Post Mortem A Book review

This is will be the first in a series of book reviews of Patricia Cornwell's series of crime novels. Patricia has written many 'Scarpetta' novels over the years, and I for one have read them all pretty much but some are out of order. This series of novels should be read in order and I had to reread this particular one. I will need to go in search of the other ones to offer a review of those one. After I have shared this review there will be some reviews on the most recent ones. There is one note I would like to add it seems that most of these novels should be read in sequence for the build on one another.

The first of the Kay Scarpetta novels is entitled 'Post Mortem'. 'Post Mortem' is a mystery crime novel for adults written by Patricia Cornwell. This story starts out with Dr. Kay Scarpetta having to find a serial murderer who has killed several women. Kay has several co-workers who help her in this story and where she works as the Virginia Medical Examiner along with an assistant named Wingo along with a cop named Marion and her young niece Lucy in a way who happens to be a very smart young girl. Kay has to figure out who and why this person is killing all these young women and her curiousity is peeked when at these various scenes there a particular odor present that could be about the killer. During the story there many issues that are disrupting Kay's investigation for Kay learns that Lucy is learning and trying to cope with her mother and a new stepfather for while she is trying to go through this Lucy is also in a way helping her aunt in surprising ways even though the way she is helping is not quite the way but it is a way to lash out at someone. Kay does try to have some personal relationships but they do not always work out the way she wants.

'Post Mortem' is a great technical read if you happen to like the subject of pathology and law. Patricia Cornwell uses the vocabulary of the field to write her stories. Both Patricia and Kay are both methodical in their work and to me they could be one in the same. Patricia does her writing these stories from describing from the beginning of the story the mood of Dr. Kay Scarpetta from the weather outside to the mood is feeling for in this story the weather is rainy and she feels kind of low for some reason, and she has a feeling that something is about to happen some how to some one some where. Patricia and Kay are very thorough in what they have to do for them to complete their work. Patricia does her research as meticulously as Kay does hers in her work in solving crimes.

Patricia's characters are realistic and makes mistakes. They understand each other and learn from each other one way or another. She is a member of a team and is big on teamwork for she learns in this story that Dr. Kay will have to work with someone who also becomes a victim. Technically, Patricia uses the vocabulary (the scientific language) of the profession and makes it easy to understand and makes it easy for those around her to work together. Patricia Cornwell in her writing of these novels the reader will have a friend in Dr. Kay Scarpetta and root for her in all she does professionally and personally.

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