Livid: A Scarpetta Novel (Kay Scarpetta, 26)

Well, Patricia didn’t end this one as abruptly as she usually does. Not a bad read. Liked the bit of humor at the end. Hate that she has to be political… Republicans “bad”…a big lol!

I love this series. The characters are complex and well developed. This particular book educated me about more current things I was unaware of. I lost sleep because I had to learn what happened. The plot is intriguing and unsettling for me. I became very involved with what happened with the characters.

I enjoy all the Scarlett stories. The character is well developed over the 25 previous books. I find all the supporting players comfortable. Like we've known them a long time too. Ms. Cornwell is keen to give all the regular cast a rich background too so you're invested in all of them. I enjoyed this tale as I do all Scarlett a sagas. The attention to detail makes them read like true crime stories. They elude to the gruesome but no so much that you can't read past it . They are suspenseful as any crime novel should be. The story develops nicely and just when you think you have it figured out, there's a twist you didn't see coming. These are signs of a good procedural. I wish they didn't end so abruptly. But I guess when you've told the story to its fullest, it has to end. I appreciate the wrap up at the end pointing out motives and the little details that make all the pieces fall into place. All in all, a great read.

Another great Kay Scarpetta book. Enjoy all the characters in the book and finally got rid of her boss and Maggie. Love that the whole family was involved in this book. Love Kay and Benton together, love concurs all. Great story line even though a spooky topic that I’m sure is happening as in the book. Can’t wait for their next adventure. Wish we would get more than one book a year!!!!!

“Livid” is Patricia Cornwell’s best work in recent years. “Livid” begins with an unimaginable scene in which the main character, Kay Scarpetta, is placed. She is being pursued relentlessly by a prosecutor to admit that she made a mistake in the autopsy report she issued. The protest demonstrators surrounding the court are reminiscent of the Occupation of Parliament. Was it just an accidental death? Was the husband murdering his wife? Why did the previous forensic pathologist conclude that the drowning was a murder in the first place? From here, the story takes an unexpected turn. Cornwell has various ideas, such as reminiscent of the tragic love that was born in the conflict between the families in Shakespeare’s plays. And she sprinkles this scene with many hints that only notices when we’re finished reading the story. Cornwell is also devoted to directing the present by incorporating the topic of Corona and Ukraine into the story. When Judge Annie drinks non Russian vodka, I can’t help but giggle because I feel that the author is sensitive to social trends. “Livid” depicts the two days from the occurrence of the incident to the arrest of the criminal. I was also impressed with Cornwell’s pagination skills. She spares 78% on the first day depicting the incident and 28% on the second day investigating the incident. And she spares a few pages a week later to reflect on the incident. The Scarpetta series are first-person novels. The motives and background of the perpetrator cannot be directly known. Only from speculation by Kay and other characters, and from circumstantial evidence. There was unimaginable presence of weapons in the incident. It’s scary to think that the microwave gun could be used in future real-life incidents. In the process of unraveling the incident, various personalities of the characters will be revealed. And their ambitions also appear on the surface like “death spots” and spread. What is surprising is that both the defendant and the victim, which triggered this incident, were founding members of the terrorist group to which the perpetrator belongs. In the first place, why the former pathologist misdiagnose? It turned out to be the beginning of this incident. As the case unfolds, suspicions arises that Kay’s predecessor, Elvin, is heavily involved. Although Elvin and his secretary Maggie have been dismissed this time, they have not completely disappeared from Kay’s presence. When and in what form will they reappear in front of Kay? Cornwell describes the word “livid” at the beginning of the book as “death spots”. If you look up the dictionary, the meaning of “extremely angry” appears first. Why did Cornwell give this explanation in the first place? Is it because she wanted readers to reaffirm that this work is not about Kay’s anger towards Elvin, but that autopsy was greatly involved in solving the the cas...