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    Body of Evidence
    Body of Evidence
    Body of Evidence
    Audiobook12 hours

    Body of Evidence

    Written by Patricia Cornwell

    Narrated by C. J. Critt

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Late one night Beryl Madison turns off her burglar alarm, puts down her gun and opens her door to the man who has stalked and terrorized her for months. Hours later, her brutally mutilated body lies in the city morgue. As Scarpetta begins searching for the microscopic clues to the killer's identity, one question keeps nagging her: why did Beryl let him in?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMar 11, 2011
    ISBN9781456124472
    Body of Evidence
    Author

    Patricia Cornwell

    Patricia Cornwell is recognized as one of the world’s top bestselling crime authors with novels translated into thirty-six languages in more than 120 countries. Her novels have won numerous prestigious awards including the Edgar, the Creasey, the Anthony, the Macavity, and the Prix du Roman d’Aventure. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Patricia has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper, a biography, and three more fiction series among others. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the forensic technologies that inform her work. She was born in Miami, grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston. 

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    Reviews for Body of Evidence

    3.5/5

    1,273 ratings39 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I love her books. They draw you in. I enjoy the narrator also
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book! C.J. Critt did a fantastic job performing this story! I thoroughly enjoyed her narration.

      In this one Kay Scarpetta is after a guy/killer, who surprises her in her home at the end and she shoots him!
    • 4/5
      Kay Scarpetta is called to the scene when an abandoned jeep is found that is thought to belong to a missing couple believed to be the the victims of foul play. Couples have been disappearing for months in the Richmond, Virginia area, only to turn up months later and too badly decomposed to determine even a cause of death. These murders weigh heavily on Scarpetta, the Chief Medical Examiner, and pressure is building to come up with leads in the case. The latest disappearances involved the daughter of a prominent political figure and possible suspects abound, from government agencies to drug lords.
    • 2/5
      I've enjoyed the adventures of Kay Scarpetta
    • 4/5
       The third Kay Scarpetta novel, which I read second, was more enjoyable for me than the first, as it did not appear to rely as much upon shocking situations and horrendous events to keep the reader interested. In the first novel, the crimes seemed designed to be as awful as possible, in what seemed to me to be a direct attempt to get a reaction. In this book, people are still confusingly out to get Dr. Scarpetta, medical examiner, but the evidence and the plot progress at a nice speed and I don't feel like I'm being manipulated into rooting for the "good guys" simply because what the "bad guy" does is so very awful.
    • 3/5
      This is the third in the Kay Scarpetta series, and is another great forensic/police procedural. It had the same elements as her earlier two books, although the political element was a lot more convincing and worked well into the plot line.I was happy to find there was less time spent on the romance with the FBI character Mark, and I enjoyed seeing Marino pick up his act and give himself a makeover.I would have liked more of an insight into the killer; however, it was a good ending and I look forward to the next in the series.
    • 3/5
      This is a long book that goes on and on about the crimes committed against young couples. The piecing together of the information is interesting, but very lengthy. Cornwell explores the everyday, mundane life of Dr Scarpetta and detective Pete Marino. Pete and his wife have separated, and Kay and her lover have parted. A serial killer is mysteriously killing young couples, and the decomposed bodies are found too late to determine the cause of death. Then the daughter of a high-ranking Presidential appointee is murdered and the heavy pressure stings the police into action to find the killer. Kay, Pete Marino, and a Post reporter attempt to find the killer. Much mention of food and wine, mixed in with the blood and gore
    • 3/5
      It's interesting to read these early books in the series after reading a lot of the later ones. Fills in the blanks on some of the back story. Overall, this one was pretty good, though there was some stuff jumped over in the end, like Cornwell didn't want to go over a certain number of pages, so she just refers to it instead of actually writing about it.
    • 4/5
      Of all the victims in this book, I felt the worst for abby and then Kay. Seems as if she's headed down the path of losing all of those she loves. And I think she did love abby in an odd kind of way. I enjoy the evolving relationship between she and Marino
    • 4/5
      Kay Scarpetta is called to the scene when an abandoned jeep is found that is thought to belong to a missing couple believed to be the the victims of foul play. Couples have been disappearing for months in the Richmond, Virginia area, only to turn up months later and too badly decomposed to determine even a cause of death. These murders weigh heavily on Scarpetta, the Chief Medical Examiner, and pressure is building to come up with leads in the case. The latest disappearances involved the daughter of a prominent political figure and possible suspects abound, from government agencies to drug lords.This was a fast-paced thriller filled with information about the medical side of crime scene investigation. The characters can be rather dull and lifeless, but they are not the focus of this novel. I was not immediately impressed with the story, but as it continued it became a deeply engaging work of crime fiction with several twists and turns. The mystery and suspense of the murders and the investigation keep you guessing until the end and no one is safe.
    • 4/5
      Quick fast-paced mystery. Third in the Kay Scarpetta series; Forensic pathologist, Kay's character is developed more, as well as her relationships, (romantic and work).Young couples are being murdered, Kay is the Chief medical examiner preforming the autopsies. The FBI is involved and Kay feels that they are hiding important facts about the cases. Things come to a head when an important political personality's daughter and boyfriend go missing and are suspected to be the newest couple in the serial murders. Things progress quickly, and there are possible governmental and media conspiracies. Many twists and turns make it hard to put own.
    • 4/5
      Kind of having trouble waiting for something to happen, I ‘m not generally into spy stories, and t seems like a good part of this is just reviewing who was following who and what they found. I seem to think I’ve read this 2-3 times before but it didn’t annoy me like it does now. Also, I’ve said this before. Scarpetta is supposed to be brillant, yet she constantly puts herself in dangerous situations without her cell phone, pepper spray or gun.
    • 4/5
      Conditioned by my previous experiences with detective novels whenever I begin a Scarpetta book I expect a straightforward mystery, and every time Cornwell crafts a story that's everything but. Oh, there is a mystery alright, but there is also a very strong human element and the more I get to know Kay Scarpetta and her circle the more clearly I see it. It is possible of course that this human element is becoming more prominent, with every consecutive book being more about the people than the crime, the crime being a catalyst for this humanity to manifest itself and provide a macabre backdrop for it. And you know what? I like seeing something more layered than an cold investigation into disappearances and deaths, I like seeing characters stretch themselves, doubt themselves and their friends and colleagues, struggle through life's problems and emerge changed, even just a little bit. I like seeing relationship develop through the mundane things, and Cornwell delivers that every time. In case you're wondering what it is I'm talking about: here Kay doubts her friendship with Abby Turnbull, the reporter she first met in Postmortem, because Abby isn't being particularly straightforward about her involvement in Scarpetta's latest case. It is also in this book that she realizes that the more she works with Marino the more she likes him, despite his unkempt appearance and irritating behavior, and a true friendship begins to emerge. And last but not least there are the frustrations of finding herself in the middle of basically a face-off between the FBI, the DA's office and higher echelons of government. Cornwell uses these situations wonderfully to develop her characters and since they are so significant in the story they become the stage of power plays and the really dramatic scenes. Politics is big in this book and Cornwell explores the effects of it on people's lives with her usual delicate but firm touch. The potential of a cover-up in her daughter's murder case pushes a prominent politician over the edge and the question of whether she ruined her own career or was helped along the way is a major point of contention in this book. There is also the matter of whether being a public figure at a time like what this politician's family is going through is a blessing or a curse and the reality that there is more than one answer to this question. The fact that Cornwell raises these issues and that everything filters through Kay, the protagonist, makes her a complex individual who navigates a personal and professional maze every day and knows that things are much less straightforward than she would like them to be, a person who regularly thinks about life and people, and not just on a simple day-to-day level. My only concern with this novel is that if Cornwell continues along the path she is on the politics will grow to dominate the story and while it is a fertile field for character development I would hate to see it happen - politics tend to make things convoluted and much talk about views and positions on issues is not something I enjoy in my fiction. I think she struck a nice balance in this book and hope the next novels don't veer off into a lot of talk and little action.
    • 5/5
      can't remember how it ended, must have liked it though, wrote great have to check into it again
    • 3/5
      A serial killer has been coercing couples into the woods and horrifically killing them for the past number of years. A string of clues left behind leads the Coroner toward the killer. This book was good but somewhat long winded and also gruesome.
    • 4/5
      A good Scarpetta thriller. A serial killer is loose, preying on young couple, but leaves no evidence at the murder scene. A victims mother and newspaper reporter are caught up in the investigation, with tragic consequences. Although i guessed the ending, it was, none the less, an enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      This was the second novel featuring Chief Medical Examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta, and established her working relationship with Lieutenant Pete Marino, Chief of the detective Division of Richmond Police Department, and Benton Wesley, one of the FBI’s Leading profilers. For once, Dr Scarpetta’s forensic skills in the examination of murder victims play less part in the resolution of the crime, in which she is thrown more onto her own resources as a detective.In this case the victim is a successful historical novelist, who is found dead from a brutal assault in her own house. It gradually emerges that she had been stalked for a while before her death, and the terror caused by this was so great that she had decamped from Virginia to the Florida Keys. Running low on funds, she had eventually returned to Richmond, oinly to be murdered on her first night back in the city. What made it seem even more strange was that, despite her fear, she appeared to have let her murderer into the house.As usual with this series, there are various political shenanigans lurking under the surface, exposing the tensions between the different elements of a criminal justice system in which senior office holders are always conscious of the need for re-election. Scarpetta is a very empathetic character, and also highly plausible. However, I felt that the plot in this case was weaker than in its processor (Post Mortem), and I feel that if I had picked up this book first, I might not have bothered with any others in the series.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this book. Dr Scarpetta's personal relationships are not as developed in this book as they are in later books, but that is what happens when you read books out of order. I liked that the story was about an author. The central mystery was a little convoluted. The killer seemed pretty random, but maybe that was the point. Sometimes bad things just happen. I am looking forward to reading more in the series.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this second novel in the Kay Scarpetta series. Much improved over the first. The "who dunit puzzle" held true to the end. I was also pleased the romance storyline went the way it did although I wasn't really on board with it. Wrapped up quite nicely.
    • 5/5
      This was my intro into the world of Kay Scarpetta and while it was interesting it was rather predictable. The "Killer" was of no interest to me and the story becomes almost too staged for there to be any real suspense. However, Kay and Marino are very interesting characters whose opposing personalties blend well. I am a Patricia Cornwell fan now and would love to see how her writing has progressed.
    • 3/5
      One of her older ones before people say she started phoning it in. I liked this one. The plot was probably a bit of a stretch, but the story moved along without being predictable. Good character development and writing style.
    • 3/5
      The heroine is Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the Chief Medical Examiner in Virginia. Oh, no, you say, another Ouincv. Wrong, corpse-breath. Scarpetta is intelligent, short, (we don't know whether she is attractive or not, a relief) and she doesn't swoon over each drooling Sylvester Stallone imitation that happens by. (That's something I've always wondered about: How does Travis McGee, the blue-Rolls-Royce-truck-driving hero of John MacDonald's colored-titled novels avoid AIDS, since he seems to have the self-restraint of a male nymphomaniac?
      Anyway, Scarpetta is investigating the murder of a well-known novelist who has returned from the Florida Keys where she has been hiding from someone who keeps threatening to kill her. The night of her return she inexplicably opens the door to the murderer who does just that. The plot thickens as her former boyfriend, a lawyer, appears on the scene worried about her safety and to prevent her (he says) from crossing swords with a crooked entertainment lawyer (redundancy?) who desperately wants the victim's last manuscript. The book is filled with fascinating detail such as the difference between dextromethorphan and levomethorpan which has to do with right and left and why one is legal and the other not. Enough about the plot.
    • 3/5
      Another great Scarpetta book. Fun read/listen with twists of plot that engage the reader.
    • 3/5
      An author receiving threatening phone calls decides to hide for a while down in Key West and work on her memoir. She’s murdered the very night she sets foot back in Richmond. Kay Scarpetta, Richmond Chief Medical Examiner, investigates the case along with the intensely dislikable Lieutenant Marino. It looks like a psycho stalker did the deed, but the missing manuscript has an unscrupulous and greedy agent complicating the investigation in order to get his hands on the valuable pages. Cornwell’s writing is fast paced, technical enough to be realistic to those familiar with law enforcement and psychiatry, but also understandable to the lay person (although I’m not sure why the ME is getting so involved, it’s been my experience that they mostly limit their investigations to autopsies and evidence found on the body).Unlike a lot of female protagonists in crime novels, I can’t fault Kay very much with putting herself in dangerous situations, but again, she does get much more involved with the case than one would expect from someone in her job description and much, much closer to the killer than necessary. I mentioned this in my review of the first Kay Scarpetta book, Postmortem but it bears repeating: if your lengthy and intensive investigation leads you almost to the point where you know who/where your killer is and said killer shows up at the protagonist’s home/work/favorite restaurant, etc. and tries to kill him or her, your entire investigation is pointless. You pretty much could have waited until he showed up and saved yourself a lot of trouble. I get that it’s nice to have a suspenseful, dangerous climax, but that does not have to happen on the investigator’s own turf.I like a good crime novel, and this had enough twists, turns, and possible suspects to keep me entertained, but the ending seemed a little pat and coincidental. I would rate it as average. 3 stars.
    • 3/5
      This is a stellar novel by Patricia Cornwell. I especially enjoyed the kind of gothic tone carried in the scenes with the reclusive old lady and her spooky home. The technology, or lack thereof, of the early 90's made me chuckle a few times. For me, the book was kind of slow for the first 2/3 of the novel. Fortunately the last third brought a faster pace and the ending actually gave me chills. Overall, crime readers will probably enjoy this one, and it is alway nice to read about a strong female investigator.
    • 4/5
      Beryl Madison is writing a book in seclusion in Key West Florida, when she decides to return to her home at Windsor Farms in Richmond, Virginia. Shortly after her arrival, she's violently murdered at her very secured residence that has a high class burglar alarm system. Arriving at the murder scene is chief medical examiner for Virginia, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, during her investigation she's questioning how the murderer gain access to Beryl's residence, was the alarm set, did she let the killer in or was there a delay in the alarm too set. About the only physical evidence that was optained during the search were different types and colors fibers on Beryl and within her residence. The investigation heats up rapidly when Cary Harper an associate of Beryl is murdered in his driveway. Beryl was in a bitter dispute over a contract he had with Cary that was signed years previous while livig in Culter Grove, she thought that she was being taken totally advanaged off. Now the plot thickens !!!!
    • 5/5
      Patricia Cornwell has to be one of my favourite authors and yet again she has delivered a fabulous book. A gripping tale, strange twists.. Loved it!
    • 4/5
      I expected a more dynamic ending to this incredible book.
    • 4/5
      Once again, another page-turner from Patricia Cornwell about Dr Kay Scarpetta.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed this book, even though the forensic description was a bit burdensome.