The Last Precinct

Kay Scarpetta, Book 11

By: Patricia Cornwell

Narrated by: Lorelei King

Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta is under suspicion and criminal investigation. And the nightmare perpetuated on Scarpetta's doorstep continues as she discovers that the so-called Werewolf murders may have extended to New York City and into the darkest corners of her past.

©2014 Patricia Cornwell (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd.

ENOUGH OF THE "WEREWOLF" ALREADY

It is with mixed feelings that I write a review of a Patricia Cornwell book and give it less than a stellar rating. Unfortunately, in good conscience, I can't give this more than 3 stars. I even feel I'm being generous with that. The only reason it rates the 3 stars is that I'm giving a star to each of the main characters -- Kay, Lucy and Marino -- for showing up on these pages.
This is the 11th book in the Kay Scarpetta series and, as an avid fan, I wait patiently for the newest arrival (which I have already preordered at Amazon of course). The day it is delivered, I put everything aside and delve right in. So, when I say I'm disappointed, this is truly coming from the heart.
This is an absolute sequel to Black Notice and thus continues the storyline of Jean-Baptiste Chandonne, better known as Le Loup-Garou -- the "werewolf". In order to make this a stand alone book and for the benefit of those readers who haven't read Black Notice, Cornwell repeats everything we've already read in the previous book. This is fine and necessary for those who haven't read Black Notice. For those true fans who have already read this book, these constant reminders become redundant. I didn't like the werewolf storyline in Black Notice so I liked it even less as it continued in The Last Precinct. This book finds Kay recovering from wounds she suffered at the hands of Le Loup Garou, being analyzed to death by her friend and psychoanalyst Anna (150 pages of this), being accused of a crime that she didn't commit and spending the entire book being paranoid as to whom she can really trust. While I enjoy getting to understand Kay's inner psyche a little better, enough was enough after 75 pages of it.
I made the mistake of reading this book one morning while eating breakfast. It didn't make for a great meal to be reading about the werewolf shedding all his fine blonde hairs all over the place while I was eating my bagel. YUK. I, for one, have had enough of Le Loup Garou but, unfortunately, it is evident in the end of this book that this story will be continuing in Cornwell's next book.
I won't give up on my three favorite characters yet but I implore Cornwell to give her true fans a break and get back to the stories that made these books become bestsellers in the first place. By the time I read the last page, I was ready to head for The Last Precinct -- the place Cornwell describes as where you go when there is nowhere else to go -- or my own description -- where you go when you want to get away from this book.

Not a "stand alone" story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was well written and I was fairly captivated, but there are so many referals to the previous book in the Scarpetta series that I would definitely recommend reading that first.

The last precint

Being a Patricia Cornwell fan, the twists and turns of this book kept me completely attached to my head set. Love the csi research.

Sincere

What made the experience of listening to The Last Precinct the most enjoyable?

The story was great and the reader (Lorelie King?) was an absolute perfect choice for reading this novel. She didn't just read it like some narrators, she made a performance out of reading the book and I found myself listening to it in the car on the way to and from work, as well as night time when I went to bed. Truly excellent stuff and I had problems putting it down and not listening to it at every opportunity.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I didn't really have a favorite character. I found all the characters in the book were great.

What about Lorelei King’s performance did you like?

The emphasis she put in certain parts of the book made it so much more enjoyable. I'll be looking for books that she narrates as a result in the future.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The twists and turns which resulted in surprises that you didn't see coming.

Any additional comments?

An excellent book - highly recommend. I don't often take the time to write reviews of books but this one moved me so much that thought it earned a review!

Lucy comes alive

during the entire novel the niece of Dr Scapetta finally comes into her own, her obnoxious behaviour and intelligence begins its own journey, I like the 3rd person references in this part of the series, and finally appreciate the downfall of the Dr Scarpetta, this can allow this character to come back strong and interesting again.

just great

this book is a must read (or better listen) ! Can only recommend it. Lots of twists and turns and you can stop listening....

BAD Lnaguage

This book contains a lot of cursing which I think is unneccesary. I expected more from Patricia. Crude language do not sell a book. I will not buy andy of her books again!!