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Release date: 12/6/2011 |
Red Mist is another strong entry in the Scarpetta Series. In some ways I liked it more than last year’s Port Mortuarybecause the action is more consistent throughout. In Port Mortuarythere was a lot of Scarpetta sitting around thinking and being paranoid. In Red Mist Scarpetta is on the move in Savannah, Georgia. She’s not on her own turf, doesn’t have the trappings of her power base, and isn’t in charge. She’s also gone to Georgia against the advice of her FBI profiler husband, Benton, and others. So there’s much more action. However, Scarpetta being who she is, there’s still a lot of paranoia. From the get-go nothing is going right for Scarpetta. The car she rented wasn’t available and she finds herself driving a smelly old van to the Georgia Prison for Women where she’s to meet with one of the inmates.
As usual Cornwell slips in some helpful medical/health advice. Did you know that menthol in throat lozenges actually causes temporary loss of vocal cord functioning? You’re better off finding some slippery elm throat lozenges which are all natural and have no menthol.
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Photo by Mark Coggins printed in silver on both end papers. |
I know a few people who were fans of Cornwell’s earlier novels that stopped reading the series. They’ve asked me if I think the series has gone down hill. I do think that Cornwell went through a bit of a slump of some kind, but the last three books seem to be getting the series back on track. For some readers I’ve wondered if they just got tired of Scarpetta because she’s a strong, but deeply flawed character and Cornwell seems to be trying to explore those flaws. Or did Cornwell’s move away from first person narration distance early readers? (Note: She is back to first person narration.) I stopped reading the series for a few years but then went back to it because I enjoy the characters even if I don’t always like what Cornwell does with them. I took a break from the series because I got dismayed by the cruelty, inhumanity, and terror Cornwell was exploring through the perspective of the serial killers and their victims. Now, however, she’s back to focusing on Scarpetta’s perspective and I much prefer that. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Scarpetta and her crew.
Cornwell revamped her website to coincide with the release of Red Mist. Check it out here.
498 pages
Source: requested review copy
I heard an interview with Patricia Cornwell on The Book Report recently, it was quite interesting, if you are interested in listening to it, go to http://www.bookreportradio.com in the archives. I really enjoy the show, there is also showtimes etc. on the site that you can look at for other shows and interviews.
Thanks, Kelly! I just listened to the interview and enjoyed it, too. What a great resource–I book-marked the website and will listen to more interviews throughout the week.