhaustion, suspicion and, eventually, fear. The investigation starts to drag in the middle of the book, as the few available clues seem to confuse the picture instead of clarifying it. Several episodes filled with expositionary lumps explaining computer and gene-typing techniques are impressively correct but not particularly conducive to maintaining excitement. The characters, while mostly well-drawn suffer from exaggerated attributes and simplified behavior. Kay herself, while impressive in her dedication and skill, ia not entirely unsypathetic due to a narrative tone that's condescending and self-conscious at the same time. It doesn't help that the good doctor seems to be without a sense of humor.
This book presents a good, solid mystery puzzle with impressive versimilitude, lacking in sympathetic characters or relief from tension, and suffering from a moderate case of bloat.
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 6.5; Characters: 5; Style: 5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 1990, Recorded Books, 1993, Audio Cassette
ISBN: 0-55690-892-X Order from: