Definitely not the best murder mystery novel I've ever read.  But not the worst, either.  I'm referring to Patricia Cornwell's Body Of Evidence.   The second book in Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series, this book further develops the main characters, and lets us see inside Kay's head a bit more than the debut novel did.

Kay Scarpetta is Virginia's medical examiner.  She works with the police to help solve murder mysteries.  In this case, Beryl Madison, a promising young writer is found slain in her home, a victim of a horrible, brutal attack.  Who would want to see this sweet young woman dead?

It seems that Beryl has been receiving threatening phone calls for quite some time.  So, she's been hiding out in Key West, and has never stopped looking over her shoulder.  But the evidence shows that she allowed her attacker into her home.  Why would a woman who'd been receiving death threats, and who obviously felt that her life was in danger, allow the person into her home?  Unless she knew her attacker.  Or if the attacker somehow tricked her into believing he wasn't a threat. 

That puzzle is one of the more interesting aspects of the case.  Also keeping us interested are the never-ending list of suspects that pop up, as well as the ever-increasing body count.  Because before we know it, people who knew Beryl are also turning up dead.

This case definitely has Kay and her police buddy Marino working overtime.

While the case, itself, held my interest, there were certain aspects of the book that I didn't care for.  One was Marino's character.  At this stage of the series, he's one-dimensional, and that one dimension is a nasty one.  He's a tough-talking, homophobic idiot who hasn't yet shown us a sweet side.  Luckily I've read books further in the series, so I know he softens up a bit, but at this stage of the game, he is completely unlikable. 

I also felt the book meandered just a bit too much, in the middle section.  It introduced far too many characters and subplots.  One noteworthy character is Kay's ex-boyfriend, Mark, who shows up out of the blue, and just happens to be tied to the murder case.  But there are also rogue lawyers out for their own greed and some mentally ill patients,   It just seemed like there was a bit too much going on, and that the main story suffered for all of the tangents.

A lot of time was spent discussing a bizarre orange fiber found at the murder scene.  As so much focus was spent on this thing, I was looking forward to a really exciting explanation for it.  But, at the end, the explanation was a bit of a letdown. 

On the other hand, what wasn't a letdown was the explanation for why Beryl let the murderer into her house.  I actually liked that part of the story - it was understandable, and made me think about my own personal safety, each time my doorbell rings and I have to decide what to do.

Overall, this isn't a bad book.  The murder mystery is pretty good, and will certainly hold your interest.  I hated Marino's character, but I happen to know that he progresses as the series goes on.  It's part of a decent series that introduces a lot of forensic techniques and always provides a unique case to solve.

Cause Of Death

Point Of Origin

Port Mortuary

Post-Mortem

The Front

Trace

Recommended: Yes