Skip to main content

Port Mortuary Patricia Cornwell Book 18 Kay Scarpetta Series Review

Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell featuring forensic pathologist, Dr Kay Scarpetta was released in 2010 to critical acclaim. Her series of fast-paced crime novels in which Kay Scarpetta, forensic examiner gets embroiled in all kinds of situations way outside her brief have garnered a dedicated following and placed Patricia Cornwell as one of the leading crime novelists in the world.
Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell Book 18 in the Dr Kay Scarpetta Series
 Port Mortuary
by Patricia Cornwell

(Book #18 Dr Kay Scarpetta series)


Buy This Book at:
Fishpond
Book Depository
Amazon

FREE audio version at: Audible with sign up


Plot Summary of Port Mortuary

Kay Scarpetta has been training at the Dover Port Mortuary, mastering the art of 'virtual autopsy' - a groundbreaking procedure that could soon revolutionise forensic science. And it is not too long before these new skills urgently need to be put into practice. A young man drops dead, apparently from a heart condition, eerily close to Scarpetta's home. But when his body is examined the next morning, there are stunning indications that he may have been alive when he was zipped inside a pouch and locked inside the cooler.

When the revolutionary 3D radiology scans reveal more shocking details about internal injuries unlike any Scarpetta has ever seen, Scarpetta realizes that this is a case of murder - and that she is fighting a cunning and uniquely cruel enemy. Now it is a race against time to discover who and why before more people die.

Review of Port Mortuary

With Port Mortuary, Patricia Cornwell continues her bestselling crime series featuring Kay Scarpetta along with supporting characters Lucy, Benton and Marino. Port Mortuary is a solid addition to the series but lacks the grip of her first novels.

Likes:

First person narration which helps the reader understand Kay Scarpetta's motives and actions.

Conflict between characters especially niece Lucy.

Dislikes:

Overuse of technological detail which also dates the book quickly. At the same time not enough of the autopsy detail which originally set her novels apart.

Main supporting characters are underutilized in this book and when they do appear seem forced. Did someone mention going off the deep end?

Thin plot, that is overly predictable.

In order to create more of a backstory on Scarpetta Patricia Cornwell has suddenly given Kay Scarpetta a former military career that we haven't known about until now.

Is Port Mortuary Worth the Read?

It is not uncommon for books in a series to lose their way a bit and it could be argued this has happened to Port Mortuary. Patricia Cornwell appears to be scratching around to get the series back on track but misfires with this book.

Port Mortuary is worth the read if you are a Scarpetta fan purely to keep up with character development. If you haven't read her earlier thrillers I suggest a more satisfying read can be had by dipping your toe in the water with her early Scarpettas.

But let's hear from Patricia Cornwell herself ...

Watch an Interview with Patricia Cornwell on Port Mortuary




Short Bio about Patricia Cornwell

Patricia Cornwell born in Florida in 1956 has more than 20 novels to her credit. The bestselling crime writer has achieved critical acclaim for her hugely popular series featuring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. In 1993 she won the coveted Gold Dagger Award for Cruel and Unusual.







Related Posts

Patricia Cornwell Official Website
Peter Robinson Books in Order DCI Banks Series Reading List
Elizabeth George Books in Order Inspector Lynley Series List



Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oprah's Book Club Complete List of Titles Since 1996

Oprah's Book Club provides a handy reading list to help you select top fiction titles to read. The collection is largely literary fiction titles topped up with a few biographies. If you would like to see all the book titles selected for Oprah's Book Club and Oprah's Book Club 2.0 read on. Oprah's Book Club began recommending book titles to read back in 1996 and continued until 2010. Over the course of those fifteen years she added some 70 titles to her list, most being quality contemporary fiction with a sprinkling of the classics and historical fiction and even a few thought provoking non-fiction titles too. In 2012 after a hiatus of two years Oprah launched Oprah's Book Club 2.0 which is a collection of titles that speak to her and which she has hand picked. The complete list of Oprah's Book Club books titles since its inception is set out below: Oprah's Book Club 2.0 2024 The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Best Books First Published in 1994

What were the best books first published in 1994? If you are wondering take a look at this helpful list below. For ease of use the list is further broken down by genre. Best Books First Published in 1994 In this list of the best books first published in 1994 you will find many bestsellers. Most of these books have endured the test of time and are still widely read today 30 years later. Virtually all of the books appear on the the top 200 books of 1994 on Google Reads Fiction Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières The Alienist by Caleb Carr Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt One True Thing by Anna Quindlen Tully by Paullina Simons Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel García Márquez The Crossing (The Border Trilogy, #2) by Cormac McCarthy Stones from the River (Burgdorf Cycle, #1) by Ursula Hegi Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay The Acid House by Irvine Welsh Crime / Mystery / Thriller / S...
Post a Comment
Read more

Peter Robinson Books in Order DCI Banks Series Reading List

This article provides a complete list of Peter Robinson Books in Order DCI Banks Series along with a discussion on the adaptation of various Peter Robinson books. Peter Robinson, the Yorkshire-born suspense writer, has been producing chilling tales set in around the imaginery town of Eastvale in the Yorkshire dales since 1987. Peter Robinson, author of the longstanding crime series featuring Chief Inspector Alan Banks continues to produce police procedurals you can really get your teeth into. They are well-plotted entertaining reads and so it is not surprising that he has a loyal following of readers eager to get their hands on each book as it is released. DCI Banks himself is a multi-layered character who we just keep learning more about with each novel: he is a bit of maverick, likes his music, not the best at relating to others and has an on-off relationship with colleague Annie Cabbot for a while. As a cop he is doggedly determined to uncover the truth about the cases he ...
Post a Comment
Read more