If you are looking for action, conspiracy, UFOs and mistery this is your book. Pretty much, there is something happening all the time (some a bit too much for my taste). The story line is interesting but at times a got a little confused. The reveals at the ending where missing the suspens.

I used to love reading the Scarpetta series and then they became monotonous and a bit dry/boring. I really wanted to love this as it’s been quite awhile since I’ve read this series and I remembered why now. I really wish Patricia Cornwell could go back to writing the way she did for the first 8 or so Scarpetta books. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this early..

This book is filled with action and suspense from beginning to end. It’s an excellent addition to the series and leaves you eager to discover what comes next.

I was given the opportunity to listen to Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell, and found it to be another well written Kay Scarpetta story. The narrator was exquisite, sounding exactly like what I believe Kay's voice would sound like. Great read!

I jumped mid series and I’m very cruising about some things that were revealed in this book. Marino? I always wondered but now I’m very curious about Marino and Kay’s past. There were actually several things that were revealed about Kay’s past that I wasn’t aware of so I’m intrigued and hope to go back and read from the beginning. The story has some very unique technology in the story and it involves Kay’s past lover as well as an old formidable enemy. I’m very curious to see what happens next.
The narrator, January LaVoy did a wonderful job portraying Kay, Marino and the rest of the character’s. I was engaged till the very end.

A very special thanks Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced audiobook.

It was another great read by Patricia Cornwell. Kay Scarpetta is one of my favorite characters of all time. Identify Unknown did not let me down. I never tire of the adventures of Scarpetta and her crew. Each character has become a member of my family.

This Scarpetta adventure involves aliens and UFO's. Well sort of. Another great who dun it. Cornwell putting out another great novel.

Well, that took a turn I didn't see coming (& I loved it). Another great addition to the Kay Scarpetta series. I am glad I listed to the audio book, I was so engrossed in the story, I had to finish it in one setting. I wouldn't say there are a lot of twists and turns to the story, but when there is a twist/turn it's a big one. Loved everything about it & can't wait for the next one.

This is the first Patricia Cornwell book I have read in a very long time. I was really tired of Kay Scarpetta. It was nice to be reintroduced to this old friend.

Kay’s friend, Giordano, has just been discovered…dead. He was dropped out of an unidentified flying object over an abandoned amusement park. The crime scene is unnatural. The further Kay investigates the more she discovers Giordano is not who she thought.

I enjoyed how this story unfolded. As usual, Kay is her tough, no nonsense self. And she definitely does not take no for an answer. But this is what makes her such a great character. And as more questions than answers arise…she is the one you want on the case.

This is narrated by January LaVoy. Excellent job!

Need a good murder mystery with lots of intrigue….THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I broke my own rule about starting a series in the middle (or near the end?) because I was curious about this one. I felt like I wasn’t too lost starting at #28. The storyline seemed a little far-fetched at first but the details and character development made up for the “what now?” factor.
Cornwell is a story teller for sure, but I don’t know that I found the protagonist especially likable or someone to root for as she uncovers the murder of someone from her past.
The narrator did a good job with the characters so that certainly helped.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARL. All opinions are mine.

I had fallen behind in this series but figured that I could pick it up and re-engage, and that was absolutely true. Kay Scarpetta and the cast of regulars are back, and this adventure involves trying to solve the puzzle that is the death of an old and dear friend. I found the book a great combination of science/forensics and investigation, while exploring the idea that we can never really know everything about the people that we love. On audiobook, this tale kept me entertained and reminded me of how much I loved this series. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

I picked up this book because Patricia Cornwell was my grandmother's favorite author. I tried to read one of her books in high school, and it hadn't been for me at the time. This book was a pleasant surprise in many ways, and bittersweet because I can no longer chat with my grandmother about the new Cornwell and how much I liked it.

This was a fun story, though did feel a bit unfinished at the end. I'm going to chalk that up to the fact that this mystery is part of a larger overarching mystery that started before this book and will continue on into others. I enjoyed it though, and over a decade later I enjoyed my time with Kay Scarpetta a lot more. Part of it is me aging, part of it is her being more settled, and I think the story being such a connection to someone I loved played a role too. I enjoyed the life that has been made since my last time reading, and all the characters that are part of that. These characters were well-written, and even without previous knowledge of them all it was easy to dive into their world and who they were. Plus, UFOs? So interesting.

This book was great if you are fan of the mystery/thriller genre, or kind of an X Files vibe. Kay Scarpetta novels are really a genre defining series at this point, but if you like Kathy Reichs, you'll like this too.

Dr. Kay Scarpetta is in the middle of a harrowing autopsy, one of a young girl who was reportedly playing with her father’s gun when it went off killing her. However, Kay’s findings raise suspicions. Unfortunately, the parents are wealthy and well-connected and kicking up quite a fuss.

As if that’s not enough, Kay is urgently called in to investigate the death of someone close to her with Marino assisting. The case is brutal and unusual and sparks the attention of many in the intelligence community. Kay’s Secret Service niece Lucy and her FBI husband, Benton, are involved in the investigation, as well.

Marino was over the top in this installment, his gruff, argumentative side out on full display, especially because it was fueled by jealousy. Kay’s sister, Dorothy, as usual, was self-absorbed and I still can’t believe she married Marino! It’s a hot mess.

I’ve been loving this reboot of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series! I appreciate her calm, logical approach to cases, and her personal life and relationships are engrossing! This death hit close to her heart, and she struggled with her emotions. The cases were filled with cutting edge technology, interesting locations, and sinister real-life implications. Riveting from beginning to end!

The audio version was fantastic! January LaVoy’s narration is always a treat! Her calm, rich voice portrayed Kay perfectly! All characters were performed uniquely and distinctly. She definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the story!

Very mediocre and disappointing, this audio version of Identity Unknown reminded me why I have stopped reading the Kay Scarpetta, forensic pathologist for the state of Virginia, series It was a very slow and dull start. The reader, January, Lavoy did a decent job with a story that just didn’t do it for me. There was a lot of digression from the story line where Kay reminisces and focuses on her past instead of the potentially mysterious present plot.

Kay was finishing up an autopsy on a very young girl from a wealthy family . She had been shot in the head by a gun her parents said she was playing with. Kay is suspicious of the family and the circumstances and refuses to release the body. Finally, there was the possibility of a plausible who done it.

Not to be The. the story line diverges. An unidentified body is found in a nearby amusement park. Just by coincidence ( hmmm) Kay’s niece Lucy notifies Kay to come to the scene where Kay is shocked and distressed to find that the deceased is an old love of hers with whom she has maintained a long time friendship. The circumstances turn bizarre, creepy and mostly unbelievable as it is determined by Kay’s niece (Lucy ) that the body was dropped from a UFO. Could have been any kind of high up drop.

Despite the fact that this audio book just didn’t do it for me, it did keep me listening on a long car ride. My thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for gifting me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Publication date was October 8, 2024. If you’re a Scarpetta fan you’ll probably like this book more than I did.

While the plot line was a little over the top and unrealistic, the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a quick listen and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. There were deeply developed characters/storylines which could be pieced together even if you don’t have their full background. The ending definitely made me want to know “what happens next.”

January LaVoy did a FANTASTIC job narrating. She exuded each character’s personality through different voices and it truly brought the story to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for choosing me as an ARC reader in exchange for my honest review.

Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta series is among my favorites. Identity Unknown, the 28th in the series, is every bit as riveting as her earlier ones, and I am thrilled to have received a review copy. My thanks go to Grand Central Publishing, NetGalley, and Hachette Audio. This book is for sale now.

First, I have to offer a shout out to January LaVoy, who reads the audio version. I was unsure how I would feel about this one, because I read the first 27 installments with my own eyes, and so I had developed the voices for each character in my head. Would I be thrown by the way they were voiced by a professional? As it happens, no. The protagonist and her ever present sidekick, Pete Marino, who is now her brother-in-law, sound exactly as I had thought they would. Of course, much of this comes down to excellent writing. The voices of her niece, Lucy, who now occupies the top echelons of governmental spookdom, is softer and slightly higher pitched than I had expected, but it fits, and I made the mental transition easily. Kay’s husband, Benton, doesn’t have as deep a voice as I would have thought, but to make his voice that deep would require a second, male reader. All told, LaVoy does a fine job, and I didn’t feel distracted from the story.

I have begun reading the DRC when I am provided the audio, and so from there forward, I switch to the audio, referring occasionally to the DRC to make notes or highlight possible quotations. Once the climax comes, however, the tension gets the better of me, and because I know I can read faster than LaVoy can talk, I switch back to the text.

The premise is that there have been two deaths. The first is an old boyfriend of Kay’s, a man named Sal Giordano. They have remained friends over the years, and she saw him recently when she dropped off a basket of goodies for his birthday. He has been the victim of a death flight, which is new to me but apparently, according to Wiki, is a thing. It involves killing someone by dropping them from a plane.

Holy crap!

Now we get into aspects of the case that make it an even better October read, as well as darkly funny. The prose itself doesn’t appear to be intentionally humorous, and yet I cannot, for the life of me, imagine that Cornwell didn’t snicker a bit as she wrote it. The area where Sal is dropped is inside an abandoned amusement park with a Wizard of Oz theme. It’s been vandalized, and is seriously creepy. The higher ups within the U.S. military are in on the investigation, and so:

“’Let me make sure this is clear,’ General Gunner says to me. ‘He landed on the Yellow Brick Road in the middle of an apple orchard.’
“’Inside the Haunted Forest. Yes.’”

I couldn’t help myself. I squawked out loud!

Soon another corpse is identified, a child belonging to a pair of wealthy, powerful people that are also terrible human beings, and as it happens, horrible parents. The two deaths are connected. The parents throw their weight around and try to manipulate the investigation, but of course, they don’t succeed.

Ultimately it seems that one of the guilty parties is Kay’s nemesis, Carrie Grethen. Carrie was once Lucy’s true love; later, her evil nature became apparent, but nobody can seem to keep her locked up, and she has become Kay’s Moriarty. I mention this here because it is raised early in the story, so I don’t think it can be called a spoiler, but I won’t say more about that.

To the faithful readership, I will also say this. As the book opens, two of Cornwell’s old standbys, ones that I’d be happy to see her retire, appear. First, she has to be driven to the scene in a helicopter, but oh no, there’s a storm coming. I was irritated. Can Kay not go anywhere without there being a storm? Just once? Please? And then something has to be retrieved by diving, which harks back to an earlier book in which she’s attacked with a spear gun. But friends, neither of these turns out to be key to the story, and we’re done with them in a heartbeat, so be patient.

I like to read a few books at a time for variety, but once this one began, it edged out the others—except at bedtime, because when I go to bed, I need to sleep! It’s among her finest work, and I recommend it wholeheartedly to you.

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. Ann 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.

Well, it's been a bit since I've read a Patricia Cornwell, but wow! She has not lost her passion!

Dr. Scarpetta is at it again. This time, she has a little girl on her table (she's a coroner, for those of you who are not familiar) and she is NOT liking what she is seeing. Actually, she is seeing RED, as she is very angry with the little girls parents. But no matter, she WILL get to the bottom of this...

With that thought, her phone rings, and it's her niece Lucy, and she can tell from her voice that this is NOT good news. Lucy needs her right away at another crime scene. This one in another place, where a body has been found in an old, abandoned, amusement park...the one that she used to take Lucy to when she was just a child. And, it's not only that. She knows the dead person. As a matter of fact, it is someone who once played a significant role in her life...and she only spoke with them a few days ago...

🛑🛑 STOP right here if you don't want to know any more!! 🛑🛑

So, Kay Scarpetta is on the move again. This time trying to find a killer who has obviously (and brutally) murdered someone she knew well and loved. But, as the pieces start to come together, she's wondering if somehow her cases might just be linked??? But that doesn't really make any sense...does it???

When yet another body is found, the evidence really starts to form, and another person that is well known to the family seems to be involved... as well as other people who never thought they would get caught...

The stakes are high, the rush is real, and the bodies are multiplying!

5 great big beautiful moondust ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!!

Oh, and did I mention the UFO's??? And the links to the extraterrestrial?? Yes, it's a bit out there, but I enjoyed every minute of it!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley, #HachetteAudio and #GrandCentralPublishing for an ARC of the audiobook which is due to be released on 10/8/24...tomorrow!!

#IdentityUnknown by #PatriciaCornwell and narrated beautifully by one of my faves, #JanuaryLaVoy.

Feel free to like, follow and friend me on: Goodreads,
Insta @ #BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine.

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, and click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

Love the narrator! She always does such a great job! Unfortunately, I just wasn't a fan of this book. It felt like it was all over the place and there was too much UFO and alien talk for me. I have always loved this author and Dr. Scarpetta, but this one was too out there for me.

It has been a while since I read a Patricia Cornwell book. Identity Unknown was a great jumping back in point. There is plenty of action and mysteries to ponder over as you are listening or reading. The Dr Scarpetta character is witty and intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story.

Kate Scarpetta is back and as introspyas ever. The familiar cast of characters are back (and a great narrator) with their private secrets putting them and others in harms way. Somewhat complicated plot with a few bumps but enjoyable and an easy listen. Thanks NetGalley.