In this, the 9th book in the series, it is Carrie Grethen who Scarpetta had helped send to a locked down mental hospital for her involvement in a murder spree that is back as Scarpetta's nemesis. Grethen, who appeared in Cornwell's book, The Body Farm, is on the loose and she is not only a criminal, but she was also once the lesbian lover of Scarpetta's unusually brilliant young niece, Lucy. As you can see, this book has more interwoven plot lines than Harris has tweeds.
The novel has the usual attention to the details of forensic crimes and, admittedly, they are sometimes so gory that readers might hope for a little less reality. Scarpetta is challenged with sifting through clues of murders involving three fires that have been deliberately set to cover some chilling crime scenes. Past and present collide in a plot that is filled with some pretty deceiving twists and turns along the way. It's another winner for this best-selling mystery author.
Read our biography of Patricia Cornwell.