From the Amazon page for the book:
Cornwell returns to form—somewhat—after the plodding Scarpetta Factor (2009). Told in the first person, the story finds Kay Scarpetta, now the chief medical examiner of the new Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts, involved in a couple of cases: the mysterious sudden death of a man and the murder of a child (whose confessed killer seems to be innocent). Soon she begins to suspect the two cases are related—joined by a piece of high-tech hardware found in the first victim’s apartment—and before too long, she realizes she’s facing what could be her most clever foe yet. For the first time in a while, Cornwell seems genuinely interested in Scarpetta again, giving the novel that spark of life that has made the series so enjoyable for its many fans. The book is still a long way from the glory days of Postmortem (1991) and From Potter’s Field (1995), but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Series fans who have felt a bit let down of late will be pleased.
Unfortunately this was the first Scarpetta novel I ever read as well as the first Patricia Cornwell I ever read. In the paragraph above there are recommendations for other Scarpetta novels that the critic deemed better.
My first impression is that Cornwell is a female version of a transmigrated Tom Clancey. No detail seems too small to include. If you like technical discussions you will love Cornwell.
As hinted in the critic’s paragraph above, she seems “interested” in Scarpetta. My general impression is that she ruminates constantly about Scarpetta’s inner worries. Scarpetta seems to spend her time fretting over her relationship with her husband, with her colleagues, with her subordinates, etc. In fact there is more navel contemplation than action. One oddity is that we never meet one of the most important personalities in the story although I will not offer a spoiler.
Her introduction to the book claims that every technical detail in the book is already true or is currently under government or industry development. If this is true, then the future looks rather bleak.
Although the plot is inventive and offers surprises, you might do better to start with another Scarpetta novel by Patricia Cornwell.
