Identity Unknown is the latest novel in the Kay Scarpetta series and there is really nothing new here. I have read every book, but the last few have lost their luster in my opinion. The plot is redundant, including an old nemesis who comes home to roost. For a brilliant woman, Kay has not been very smart lately. She makes poor choices and does not see what is right in front of her. The personal storyline that includes Marino and her sister has become tiresome, and I find the Lucy and Benton side plot to be uninteresting.

I used to devour the Scarpetta novels, but I have found myself lately finding excuses to put the novels aside. I have been a faithful reader of the novels since the beginning, but I would not recommend Identity Unknown to those new to the series. I am seriously considering starting the series over, as I remember how excited I was to read them. For these reasons, I would not recommend Identity Unknown to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

I was a fan for years of Patricia Cornwell when she first started the Kay Scarpetta series. Then for a period of time, her writing seemed to diminish and quality and I abandoned her. I decide to give her another chance with this book and I’m happy to say that she is writing as fine as she did in the early years. Maybe she has kept her writing abilities sharp by writing other books. It must be hard to make something seem fresh when you’re 20 something books into a series. I was so happy with this book that I am now reading Autopsy, which is the first book after a six years hiatus. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review .

This is the first book I've read by Patricia Cornwell, and I enjoyed it immensely. One thing that struck me was how detailed the descriptions of the autopsies were that Kay Scarpetta and her staff performed. I was also surprised that Kay and her group would go to crime scenes to gather evidence, and that they appeared in court to give testimony about their findings (and what they didn't find).

Kay and her team were gathering evidence for two cases in this book: a child death that the parents claimed was accidental (a shooting), and the death of an old friend who was oddly found at an abandoned theme park and appeared to have dropped out of the sky. I enjoyed following the trail of evidence with Kay and her team to bring justice.

I received an e-arc of this book from Grand Central Publishing and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

I have been an avid Patricia Cornwell reader for a very long time. In this book we find Scarpetta involved in the mysterious murder of her former love and old friend, Sal Giordano. His body is found in an abandoned theme park. The return of an early series villain determined to hurt Scarpetta and her family raises the stakes.

I enjoyed this read for the most part. However, I would have preferred the story cover a longer span of time instead of the 48 hours the investigation and mystery resolution occurred in. Throughout the book, I think the overly detailed descriptions of events transpiring (making dinner for example) took away from the momentum of the storyline. I felt this bogged the book down and was unnecessary.

I did enjoy that the suspenseful feel was maintained throughout the entire book. The story was detailed and the characters well developed. This is a must read for any Patricia Cornwell fan.

After a few books in the series that seemed to have way too much interpersonal drama for my tastes, the Kay Scarpetta series is back with a winner. This book includes a return of an old enemy and the unusual death of a longtime friend and former love interest of Kay. I was interested and engaged from beginning to end, and happy with the way it was resolved.

This was not my favorite Kay Scarpetta book and while I still enjoyed it, I didn’t love the portrayal of some of my favorite characters. Maybe it’s because its been a while since I’ve read one but man! I’ve been reading this series for YEARS! Years!

I love all the regulars, Marino, Lucy, Benton, Dorothy … and I just didn’t love how Marino is being written or Kay, either. Same with Lucy. Maybe it’s me? I’m getting older and so are they. Anyways, I digress.

The biggest beef I had was the bogging down in details. I love the forensic side of the Scarpetta series – I have a nursing degree – give me all the gory details, but this was a different bogging down in details. There were times I felt like I was sludging through every thought that Kay had, every observation she made, and there wasn’t an actual rationale for them.

I’ll never stop reading this series because, let’s face it, these characters are family but I hope that things change. They deserve a bit of growth, especially Marino!

I received an audio book for review and realized I had not read the previous 2 books, which I luckily had on my bookshelf. I continue to read these books, even if I am sometimes not happy with the plots, but the previous 2 seemed to finally be back to her old standards. However, listening instead of reading made me realize that perhaps there was WAY TOO Much descriptions of Scarpetta's every move. Maybe when I am reading I skim past, but for example, Kay and Lucy need to go scuba diving to get a body out of a crashed helicopter. We literally go into the locker room and gave an extremely detailed description of what they are wearing, and once they get on the boat, how they strap in and every move they make. Simply not necessary.
The plot concerns the death of her old friend and previous lover whose body is discovered in an abandoned amusement park. An old nemesis who I thought we had seen the last of reappears and seems to be controlling the plot.
Also, a side plot is the death of a little girl whose parents play a role in the larger plot. It all gets very complicated.
Meanwhile, Marino, her trusty, crusty side kick who has had a crush on her for years, has married her absolutely obnoxious sister.
Every time I think this is the last time I read her new book, I continue reading. The forensic crime parts and the autopsy descriptions I still find interesting. As a side note, somehow the internet knows I am reading these books and I got a notification that there will be a series with Nicole Kidman playing Kay and Jamie Lee Curtis playing the sister.
Anyway, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the audio book. I know fans will continue to read the series. As will I.
This is my honest opinion.

I was so looking forward to reading a Kay Scarpetta book, but this was a little too technical for me and not very thriller-y. I couldn't get very far and unfortunately this is didnt finish.

Identity Unknown is a stellar addition to the Scarpetta series, with Cornwell's signature meticulous autopsies and a plot full of twists and turns. While it may be best for devoted fans due to the number of subplots, the writing and characters remain top-notch. Readers of the series will appreciate the latest developments and the secrets revealed through Scarpetta's autopsies.

Dr Scarpetta is called to an abandoned theme park to take care of a body who she soon learns is someone she once loved. She had an affair Sith Sal in her earlier years when she taught in Rome. The murder scene has odd points to it.which must be figured out so she can figure out who killed Sal. While performing the autopsy she soon discovers her old friend left her a clue. She takes the clue.and starts her investigation. She doesn't want to believe that out of this world forces are real so she must dig deep to find the true source behind the killing. Follow along and see where the clues lead her and if she can figure out who the murderer is in the end.

Cornwell delivers another well-written Scarpetta novel. The complex plot and cast of characters, both familiar and new, kept me engaged. The Scarpetta series continues to be one of my favorite series.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another fast-paced thriller in the Scarpetta series. I’ve enjoyed this series over the years and Identity Unknown does not disappoint. A captivating mystery with a supporting cast familiar characters makes this book a great addition to the Scarpetta series.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Summoned to an unnerving, abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, Dr Kay Scarpetta is devastated to learn that the victim is a man she once loved. The murder scene is bizarre, with a crop circle of petals around the body, and the victim's skin is strangely red. Scarpetta’s niece Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows an autopsy can reveal the dead’s secrets, but she is shocked to find her friend seems to have deliberately left her a clue. As the investigators are torn between suspicions of otherworldly forces, and of the victim himself, Scarpetta detects an explanation closer to home that, in her mind, is far more evil . . .

I have read this series from the beginning and have liked each one. They do play on each other a little, so it is better to read them in order if you can; although, the author does give enough backstory that the reader is not lost. A few years ago, it seemed that this series was ending, but I am very glad the author is continuing the series. The author continues to develop the characters even after all these years. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read the newest in the Kay Scarpetta series.

3.5 stars

In this 28th book in the 'Kay Scarpetta' series, the medical examiner investigates the death of a child and the murder of a Nobel Prize winner. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.

*****
Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia, is outraged by the death of 7-year-old Luna Briley. Luna's body shows signs of violent gripping and throttling, and the child died from a gunshot to the head. Luna's parents, Ryder and Piper Briley, claim their daughter shot herself by accident, but Scarpetta thinks they're lying. So Kay orders her death investigator, Fabian Etienne, to track down all of Luna's medical records - to document every old and new injury - for evidence of child abuse.

This is a tricky situation because the Brileys are billionaires and know high-level people willing to pull strings for them. In fact, almost as soon as Luna's body arrives at the medical examiner's office, the Brileys start calling the police chief, city manager, and mayor, and they send a funeral service hearse to pick up Luna's body. Scarpetta refuses to release the child's remains before her examination is complete, and the Brileys threaten Kay with their 'super-lawyers.'

Before Scarpetta can finish her report on Luna, she gets another case related to the Brileys. The body of a missing person, astrophysicist Sal Giordano, a Nobel laureate, is discovered at the abandoned Oz theme park owned by Ryder Briley. Kay hears the news from her niece, Lucy Farinelli, a Secret Service Agent and helicopter pilot. Lucy explains that radar detected an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAP) hovering over the Oz theme park that morning. Lucy was dispatched to search the area, and observed Giordano's broken naked body in the middle of Oz's Haunted Forest.

Scarpetta is especially dismayed by the news because she had a brief romance with Sal Giordano decades ago, and has been friends with him ever since. In fact Kay saw Sal on the day he disappeared. Kay knew Sal was driving to West Virginia's Green Bank Observatory, and she brought him a gift basket of food to take on the road. Giordano never made it to Green Bank, and presumably was abducted along the way.

Lucy and her head of investigations, Pete Marino, are flown to Oz in Lucy's helicopter. Along the way, Pete - who believes in things like the Yeti and Sasquatch - suggests that Giordano was taken by space aliens who experimented on him and dropped him from a UFO. Scarpetta, however, settles on a more mundane scenario - that Sal was abducted by an unknown person (or persons), tortured, and thrown out of a human-made craft.

It turns out that trace evidence on Giordano's body matches trace evidence on Luna Briley's pajamas, which seems to connect the two deaths. Scarpetta discusses the cases with her husband, FBI profiler Benton Wesley, and they speculate that their nemesis, Carrie Grethen, may be back in town. Carrie is a murderous psychopath who may be in cahoots with the Brileys. If Carrie is involved, Scarpetta and her family are in danger, and they're careful to watch their backs.

As the story unfolds, we get glimpses of the characters' histories and private lives. Pete Marino, who's always carried a (not so secret) torch for Kay, is now wed to Kay's sister Dorothy, an attention seeker who likes to wear tight clothes, drink, and gamble. Dorothy's flamboyance irritates Marino, and is causing trouble in the relationship. We also learn that Kay and Benton's romance started as an adulterous affair, but eventually segued into a loving marriage.

The novel is engaging, my major criticism being the overly detailed descriptions. For example, the helicopter rides - in bad weather - are described in considerable detail, and a discussion between Kay and Benton is interspersed with a step by step depiction of Kay preparing a meal of fried chicken, biscuits, and potato fritters. This kind of exposition, which doesn't advance the story, takes up too much of the book.

On the upside, the Scarpetta books - with their bizarre murders and detailed autopsies - are always pleasantly creepy, and keep up with cutting edge technology. Recommended to fans of thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley, Patricia Cornwell, and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book.

A great Kay Scarpetta crime solving novel. I have been a reader of Patricia Cornwell for years and love her interlacing of forensic details, interrelated crimes, and deep characters with flaws.
In this novel, a longtime friend and once lover is violently and brutally murdered. Microscopic clues are the sole source of information. Kay’s job is to determine what connects another death to this one and who did it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Patricia Cornwell’s famed character Kay Scarpetta is once again tasked to investigate a strange series of deaths. The story begins in Northern Virginia but quickly spans westward to the mountains that border West Virginia and southeastward to the waters of the Virginian coast. At one location a young girl is reported dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, at another an esteemed scientist has apparently fallen from the sky, and still at another a person ends up at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay. Through fast paced forensic investigation, the story unfolds as our Chief Medical Examiner begins piecing together a bizarre mystery. Can all three deaths possibly be connected or are strange coincidences at play? Emotions start to rise as profound sadness swirls around events… and loves past, present, and future bash upon unspoken barriers between our cast of characters. Memories and old nemesis invade the minds of our all too human protagonists as they deal with the awfulness unfurling before them. On top of that a number of “three lettered” government agencies concerned with far greater implications become involved and Benton, Lucy, Tron, Janet, Marino, and Dorothy are all swept up in disclosures and passions from the past. Secrets, twists, and suppressed emotions make this page turning thriller one of the best in the series.

This is the 28th Scarpetta book and you might think she has covered everything! You would be wrong.

Kay and Marino have been called by Lucy to the abandoned and sketchy Oz. Once a popular theme park, now a body has been dumped there. A body of someone they know and love.

The mystery is how he got there. Surrounded by a crop circle, Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified craft. Aliens?

At his autopsy, Kay finds a clue that he has left her. And something more deadly than little green men is afoot!

Old characters and twisty plots and subplots make this author a must read every time!


NetGalley/ Grand Central Publishing October 08, 2024

Always thrilling and exciting to read, Scarlett’s is a time to rejoice. Well plotted and clever as always, this latest is as good as always.

Identity Unknown is Patricia Cornwell's new book - and its the 28th entry in her long running series featuring chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta.
Kay is called out to a body found in an abandoned amusement park. She's stunned when she views the victim - they had a relationship years ago. The Feds are called as they have questions about this case as well. And Kay has another case that is hard to read about.

The supporting cast returns with Investigator Pete Marino right by Kay's side. The two have had a fractious relationship over the years, but they're both dedicated to finding the truth.

Niece Lucy also has mad skills and also works for the Feds. Much of her job is classified. As is Kay's husband Benton's job. Kay's sister Dorothy just annoys me so much! She is a narcissist.

I am always intrigued with the technology, reasoning, methods and more that are used in the books. I've gone online few times to read more. It's fascinating. They figure heavily in this latest.

The Scarpetta books are all told from Kay's point of view. Cornwell keeps the time line moving forward - the characters are aging. I enjoy Kay's inner dialogue very much.

Cornwell gives the reader a page turner in this latest. The ending of Identity Unknown is satisfying - but I happily can say that there's a door that's been left open for the next entry... I'll be watching for it.

Patricia Cornwell has been a favorite of mine since the 90's and once again she delivers a totally engaging, suspenseful book filled with well developed characters in an intricate plausible plot.
As she weaves a story involving a dead child, an abandoned theme park, UFOs, and the mutilated body of a Nobel Prize winning scientist, PatriciaCornwell develops a plot with a lot of tough situations for her characters to get through.
The first forensic autopsy of a little girl, who may have been a diabetic, who died at home. Her wealthy parents reported to the police that she probably at some sweets, but Kay Scarpetta's autopsy points to a different cause of death and she goes after that line of reasoning although against the child's parents avowals.
At the same time, the mutilated body of a friend and former lover of Kay's is found dumped in an abandoned amusement park, while his truck is found in a ravine with the seat belts fastened and the truck still running. It is reported that a UAV (unidentified alien vehicle) may have been in the area and had something to do with these events.
Once again, Kay's niece, Lucy brings her tech skills and level head into the story to help Kay investigate both deaths. I love the way that the author develops her characters and provides enough back story to keep their part in the plot essential. She also gives each character unique traits which make them a great mix into the team.
I highly recommend this book and I am thankful to have received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions expressed are my own.