Patricia Cornwell From Potter’s Field

From Potter's Field

Patricia Cornwell

Scribner, 1995, $26.00

ISBN: 0684195984

As Christmas arrives, serial killer Temple Gault leaves a special present for law enforcement, a naked female left dead in Central Park. The FBI calls in consulting forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta to help on the case even as Temple leaves another gift, a transit cop in a subway tunnel. However, Temple's chutzpah hits a new high when he delivers the dead body of a local sheriff to Scarpetta's morgue in Richmond, Virginia.

The ingenious Temple has shaken Scarpetta with this bold move at a time when the Virginia state medical examiner has personal problems with her family and with a lover. Still after almost losing control and nearly killing her niece, Scarpetta takes a deep breath before entering in the game of cat and mouse that will take her back to the New York subway tunnels.

As always in a Scarpetta thriller, the heroine and her crew perform brilliant forensic work that brings to the forefront the science of criminology. The visit to Gault's kin is an emotional stunner, as they are as much victims as are the loved ones of those he kills. The cat and mouse game that leads to the New York subway tunnels is gripping and exciting. The only drawback is Gault, who in spite of his genius at setting the stage, even on his opponent's turf, and using those he kills as props, he never comes across as a plausible grandmaster serial killer on a par with the ME; her messed up personal life brings her down to his level. Still this is a fast-paced tale that the Scarpetta crowd will appreciate.