Book Review: Post Mortem by Patricia Cornwell

Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Richmond, where the crime rates are already skyrocketing, has a new serial killer on the loose. 3 victims have been dead so far and the book opens with the fourth victim's death being called in to the protaganist, Ms. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner, Richmond City. A divorcee career woman, she has been tormented by gruesome stranglings and the fact that the skilled psychopathic killer, thriving on the pain he inflicted on these women increasingly aggressively, roamed the city. To add up, there are certain leaks allegedly from her office to the press, for which she is grilled for, her 10 year old niece visiting, the continuing murders resulting in public outrage and insecurity and the common wealth lawyer she is dating, who might as well be the killer as circumstances reveal. The case starts eating her up. The book captures your attention and holds onto it for long. Though it is hard to relate to a world that runs with no mobile phones, limited development in forensics and computers, the author tries and puts you in the shoes of the character that leaves in such a world and it turns out to be pretty interesting. I expected a little more drama in the climax but I guess that would be just my bollywood genes kicking up. I like the writing, the concept and how the tumultous conflict that goes on in the protagonist's mind has been written when she can longer trust anyone or anything, when everybody is a possible suspect, has been penned down. A good read, especially for beginners in the genre.


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