''Book of the Dead'' is a 2007
crime novel
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
written by
Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell (born Patricia Carroll Daniels; June 9, 1956) is an American crime writer. She is known for her best-selling novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, of which the first was inspired by a series of sensational murders in ...
. It is the fifteenth book in the popular
Kay Scarpetta
Kay Scarpetta is a fictional character inspired by former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro MD (retired). She is the protagonist in a series of crime novels written by Patricia Cornwell noted for its use of recent forens ...
series and the fourth consecutive novel in the series to be written in
third-person omniscient style, rather than Cornwell's traditional first-person narrative.
Synopsis
Kay Scarpetta has started a private practice in South Carolina. She is called to Rome to consult in the murder investigation of teenage American tennis star Drew Martin. When in Rome, Kay becomes engaged to her longtime lover Benton Wesley, an occurrence that has devastating consequences for Kay’s longtime friend and investigative partner, Pete Marino. The timing is bad as the killer of Drew Martin, quickly known as the Sandman, spreads death and destruction from Italy to the American South. Passively assisted by his estranged parents, both known by if not loved by Kay, and his ex-girlfriend who has devious deeds of her own to do, the Sandman is an international mystery for Kay, Benton, Marino, and Kay’s niece Lucy.
Characters
*
Dr. Kay Scarpetta
Kay Scarpetta is a fictional character inspired by former Virginia coroner, Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro MD (retired). She is the protagonist in a series of crime fiction, crime novels written by Patricia Cornwell noted for it ...
*Benton Wesley –
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
profiler. He is described in the following way:
*Lucy Farinelli – Kay's niece. Described as being, "a genius, an impossible little holy terror of enigmatic Latin descent whose father died when she was small. Her mother Dorothy (Scarpetta's sister), who was too caught up in writing children's books to worry much about her flesh-and-blood daughter."
*Pete Marino – Detective
Sergeant in the
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a ...
Police Department. Described as "pushing fifty, with a face life had chewed on, and long wisps of greying hair parted low on one side and combed over his balding pate. At least six feet tall, he was
bay-windowed from decades of
bourbon Bourbon may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash
* Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels
* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit
* A beer produced by ...
or
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cer ...
".
*Rose – Kay's secretary
*Dr. Marilyn Self - A manipulative and dangerous psychiatrist famous for her television show. Dr. Self’s vendetta against Kay allows the Sandman to continue his evil work
Reception
Cornwell's Scarpetta series has been criticized for being repetitive and morbid by some critics whilst other reviewers claim that the characters in Cornwell's recent books have been "shallow" and "overused". Others have praised the series for the unique plots in the series and Cornwell's characterisation of Scarpetta.
References
{{Patricia Cornwell
Novels by Patricia Cornwell
2007 American novels
American crime novels