For those of you still working on the earlier books in the series, I’ll try not to give too much away. The suspense starts almost immediately when Kay is called away from her home on business. It seems a sealed container on a cargo ship from Belgium that arrived in Richmond contains the very decomposed, very smelly remains of a human body. Kay must use her expertise to identify the dead man and determine a cause of death. To solve this puzzle, she travels to Interpol in Lyon, France, to learn more about a terrifying killer who has left carnage on two continents.

While Kay is trying to do her job she is also, once again, dealing with inter-office sabotage. Someone is breaking into her e-mail, impersonating her on the Internet, and stealing things from the office. To make matters worse, a new deputy chief in the Richmond Police Department is determined to undermine not only Kay’s reputation and job stability, but Kay’s good friend, Captain Pete Marino’s as well.

I’ve enjoyed all of Cornwell’s Scarpetta novels, some more than others, and was anxious to catch up with my favorite characters and immerse myself in their lives. I enjoy a good serial killer, psychopath plot when it is done well, and Cornwell does it very well indeed.

However, several aspects of the plot really left me cold. First, it seems Kay is always suffering from office sabotage. This plot device has been employed by Cornwell more than once, and I’m starting to get tired of the repetition. Secondly, the ending was rushed. It left me wondering, “That’s it?” An epilogue after the last chapter would have been good idea, if for nothing else, to bring the characters and the reader some closure.

Finally, a word of warning to those of you out there contemplating reading this novel: it is dark, depressing and rather descriptive -- especially during autopsy scenes. And while it wasn’t overdone, there is some foul language. If you find any of the preceding offensive, you should skip this book.

Even with those complaints, I really enjoyed the latest Scarpetta book. I found myself riveted to the text and cheering on Kay. I did not have the mystery solved before the last page and the suspense carried me all the way to the end. An enjoyable and satisfying read.

--Wendy Crutcher