Livid
- Downloads：1492
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-10-26 21:21:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Patricia Cornwell
- ISBN：B09QKVH8MJ
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Aria Harlow
，
A fantastic read that is full of science， psychology and what makes people tick without being too heavy。 I loved it and I couldn't put it down。 A fantastic read that is full of science， psychology and what makes people tick without being too heavy。 I loved it and I couldn't put it down。 。。。more
Linda Galella
，
Thank the literary heavens， Patricia Cornwall has returned to what she does best - writing procedurals with a giant heaping helping of forensic science。 Add to that， excellent character advancement， realistic relationships and rapier sharp dialogue。 This is how Cornwall’s writing took readers captive for years。 Then， there were some less than inspiring stand alones， underwhelming Scarpetta’s and a SciFi duo that was， um， interesting。 In all honesty， I took a break from her books but the advance Thank the literary heavens， Patricia Cornwall has returned to what she does best - writing procedurals with a giant heaping helping of forensic science。 Add to that， excellent character advancement， realistic relationships and rapier sharp dialogue。 This is how Cornwall’s writing took readers captive for years。 Then， there were some less than inspiring stand alones， underwhelming Scarpetta’s and a SciFi duo that was， um， interesting。 In all honesty， I took a break from her books but the advance scuttle on “Livid” was so much better I parted with my hard earned $$$ and am not disappointed。Kay， Benton， Marino， his new wife and Lucy have all returned to Virginia， where they began their adventures oh so many years and volumes ago。 Time and place feels right and comfortable and it’s evident in all the descriptive landscape， weather， architecture， etc。 The family is most definitely home。 Feelings of comfort do not carry over to work， however， even tho’ Kay is returning to a place she was Chief M。E。 once before。 She made a name for herself and the office， solving big cases and drawing National as well as International attention。 Open arms were not waiting and there’s trouble in her ranks; not what’s needed in the midst of two complicated cases。Both cases involve a friend from law school， the same friend who’s now a judge in town。 She’s presiding over one case and sister of the deceased in the other; complications abound。 Taking a beat from current events， the media is a challenge， the alphabets are obstructing and her ever Switzerland husband is caught in the midst。 I love Benton！ Marino has evolved nicely and Lucy has grown up。 She’s chasing some very funky， fringe technology。 I guess that SciFi thing is hanging on tight…If you’re not a fan of procedurals， you’ll find parts of this book a bit boggy; fans will enjoy it immensely。 Very good storylines and arcs altho’ I had a hard time with some of Lucy’s science stuff。 It’s a lot to accept in this story; maybe her own book？ Usually， I’m fussing about books being overly long。 This one might have benefited from a few more chapters or from being expanded into two volumes。 The ending felt rushed and I wanted more information。 Maybe book 27 will pickup where “Livid” left us📚 。。。more
Nic
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I had a bit of a struggle getting through reading Livid。 It started out with my intense dislike of how the judge was handling the courtroom case…。I mean that prosecutor was way out of line and the judge just sat there？？？？ And Kay Scarpetta seemed to just be so nonchalant about it all。 She just wasn’t the Kay Scarpetta I remember from previous books。 I can say the same for Marino。 Not a favorite book by Patricia Cornwall but it get keep my interest enough to finish it。Thanks to NetGalley， the pub I had a bit of a struggle getting through reading Livid。 It started out with my intense dislike of how the judge was handling the courtroom case…。I mean that prosecutor was way out of line and the judge just sat there？？？？ And Kay Scarpetta seemed to just be so nonchalant about it all。 She just wasn’t the Kay Scarpetta I remember from previous books。 I can say the same for Marino。 Not a favorite book by Patricia Cornwall but it get keep my interest enough to finish it。Thanks to NetGalley， the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review。 All opinions expressed are my own 。。。more
Patricia Romero
，
A Kay Scarpetta Novel #26We are back with Kay， Lucy， and all the gang！ And you know there is about to be drama！ Of the murderous kind。Chief Medical Examiner， Dr。 Kay Scarpetta is testifying in a sensational murder trial。 Cameras in the courtroom， abrasive attorneys， and a judge who seems to not have Kay’s back。The trial is causing problems in Old Town。 Traffic， true crime enthusiasts， and as she gets in her car with Pete， news of a murder in the home of the said judge。 The story is that two year A Kay Scarpetta Novel #26We are back with Kay， Lucy， and all the gang！ And you know there is about to be drama！ Of the murderous kind。Chief Medical Examiner， Dr。 Kay Scarpetta is testifying in a sensational murder trial。 Cameras in the courtroom， abrasive attorneys， and a judge who seems to not have Kay’s back。The trial is causing problems in Old Town。 Traffic， true crime enthusiasts， and as she gets in her car with Pete， news of a murder in the home of the said judge。 The story is that two years ago a former beauty queen washed ashore。 Last seen on the boat with the fiance’， who has been sitting in jail since。Kay is uneasy about a lot these days。 The case as well as finding the mole in her office。 Someone is set on ruining her for good。 Could it be the last case？Well， Patricia Cornwell always delivers a taut， and believable story。 This was a good one！NetGalley/October 25th， 2022 by Grand Central Publishing 。。。more
Catherine Craig （Angelic Light）
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Patricia Cornwell is one of my favourite authors， and I have read most of her books over the years， so I was so excited to get this new book！ I loved it a lot， and I was thrilled to be back with Kay Scarpetta， Pete Marino， Lucy and Benton again。 They were always like a family to me。The story was fantastic， and I really enjoyed it。 Kay， who is a medical examiner in Virginia， USA， is a witness at a murder trial， and this forms the introduction。 We then find out that the judge's sister has been mur Patricia Cornwell is one of my favourite authors， and I have read most of her books over the years， so I was so excited to get this new book！ I loved it a lot， and I was thrilled to be back with Kay Scarpetta， Pete Marino， Lucy and Benton again。 They were always like a family to me。The story was fantastic， and I really enjoyed it。 Kay， who is a medical examiner in Virginia， USA， is a witness at a murder trial， and this forms the introduction。 We then find out that the judge's sister has been murdered。 From there， we go on a big adventure with Kay， with many thrilling， fast paced rides and a lot of twists and turns， which were exciting。 I loved the psychology and science in the book， and the new technology that was brought forward。 I also loved the way Patricia described everything so in-depth。 Even though I didn't understand all of the medical and science information， I was very interested in it， as I love to learn new things。I highly recommend this book to all who love crime books， thrillers， mysteries and medical thrillers。 It is a wonderful book， and I can't wait for the next one！Many thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book。 。。。more
Alison Eden
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#Livid #NetGalley In the past I have devoured every Kay Scarpetta book from Patricia Cornwell， so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read this 26th book of the series。 The plot was interesting with quite a twist as to the weapon used but not quite as exciting as previous books。 I wish we could get back to Kay the investigator rather than another set of people who are out to get her。 Also， I could not get my head round Marino now being married to Kay's sister and being a gym freak！！ Ne #Livid #NetGalley In the past I have devoured every Kay Scarpetta book from Patricia Cornwell， so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read this 26th book of the series。 The plot was interesting with quite a twist as to the weapon used but not quite as exciting as previous books。 I wish we could get back to Kay the investigator rather than another set of people who are out to get her。 Also， I could not get my head round Marino now being married to Kay's sister and being a gym freak！！ Nevertheless， the writing was excellent as you would expect from Patricia Cornwell， and I do look forward to future installments in this series。 。。。more
Alison Eden
，
#Livid #NetGalley In the past I have devoured every Kay Scarpetta book from Patricia Cornwell， so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read this 26th book of the series。 The plot was interesting with quite a twist as to the weapon used but not quite as exciting as previous books。 I wish we could get back to Kay the investigator rather than another set of people who are out to get her。 Also， I could not get my head round Marino now being married to Kay's sister and being a gym freak！！ Ne #Livid #NetGalley In the past I have devoured every Kay Scarpetta book from Patricia Cornwell， so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read this 26th book of the series。 The plot was interesting with quite a twist as to the weapon used but not quite as exciting as previous books。 I wish we could get back to Kay the investigator rather than another set of people who are out to get her。 Also， I could not get my head round Marino now being married to Kay's sister and being a gym freak！！ Nevertheless， the writing was excellent as you would expect from Patricia Cornwell， and I do look forward to future installments in this series。 。。。more
Vicki
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“Livid，” by Patricia Cornwell， Grand Central Publishing， 368 pages， Oct。 25， 2022。Chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta wasn’t working in Virginia when April Tupelo’s body was found。 But the medical examiner who did the autopsy has since died。 So Scarpetta has to testify in the trial against April’s fiancé， Gilbert Hooke。Scarpetta doesn’t think that April was murdered， so Bose Flagler， the prosecutor， goes after Scarpetta’s credibility。 Judge Annie Chilton is presiding。 She and Scarpetta have kno “Livid，” by Patricia Cornwell， Grand Central Publishing， 368 pages， Oct。 25， 2022。Chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta wasn’t working in Virginia when April Tupelo’s body was found。 But the medical examiner who did the autopsy has since died。 So Scarpetta has to testify in the trial against April’s fiancé， Gilbert Hooke。Scarpetta doesn’t think that April was murdered， so Bose Flagler， the prosecutor， goes after Scarpetta’s credibility。 Judge Annie Chilton is presiding。 She and Scarpetta have known each other since law school。 When Scarpetta is done testifying， she learns that the judge’s sister has been found dead。 Rachael Stanwyck was the press secretary for the CIA。 She has been going through a nasty divorce from Lance Stanwyck and has been staying with her sister。 Blaise Fruge is the lead investigator。 Police think it is a home invasion gone bad。 But when Scarpetta arrives outside the house， she notices dead bugs and birds。Scarpetta is still having trouble with her predecessor Elvin Reddy， who is now the health commissioner， and her secretary Maggie Cutbrush， who is friends with Reddy。 Scarpetta’s husband， Benton Wesley， and her niece， Lucy Farinelli， a computer expert， think Stanwyck’s murder is more complicated than it seems。Patricia Cornwell's strength is how she writes about intricate details of forensic examinations。 She excels at explaining scientific and technological advances。 The characters are outstanding， with a underlying theme of family。 This scenario is unusual， with twists and turns， but the story lines are tied together well。 This is the 26th in the series and it can be read without first reading the others。In accordance with FTC guidelines， the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Megan Jones
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'Livid' is another gripping read in one of my favourite book series'。 As always， I enjoyed catching up with much loved characters and seeing what Cornwell puts them through each time。 Lucy is not in this instalment much which I did think was a real shame - when she appeared she really made an impact and I missed her presence。 The plot is good and kept my interest， although the ending is very rushed and I would have liked more time to be dedicated to tying everything up， it did feel like it just 'Livid' is another gripping read in one of my favourite book series'。 As always， I enjoyed catching up with much loved characters and seeing what Cornwell puts them through each time。 Lucy is not in this instalment much which I did think was a real shame - when she appeared she really made an impact and I missed her presence。 The plot is good and kept my interest， although the ending is very rushed and I would have liked more time to be dedicated to tying everything up， it did feel like it just ended。 Although I did like the plot， part of me wishes the threads around people out to get Scarpetta would stop and we could just go back to crime investigation。Thank you to NetGalley and Little， Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy。 。。。more
Karin Carlson
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Chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is the reluctant star witness in a sensational murder trial when she receives shocking news。 The judge’s sister has been found dead。 At first glance， it appears to be a home invasion， but then why was nothing stolen， and why is the garden strewn with dead plants and insects？ Although there is no apparent cause of death， Scarpetta recognizes telltale signs of the unthinkable， and she knows the worst is yet to come。 The forensic pathologist finds herself pitted Chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is the reluctant star witness in a sensational murder trial when she receives shocking news。 The judge’s sister has been found dead。 At first glance， it appears to be a home invasion， but then why was nothing stolen， and why is the garden strewn with dead plants and insects？ Although there is no apparent cause of death， Scarpetta recognizes telltale signs of the unthinkable， and she knows the worst is yet to come。 The forensic pathologist finds herself pitted against a powerful force that returns her to the past， and her time to catch the killer is running out。 I was thrilled to see that this story takes us back to more of the original style of Scarpetta stories which consists of a really solid murder mystery。 Some of the Corwnwell books in this series had gotten a bit far fetched and almost more spy thriller type stories as opposed to a good murder mystery。 The usual characters are back and the ending does not disappoint。 Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review。 。。。more
Janet
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Chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is the reluctant star witness in a sensational murder trial when she receives shocking news。 The judge's sister has been found dead。 At first glance， it appears to be a home invasion， but nothing was stolen and the garden strewn with dead plants and insects。 Although there is no apparent cause of death， Scarpetta recognizes tell-tale signs of the unthinkable， and she knows the worst is yet to come。 The forensic pathologist finds herself pitted against a power Chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is the reluctant star witness in a sensational murder trial when she receives shocking news。 The judge's sister has been found dead。 At first glance， it appears to be a home invasion， but nothing was stolen and the garden strewn with dead plants and insects。 Although there is no apparent cause of death， Scarpetta recognizes tell-tale signs of the unthinkable， and she knows the worst is yet to come。 The forensic pathologist finds herself pitted against a powerful force that returns her to the past， and her time to catch the killer is running out。The twenty sixth book in this long running series & whilst it wasn’t my favourite it was still a very good engrossing read that once started I read it in a couple of sittings。 The characters have depth & are well portrayed， the pace is fast & gradually more clues were revealedMy honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read 。。。more
Kathy
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This another Kay Scarpetta mystery。 However， it will never be one of my favorites。 The story begins with Kay， now in VA again， giving testimony in a murder trial。 The prosecutor manages to rip her testimony apart， pointing out every error or would be error。 Then， it moves to a killing of the siter of a close friend， who also happens to be the presiding judge of the trial in which Kay has just given testimony。 The killing is definitely different， as some sort of futuristic weapon has been used。 K This another Kay Scarpetta mystery。 However， it will never be one of my favorites。 The story begins with Kay， now in VA again， giving testimony in a murder trial。 The prosecutor manages to rip her testimony apart， pointing out every error or would be error。 Then， it moves to a killing of the siter of a close friend， who also happens to be the presiding judge of the trial in which Kay has just given testimony。 The killing is definitely different， as some sort of futuristic weapon has been used。 Kay and her crew， Marino， Lucy and， of course， Benton， work to figure out what just what happened。 The investigation is difficult because of the extenuating circumstances of the weapon used and the fact that the president had been in town that day and may have been the intended victim。 Thus， Kay and her crew has to navigate carefully through normal law enforcement procedures as well as those of the FBI and Secret Service。 The story moves along nicely， but there are a number of things I found difficult to take in and to keep my interest。 The weapon used was some new， futuristic weapon， that uses microwaves to do the job。 Thus， Kay and her crew has to navigate carefully just through normal law enforcement procedures as well as those of the FBI and Secret Service while still working with a future type weapon。 Not sure if I liked having this futuristic mumbo jumbo tossed into the story。 However， things do go along rather smoothly as they work their way through clues and procedures。 I still prefer Marino from the earlier books。 The storm trooper character he has evolved into just does not grab me。 Nevertheless， Kay and Benton are the same as ever， which does help。 As I said this will not be one of my favorite Kay Scarpetta books， but it did hold my interest。 I received this from NetGalley to read and review。 。。。more
Jackie
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Kay Scarpetta is testifying in a murder case where her former college roommate is the judge。 Scarpetta is being grilled by the defense attorney， plus her former roommate seems cold and distant。To make the situation even more complicated， the judge's sister is found murdered on the family homestead。 Scarlett， the medical examiner， is tasked to find evidence which will solve the murder mystery。 As usual， Patricia Cornwall gives us good writing and an interesting read。 Kay Scarpetta is testifying in a murder case where her former college roommate is the judge。 Scarpetta is being grilled by the defense attorney， plus her former roommate seems cold and distant。To make the situation even more complicated， the judge's sister is found murdered on the family homestead。 Scarlett， the medical examiner， is tasked to find evidence which will solve the murder mystery。 As usual， Patricia Cornwall gives us good writing and an interesting read。 。。。more
Victoria Jackson
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Livid is another great read in the Kay Scarpetta series。 I have read all the previous books and it's great to catch up with all the regular characters。 Livid is fast paced and it kept me turning the pages。I highly recommend this and all the previous books in the series。Thank you to NetGalley and Little， Brown Book Group UK for my ARC。 Livid is another great read in the Kay Scarpetta series。 I have read all the previous books and it's great to catch up with all the regular characters。 Livid is fast paced and it kept me turning the pages。I highly recommend this and all the previous books in the series。Thank you to NetGalley and Little， Brown Book Group UK for my ARC。 。。。more
LS
，
In her latest Scarpetta crime novel， Patricia Cornwell delivers a muddled story set in Old Town Virginia。 The novel opens with a court scene in which the attorneys rip into Scarpetta's theory on how a young woman died。 From there， Scarpetta and Marino are caught up in a court riot where Scarpetta is attacked by one of the rioters。 After leaving the courthouse， Scarpetta and Marino are called to investigate a murder scene。 The victim is the sister of the judge overseeing Scarpetta's case， and we In her latest Scarpetta crime novel， Patricia Cornwell delivers a muddled story set in Old Town Virginia。 The novel opens with a court scene in which the attorneys rip into Scarpetta's theory on how a young woman died。 From there， Scarpetta and Marino are caught up in a court riot where Scarpetta is attacked by one of the rioters。 After leaving the courthouse， Scarpetta and Marino are called to investigate a murder scene。 The victim is the sister of the judge overseeing Scarpetta's case， and we quickly learn that Scarpetta and the judge are longtime friends。 （This is one of the plot points that didn't ring true to me。 How can Scarpetta be a key witness in a court case overseen by one of her friends？ Isn't that a conflict of interest？）While the Scarpetta novels are known for being on the cutting edge of forensic science， the plots very rarely hold together。 The autopsy scenes are the most interesting parts of the book， because Cornwell goes into enough scientific detail to make you feel like you're in the room。 However， the writing is riddled with awkward phrases that a more judicious editor might have prevented; and the climax is 。。。 anti-climactic， which is often the case with Cornwell's books。 I hope that someday Cornwell will return to the glory days of her earlier books， which kept me reading late into the night。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my opinions。 。。。more
Dianne
，
Wow！ And again， I say WOW！What an excellent installment on the 'relaunch' of the Kay Scarpetta books。I haven't read any of the earlier Scarpetta novels in quite a while， but this book and the last one Autopsy make coming back to this series worthwhile。 I have even taken a couple of books from the library to get myself up to speed; there are characters I don't really remember， so I have a lot of refreshing to do。This book starts out with a trial that Kay is an expert witness but is being treated Wow！ And again， I say WOW！What an excellent installment on the 'relaunch' of the Kay Scarpetta books。I haven't read any of the earlier Scarpetta novels in quite a while， but this book and the last one Autopsy make coming back to this series worthwhile。 I have even taken a couple of books from the library to get myself up to speed; there are characters I don't really remember， so I have a lot of refreshing to do。This book starts out with a trial that Kay is an expert witness but is being treated like -well， I just don't know how to describe it， but it sure isn't with any respect！ This trial has a lot to do with today's political climate in the USA。Now add to this mess， the murder of the judge's sister， add in a threat to the POTUS， another murder， and really strange clues to the murders。 Ho boy， this was a fast-paced， twisty-turny read！There was good character growth （just a little growth since the series has been around for years， so you expect the character's to have done their growing） -just enough to keep them fresh。 An interesting new weapon， at least to me。 It is bloody and somewhat gory if you aren't a medical examiner！I loved it and finished this book in one day！*ARC supplied by the publisher Grand Central Publishing， the author， and NetGalley。 。。。more
Darla
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It has been 32 years since the first Kay Scarpetta novel was published in 1990。 I was a bit late to the game， but in the mid 90's my sister-in-law recommended the series to me。 That was also when I was having my babies and reading about Kay Scarpetta's investigations was a wonderful escape。 My youngest will be turning 25 this year and I recall having one of the early books with me at the hospital when I was in labor。 This one seemed to take a bit long to get in gear， but once it did there were g It has been 32 years since the first Kay Scarpetta novel was published in 1990。 I was a bit late to the game， but in the mid 90's my sister-in-law recommended the series to me。 That was also when I was having my babies and reading about Kay Scarpetta's investigations was a wonderful escape。 My youngest will be turning 25 this year and I recall having one of the early books with me at the hospital when I was in labor。 This one seemed to take a bit long to get in gear， but once it did there were glimpses of the old days。 At the same time there is a modern weapon threat that is realistic enough to scare the pants off of me。 I have a feeling I know where the next one will go and it could be a bit of a walk down memory lane revisiting and old series of murders called the Parkway killings。Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Susan
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Livid is a good title for this book。 I was livid from page one as Dr。 Scarpetta （not "ma'am"） was being torn apart on the witness stand by an antagonistic prosecutor while the judge remained silent。 Appropriately， this scene sets up the entire book as being one of aggression and conflict and I was hooked！ Not only were the characters and the plot full of conflict， but so was I。 I felt a bit overwhelmed by the paranoia， politics， and back stabbing that seemed to fill the book。 Did the previous bo Livid is a good title for this book。 I was livid from page one as Dr。 Scarpetta （not "ma'am"） was being torn apart on the witness stand by an antagonistic prosecutor while the judge remained silent。 Appropriately， this scene sets up the entire book as being one of aggression and conflict and I was hooked！ Not only were the characters and the plot full of conflict， but so was I。 I felt a bit overwhelmed by the paranoia， politics， and back stabbing that seemed to fill the book。 Did the previous books all include this level of turmoil？ I think they did but in a somewhat different version。 Politics were at a lower level and the crimes weren't so hi-tech。 I think I might miss those days。 The newer books， though thankfully out of that weird place a couple books went， feel more like espionage and terrorism than the mysteries with psychotic serial killers I started reading。 I still enjoy the characters and the writing and continue to wish for more Lucy。 I was well engaged while reading this installment but think I need to work on resetting my expectations for where the series is going。Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book。 This review is my own opinion。 。。。more
zoe Hitchen
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Kay ， Lucy and Marino are back and this book doesn’t disappoint。Kay is an expert witness in a high profile court case ， and it’s not going well the prosecution attorney is trying hard to destroy her reputation。On leaving the court Kay and Marino learn of a murder ， it’s the sister of the judge in the volatile court case 。What follows is a scary and eerie story which left me feeling a little uneasy at times。Cornwall’s writing is at the calibre that I’ve come to expect ， and the story moves on at Kay ， Lucy and Marino are back and this book doesn’t disappoint。Kay is an expert witness in a high profile court case ， and it’s not going well the prosecution attorney is trying hard to destroy her reputation。On leaving the court Kay and Marino learn of a murder ， it’s the sister of the judge in the volatile court case 。What follows is a scary and eerie story which left me feeling a little uneasy at times。Cornwall’s writing is at the calibre that I’ve come to expect ， and the story moves on at a fair pace 。Scarpetta although stressed in this story doesn’t seems as suspicious and paranoid as she did in the last book so even though the subject matter is heavy ， the character of Scarpetta appears less weighed down。It took me a little longer to decide if I was going to enjoy this as much as the previous books in the Scarpetta series ， but it won me round and I look forward to the next in the series。。Thanks to NetGalley and Little， Brown Book Group UK。 。。。more
Sue Plant
，
would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this gripping bookscarpetta and the gang are back。。。whoop whoopthe very start of this book sees kay in court giving expert testimony to a case that is highly volatile， and the defence is doing all he can to make out that kay isnt up to much， its a highly flammable case。。。and when kay gets to leave she is violently assaulted by a spectator and things are going to get a lot worse before it gets betterkay and marino are called to would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this gripping bookscarpetta and the gang are back。。。whoop whoopthe very start of this book sees kay in court giving expert testimony to a case that is highly volatile， and the defence is doing all he can to make out that kay isnt up to much， its a highly flammable case。。。and when kay gets to leave she is violently assaulted by a spectator and things are going to get a lot worse before it gets betterkay and marino are called to a murder scene and its one that could effect the trial she has just left as its the judges sister who has turned up dead。。。。oh my goodness me this book kept me up all night as i couldnt put it down。。。with the back biting and underhandedness of certain professionals and also down to what was used as the murder weapon。。。it doesnt even bare thinking about。。。。this book has surprises around each corner hence why i lost hours of sleep last night and it was lovely to catch up with lucy and what she is up to all in all a very good book that keep you reading through the sheer horror of it allcant wait for the next book by this wonderful author 。。。more
Sue Plant
，
would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this gripping bookscarpetta and the gang are back。。。whoop whoopthe very start of this book sees kay in court giving expert testimony to a case that is highly volatile， and the defence is doing all he can to make out that kay isnt up to much， its a highly flammable case。。。and when kay gets to leave she is violently assaulted by a spectator and things are going to get a lot worse before it gets betterkay and marino are called to would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this gripping bookscarpetta and the gang are back。。。whoop whoopthe very start of this book sees kay in court giving expert testimony to a case that is highly volatile， and the defence is doing all he can to make out that kay isnt up to much， its a highly flammable case。。。and when kay gets to leave she is violently assaulted by a spectator and things are going to get a lot worse before it gets betterkay and marino are called to a murder scene and its one that could effect the trial she has just left as its the judges sister who has turned up dead。。。。oh my goodness me this book kept me up all night as i couldnt put it down。。。with the back biting and underhandedness of certain professionals and also down to what was used as the murder weapon。。。it doesnt even bare thinking about。。。。this book has surprises around each corner hence why i lost hours of sleep last night and it was lovely to catch up with lucy and what she is up to all in all a very good book that keep you reading through the sheer horror of it allcant wait for the next book by this wonderful author 。。。more
Olivia
，
LIVID is an intriguing procedural that begins with a hot court case。 Scarpetta is testifying as an expert witness against the prosecution， who has built their case around the expertise of the man with dementia whose position Kay assumed when she came to Virginia。 When she examined the evidence and the body， her findings were in contrast to the previous forensic pathologist， which could result in a very different verdict。 As this case is quite notorious， the crowd has been worked into a frenzy an LIVID is an intriguing procedural that begins with a hot court case。 Scarpetta is testifying as an expert witness against the prosecution， who has built their case around the expertise of the man with dementia whose position Kay assumed when she came to Virginia。 When she examined the evidence and the body， her findings were in contrast to the previous forensic pathologist， which could result in a very different verdict。 As this case is quite notorious， the crowd has been worked into a frenzy and protesters are attacking her personally。On her way out of court， she learns that there is a case growing for which her expertise is needed - if only the politicians won't get in her way。 There is a mysterious death of the sister of her good friend， the judge who was presiding over the earlier case。 As she investigates that death， the evidence stacks up into something more dangerous and deadly than she would have initially expected - and it only grows when more dead bodies are found。The writing here is excellent， and I was completely captivated by the initial trial， which felt unputdownable。 I really wanted to know what happened with the case and what the jury verdict would be。 The case of the mysterious death involving the sister of the judge was less interesting to me， and this was where the book really began to slow down， spending more time on the people and obstacles than the evidence and procedural-type styles of the case。 By the time we got to the bigger reveals around the death， I was already a bit disinterested - but I was hoping to get back to the court case。That being said， once they started identifying patterns and connections， it did pick up again， as the case heats up。 There was a bit of a sci-fi element with a particular tool that is introduced alongside some political elements with the president being in town and dealing with the politician who is circumstantially her boss （or trying to make himself her boss at any rate）。 Kay remains a really great character， and I only wish the pace had been faster and that the case we had been pulled into so intently from the start had been the brunt of the book。Overall， LIVID was an intriguing procedural and will appeal to fans who have stuck with Scarpetta through it all！ Please note that I received an ARC。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Zoe
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Intricate， menacing， and sophisticated！In this twenty-sixth instalment in the Kay Scarpetta series， Livid， Cornwell has written an ominous thriller that sees Virginia’s Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta not only testifying in the April Tupelo volatile trial but also investigating the bizarre murder of CIA employee Rachael Stanwyck， sister of her close friend Judge Annie Chilton， that as it unfolds also seems strangely connected to a failed assassination attempt on the President， the brutal mu Intricate， menacing， and sophisticated！In this twenty-sixth instalment in the Kay Scarpetta series， Livid， Cornwell has written an ominous thriller that sees Virginia’s Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta not only testifying in the April Tupelo volatile trial but also investigating the bizarre murder of CIA employee Rachael Stanwyck， sister of her close friend Judge Annie Chilton， that as it unfolds also seems strangely connected to a failed assassination attempt on the President， the brutal murder of a beloved local market owner and the suicide of a Tidewater medical examiner。The writing is descriptive and brisk。 The characters are intuitive， knowledgeable， and persistent。 And the plot is a well-paced， cleverly plotted tale full of mischief， mayhem， coercion， corruption， criminal behaviours， dangerous endeavours， crime scene analysis， secrets， deduction， lies， terrorists， and murder。Overall， Livid is another action-packed， intriguing， sinister tale by Cornwell that I am sure will be a solid， satisfying， entertaining read for any long-standing fans of the series。Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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Fans of Cornwell will find it all here in this latest in the long running series- a courtroom scene， a mysterious death， a conspiracy， and an answer you might not see coming。 Oh， and the familiar characters （which are the best part for me）。 This time out， the sister of Scarpetta's friend， who happens to be the judge presiding over the trial where she's taken to pieces， is found dead in the kitchen of their home but her death doesn't make a lot of sense。 This has a very topical underpinning which Fans of Cornwell will find it all here in this latest in the long running series- a courtroom scene， a mysterious death， a conspiracy， and an answer you might not see coming。 Oh， and the familiar characters （which are the best part for me）。 This time out， the sister of Scarpetta's friend， who happens to be the judge presiding over the trial where she's taken to pieces， is found dead in the kitchen of their home but her death doesn't make a lot of sense。 This has a very topical underpinning which takes the means of death into a new realm that will connect the facts of the trial to a bigger picture involving terorism （I know！）。 To be honest， I was a bit annoyed by the opening courtroom scene because there's no way Scarpetta would have been questioned that way。 That said， once out of the courtroom， this moves into the places Cornwell excels such as autopsies and dealing with others。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 It's fast paced and not entirely far fetched。 。。。more
JosieGL [glossinbossinbooks]
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I think these long-running series are like Law and Order SVU。 It’s better to know from the beginning but you can get by with a standalone。 The forums of all the books seems to be Kay Scarpetta who is a medical examiner back in a town she knows well- when her friend’s sister is murdered。 The friend is a judge presiding over a huge case that has lots of interest from all sides， creating lots of enemies。 The mystery itself was interesting and kept me guessing until the end， although in some parts t I think these long-running series are like Law and Order SVU。 It’s better to know from the beginning but you can get by with a standalone。 The forums of all the books seems to be Kay Scarpetta who is a medical examiner back in a town she knows well- when her friend’s sister is murdered。 The friend is a judge presiding over a huge case that has lots of interest from all sides， creating lots of enemies。 The mystery itself was interesting and kept me guessing until the end， although in some parts the science-y terms had me flip right through。 I wouldn’t say there were any huge scenes - it was a steady， level mystery。 I’d assume fans of this author and series would prob be happy- and it does make me want to know the beginnings of these characters 。。。more
Anne
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I welcome another chance to connect with Kay and Benton and Lucy and to see what trouble Marino has gotten himself in and how Dorothy is handling it。 I love the feeling of reconnecting with old friends while still being entertained by good storytelling。 And Ms Cornwell sure knows how to plot a novel。 This is complex， disturbing， and full of intrigue。 The intrigue is connected to the central crime but also to the personal relationships。The book starts with Dr S in the witness box and she’s really I welcome another chance to connect with Kay and Benton and Lucy and to see what trouble Marino has gotten himself in and how Dorothy is handling it。 I love the feeling of reconnecting with old friends while still being entertained by good storytelling。 And Ms Cornwell sure knows how to plot a novel。 This is complex， disturbing， and full of intrigue。 The intrigue is connected to the central crime but also to the personal relationships。The book starts with Dr S in the witness box and she’s really getting a hard time， with little support coming from the judge。 The story then takes off in a variety of directions involving seemingly pointless and unconnected murders。 But this is Scarpetta， so she and her crew will sort things out。 Even with the obstacles presented to them。I love the secondary characters， although some like Maggie and Dorothy need a damned good talking to。 Kay and Benton have a gentle， ‘real’ kind of love and Lucy is the geek as always。An enjoyable addition to the canon and I hope Ms Cornwell is hard at work on number 27。I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley 。。。more
Ann Black
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I’m a huge Kay Scarpetta fan and have read all her series， it’s always good to know how her， Benton， Lucy and Marino are getting on。 I enjoyed this plot and it was good to be back in the courtroom with Kay， some of her books recently got away from the early books that got me into her so it was nice to be back with Kay doing what she does best with Marino at her side。 All in all I enjoyed this book and would recommend。 Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this earl I’m a huge Kay Scarpetta fan and have read all her series， it’s always good to know how her， Benton， Lucy and Marino are getting on。 I enjoyed this plot and it was good to be back in the courtroom with Kay， some of her books recently got away from the early books that got me into her so it was nice to be back with Kay doing what she does best with Marino at her side。 All in all I enjoyed this book and would recommend。 Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this early copy 。。。more
Janaya Kabamba
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This was such a breath of fresh air and how have I never stumbled in this series before？！ Really intelligently written with unique， well rounded characters and a Cleveland plot that leaves you guessing。 It's not a plight read and does requite full attention so don't try reading it whilst you're supposed to be keeping an eye on the roast in the oven or the family will end up going hungry！ A fab thriller to get stuck right into This was such a breath of fresh air and how have I never stumbled in this series before？！ Really intelligently written with unique， well rounded characters and a Cleveland plot that leaves you guessing。 It's not a plight read and does requite full attention so don't try reading it whilst you're supposed to be keeping an eye on the roast in the oven or the family will end up going hungry！ A fab thriller to get stuck right into 。。。more
Patty
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Another good installment of the Scarpetta series！What I enjoyed: -as this series has progressed， it has pivoted a bit to be less about strictly coroner-related mystery solving to include more technological mysteries。 This book in particular deals with a type of technology that isn't particularly well-known， so it was interesting to read about。-the relationship between Kay and her husband Benton-the way that Kay and Pete Marino， her investigator， act like a bickering old married coupleWhat wasn't Another good installment of the Scarpetta series！What I enjoyed: -as this series has progressed， it has pivoted a bit to be less about strictly coroner-related mystery solving to include more technological mysteries。 This book in particular deals with a type of technology that isn't particularly well-known， so it was interesting to read about。-the relationship between Kay and her husband Benton-the way that Kay and Pete Marino， her investigator， act like a bickering old married coupleWhat wasn't as good as usual:-not much Lucy （Kay's niece）-the tangents between the 3 cases weren't all that clear until the last 2%I think I've read every book in this series， and while I've enjoyed them， it might be time to retire it and start a new one。 Go out while still fresh。Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book， but my opinions are my own。 。。。more
Nicole Lajambe
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