Barb's Book Reviews: Review of "Unnatural Death: A Kay Scarpetta Novel" by Patricia Cornwell

Monday, December 11, 2023

Review of "Unnatural Death: A Kay Scarpetta Novel" by Patricia Cornwell

In this 27th book in the 'Kay Scarpetta' series, the medical examiner's latest case involves two victims suspected of cybercrimes. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.

*****

Dr. Kay Scarpetta is once again the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia, but the situation isn't ideal. Scarpetta's morgue facilities need an upgrade and she'd like to get better security guards.

In addition, the governor of Virginia recently created the 'redundant and ridiculous' Department of Emergency Prevention (DEP), with offices in the morgue building. Worse yet, the woman in charge of DEP operations, Maggie Cutbush, badmouths Kay every chance she gets.

As the story opens, two homicide victims have been found in Buckingham Run, a Virginia wilderness area near an abandoned gold mine.

The deceased are thought to be a married couple named Huck and Brittany Manson, who were being investigated by the government for cybercrimes in conjunction with Russia and China. The Mansons, who live near Buckingham Run, have been camping in the wilderness area for months, presumably to evade surveillance by the authorities.

Scarpetta needs to get to Buckingham Run ASAP, to examine and retrieve the bodies. Buckingham Run is completely overgrown, however, so Scarpetta gets a a ride on the Doomsday Bird helicopter flown by Kay's niece Lucy - a secret service agent.

The Doomsday Bird chopper landing on morgue grounds draws a crowd, and DEP manager Maggie Cutbush loudly comments about privilege and nepotism and the like, to try to inflame the public against Kay.

After some harrowing maneuvers in a cave and on a lake, the Mansons' bodies are recovered. Looking at the evidence, Scarpetta and her forensics officer, Pete Marino, determine that the attack on the couple was almost inexplicable.

The Mansons had security cameras along the path to their campsite, and were heavily armed themselves. Nevertheless - though the attacker made a lot of noise - the security cameras DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING, and the Mansons were mowed down in an EXTREMELY vicious manner.

To add to the enigma, Marino discovers a huge footprint in a cave at the crime scene, which he interprets as the print of a Sasquatch. Marino, who attends Bigfoot conventions and the like, is very serious about the possibility of a Sasquatch living in the region.

Scarpetta does autopsies on both Huck and Brittany Manson, and makes discoveries that interest the Secret Service and other government agencies.

Kay's husband, Benton Wesley, an FBI profiler, weighs in as well, and helps the authorities investigate the murders.

In the course of the story, Kay and Marino also learn that an old enemy is active once more.....and this is a VERY DANGEROUS FOE.

The story is heavy with technical details, such as the extensive preflight checklist for the Doomsday Bird helicopter, the flight to Buckingham Run, securing the chopper after landing, and so on. There are also comprehensive descriptions of the Mansons' autopsies, including preparation of the autopsy trailer (used for special cases), as well as discussions of X-rays, cutting, sawing, stomach contents, injuries, etc. This kind of business takes up about a quarter of the book.

Various interesting characters make an appearance in the story, including: Kay's morgue assistant Fabian - a stylish young man with big ambitions;

Kay's sister Dorothy - a flamboyant woman who always tries to snoop into Kay's business;

police investigator Blaise Fruge - a capable detective who's worked with Kay before;

anthropologist Cate Kingston - a Sasquatch expert;

forensic examiner Faye Hanaday - who likes to bake elaborate cakes in her spare time; and more.

By the end of the book, the investigators figure out exactly what happened, and their conclusions have frightening implications.

An aspect of the book I like is the chitchat about food and wine; Kay - who has Italian ancestry - loves ethnic dishes, and the novel has scenes with delicious antipasto and homemade pizza. 🙂

I'm a fan of the Kay Scarpetta series, but I felt that it was going downhill for a long while. Recently, however, the books have gotten better, and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

Thanks to Netgalley, Patricia Cornwell, and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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Barb's Book Reviews

Monday, December 11, 2023

Review of "Unnatural Death: A Kay Scarpetta Novel" by Patricia Cornwell

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