Cause of Death (Kay Scarpetta) (original: 1996; edição: 2007)

Ein faszinierender neuer Thriller mit dem leitenden Gerichtsmediziner Kay Scarpetta in der Hauptrolle. Silvester und der letzte Mordschauplatz von Virginias blutigstem Jahr seit dem Bürgerkrieg führt Scarpetta 30 Fuß unter die eisige Oberfläche des Elizabeth River. Ted Eddings, ein Enthüllungsreporter, der ein Favorit beim Medical Examiner's Office war, ist beim Tauchen gestorben. Suchte Eddings in den eisigen Tiefen des Flusses nach versunkenem Plunder - oder war er hinter einer Story her?

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was a pleasant way to spend a few hours, but the plot seemed unbelievable especially at the end. The book starts with a mysterious death that Scarpetta believes is murder, but everyone else wants to cover up and call an accident. There are attempts on Scarpetta's life, harassment and threats, but she still keeps trying to solve the case. Eventually the book involves into a terrorist/hostage story. The resolution seems a little fast, and Lucy's connection seems a little forced. This book was ok, but not the best in the series. ( )

Also this Scarpetta case was again very captivating. On New Year's Eve, Scarpetta is called to an unusual case. A reporter dove on a 'ship cemetery' and drowned. It soon becomes clear that nothing is as it seems. Scarpetta is prevented from clarifying the case in several ways. Even a police officer threatens her and tries to interfere with the investigation. Then her employee is murdered.
Who has something to cover up? Who threatens Scarpetta and her friends? Why does the FBI have so much interest in this case? A race begins with time. ( )

I swear I have a love-hate relationship with the Kay Scarpetta novels of Patricia Cornwell. Time after time, I find myself asking myself why I'm finishing this damned book. Then I go ahead and finish reading the damned book.
This is one of those books. As it veered more and more into the realm of improbability, I kept on reading it. ( )

When a reporter is found drowned in an abandoned shipyard, it looks like an accident. Scarpetta soon realises that somebody deliberately poisoned the diver with gas. To find out who killed him, Scarpetta needs to delve into his work: what was a reporter doing in an abandoned shipyard? It soon turns out there's much more at stake than a murder case.

A nice read with enough twists and tangles to keep you engaged. From a simple murder the story snowballs into a major security threat and Scarpetta plays a pivotal role in getting the truth out.
This novel also involves Scarpetta's niece and other people we have met before in the Scarpetta series.

One thing I always feel when reading Scarpetta is that there is too much personal stuff of Scarpetta involved. It seems like there is always a lot of personal issues intertwined with the investigation which sometimes annoys me. Then again, maybe I should really read the entire series from start to finish some time to really get the full extent of the larger backstory about Scarpetta's personal life. ( )