If, like me, you wrote a "Dear Patty, What WERE you thinking?" letter to Patricia Cornwell after publication of Hornets Nest, its time to rejoice. Kay Scarpetta, Virginias Chief Medical Examiner, is back in action in one of Cornwells best books to date, UNNATURAL EXPOSURE.
This is one of her least-grisly, lowest body-count mysteries, but a compelling up-to- date thriller complete with virtual reality, more computer wizardry from lesbian niece Lucy, and the frustrations and backlogs in the pursuit of justice caused by the government shutdown.
But before we get into the story, an update on Kays chaotic life. Unnatural Exposure is perhaps Cornwells most personal delving into Scarpettas character. She is still mourning the tragic death of her sometimes-lover Mark, who was killed in a terrorist bombing in London at least 4 books ago. Everyone except the killer in this book is begging her to come to closure with this, but she resists. Benton Wesley, the FBI profiler with whom she works and has had a long affair with in the past, is now single as his wife has left him. Everyone thinks they would make a cute couple at this point, but Kay is resisting this even more. Pete Marino is back as commander of Richmonds police departments homicide squad, as well as those wonderful characters in the morgue.
But lets cut to the chase. Ten years ago there were 5 grisly murders in Ireland where only the trunks of bodies were found, limbs expertly severed. They were never identified and the killer was never captured. Now, a new series of similar murders has begun in Virginia. Same killer, or copy cat?
The first torso, found in a massive landfill, is brought in and given the thorough Scarpetta autopsy treatment. Groups of pustures are found on the body and sent out for lab work, but before any results are found our good doctor starts receiving chilling e-mail messages from a user called deadoc, including photos sent over the Internet of the murder scene and the severed appendages on a table.
Scarpetta is then called in to a remote island in the Chesapeake Bay where a woman is found dead, covered with the same pustures seen on the severed body. With the great detail and scientific acumen for which Cornwell is famous, its determined that this is an altered strain of smallpox, supposedly eradicated from the earth, and Kay is sent into isolation while the island is quarantined. The scene eerily parallels that awful recent Dustin Hoffman film (Outbreak....or Breakout??) where a killer virus is released on a community and the military considers bombing the area to contain the spread of the virus. The book raises global questions about science, disease and politics, while maintaining the usual Cornwell subplots of press leaks, political pressures, grandstanding, ruined careers and twists and turns that make this a real page turner.
In usual Cornwell fashion the pace is quick, and about 15 pages away from the end of the book much is still up in the air. The finale involves everyone from park rangers and the FBI to the military, and with dizzying speed (which produces, of course, a big "huh??") the killer is exposed and much of the story is tied up. Were left hanging with a major story line development about Lucys future, but we do all finally have closure on Marks death when the real story behind the terrorist bombing is revealed.
So, thank you, Patricia Cornwell, and welcome back Dr. Scarpetta. I can only imagine in the next installment that Kay and Benton will be in couples counseling and Lucy...well, Im not sure about her. But for now, curl up with this great page turner and enjoy!
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7/25/97 Issue. Copyright 1997 by CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. All rights reserved.