Trace: A Scarpetta Novel
435 pp.
New York: Putnam, 2004
Thumbs down for this mystery! Cornwall did not develop her characters, leaving the reader wondering why and what would be their motivations. The parents of the murdered 14 year old girl are totally unbelievable in their peculiar relationship and their feelings toward other people. Scarpetta is yet another forensic medical examiner performing stellar autopsies under bureaucratic pressure. Her side-kick, a former rough cop, never leaves her side, even when she attends professional meetings. It's just not done in the real world. This particular novel is also disjointed, jumping from story to story, with the secondary story not being understood or developed in conjunction to the main narrative. Because I enjoy mystery novels I may read another of her many published novels. Perhaps she has done better work.
