AUTOPSY
Author: Patricia Cornwell
Year: 2021
Edition: 2022 Paperback
Pages: 378
Genre: Crime Fiction / Forensics Thriller
Additional info: New York Times Bestseller
#25 Kay Scarpetta series
Summary
In this next novel in Patricia Cornwell’s electrifying, landmark #1 bestselling thriller series, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta hunts those responsible for two wildly divergent and chilling murders.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta has returned to Virginia as the chief medical examiner. After just weeks on the job, she’s called to a scene by railroad tracks – a woman’s body has been shockingly displayed, her throat cut down to the spine – and as Scarpetta begins to follow the trail, it leads unnervingly close to her own historic neighborhood.
At the same time, a catastrophe occurs in a top-secret laboratory in outer space, endangering at least two scientists aboard. Appointed to the highly classified Doomsday Commission that specializes in sensitive national security cases, Scarpetta is summoned to the White House and tasked with finding out exactly what happened. But even as she remotely works the first potential crime scene in space, an apparent serial killer strikes again very close to home.
Why I chose to read this book
I loved reading Kay Scarpetta books when I was in my early twenties. Back then, my mom lent me a few of Cornwell’s books, which are still in my library to this day. I liked reading about a fictional strong female character, the first woman chief medical examiner of Virginia, no less! When I glanced at the summary for Autopsy, I thought it was a little ridiculous; a murder in space?? Now that, I definitely have to read.
Thoughts & Opinions
As I began reading Autopsy, I was comforted by the familiar characters I had gotten to know years ago in Cornwell’s previous Dr. Kay Scarpetta novels. The whole gang was back; Marino, Lucy, Benton, and of course Kay. If you haven’t read any other books in this series, you might miss some of the nuances and backstory but Cornwell still does a good job of describing each character’s history and interrelationships throughout the story for those who need a reminder or for those who are just getting to know the characters for the first time.
As I continued reading, I smiled and shook my head at how Kay hadn’t changed one bit throughout the years; she is still obviously better than everyone and always thinks everyone is against her in the field. She was the first woman chief medical examiner of Virginia, after all, and with that, comes a world of obstacles and sacrifices.
“Not even a month on the job, and it’s been one ugly conundrum after another, accompanied by plenty of obstructions and hostility.”- Patricia Cornwell, Autopsy
Three scenarios are depicted without fail in every Scarpetta book I’ve read; Kay has to sacrifice family time for work, she is somehow targeted or attacked by bad guys, and her niece Lucy worries her constantly. Autopsy is no different, although Kay does seem to be spending more time with her family in this particular story. And her niece Lucy is going through an incredibly difficult situation, so it’s only normal that aunt Kay is concerned.
I’ll start with the positive; Cornwell’s strength is creating a strong atmosphere and perfectly capturing the tension and uneasiness each character feels in each situation. The characters always seem to multitask, reflecting real life for many of us. I commend Cornwell for being so knowledgeable and technical about different areas like forensics and advanced technology, it’s always interesting to get a glimpse of what’s possible – where science-fiction meets reality.
“I came along in an era when what I’m looking at with my niece this minute was the stuff of science fiction, of Star Trek and Star Wars.”- Patricia Cornwell, Autopsy
Now on to the not-so-positive. I had a few issues with the story; notably how Kay and the gang treated one of the victims. The way they talked about her dismissively and not believing her alleged past rubbed me the wrong way. It’s possible that as experts, they all sensed and felt something us mere mortals couldn’t, but that should have been explained better.
Another issue I had was the use of the pandemic to conveniently benefit a storyline. The story occurs in present day and alludes to other current events so I understand that it had to be mentioned but I thought the way it was used in this book was a tad lazy. Incidentally, I read to escape my reality, so I’m not a big fan of reading fiction novels that include the pandemic, didn’t we all read enough heartbreaking stories about it in the news?
Another difficulty I had was the sheer number of plotlines in this book. When I read the summary, I thought the main focus would be on the space murder investigation. That was one of the reasons I purchased this book in the first place. We only get that story halfway through the book. Although each storyline is interesting, Cornwell doesn’t dive deep enough into any of them. It felt like the focus of Autopsy was Kay herself and her relationships.
Lastly, I’m trying to find the right words to describe how utterly disappointed I was with the ending. It vastly felt like an afterthought. As I was nearing the end, with only a few pages left and none of the issues or enigmas resolved, I thought maybe these would be addressed in a sequel because there is no possible way to end this in just a few pages. Oh, how wrong I was. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened; everything quickly wrapped up haphazardly in an unsatisfying bow. I don’t want to spoil who the “bad guy” is so all I will say is I despise this sort of ending. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be picking up the next Scarpetta novel.
Discussion Points
- Have you read this book? If so, what did you think?
- Have you read other books in the Kay Scarpetta series?
- What do you think about her work-life balance?
- Do you think men in the same field as Scarpetta encounter as many roadblocks and difficulties in their careers?
- I’d love to discuss this book with you in the comments below, looking forward to reading you!
- Which book should I review next?