Monday, January 8

Blowfly - Patricia Cornwell

Hot on the heels of The Last Precinct I dove straight into Blowfly - which continues the now soapie-like existence of Dr Kay Scarpetta and her protective, genius, chopper-flying, computer-wielding, relationship-challenged lesbian FBI/ATF agent niece Lucy. Her career in Richmond in tatters, Kay decides to set up shop as an independent forensic pathologist, in Florida. Coincidentally the state where Wolfman serial killer Jean-Baptiste Chandonne's brother, the equally depraved Jay Talley, has settled.
At the same time Kay's niece is hard at work killing a mobster lawyer in Europe (making it look like a suicide and complicating the forensics with pre-grown blowflies), devoted but messed up cop Pete Marino's life is falling apart even as he tries to bring Kay's lost love back into her life, and the creepy presence of Le Loup-Garou continues to insert itself into Kay's life.
I kept being reminded of Lynn's last paranormal review - every man on the planet is obsessed with the generally unlikable Dr Scarpetta (Marino, Chandonne, Talley, 'dead' lover Benton) and it's starting to irritate me. I clearly haven't had enough, because I bought another Cornwell installment a couple of days after finishing this one, but as I review it now I feel a little manipulated, and faintly tainted by all the sordidness of Kay's entangled life. Still, it's nice to have the uncomplicatedness of my own life thrown in such vivid contrast. - Alex

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