Book Reviews of Predator (Kay Scarpetta, Bk 14)

-(#14 of the Kay Scarpetta Series)-I am scratching my head wondering why the reviews for this book in Amazon.com are terrible. I thought this was a pretty good book. The characters have new issues to deal with. Marino has become a biker. He works out, wears leather and drives a Harley. Lucy has a tumor on her pituitary gland. She is always on the brink of self destruction and it’s hard to figure out why. Kay and Benton are together but their relationship is strained because he knew about Lucy’s tumor before she did. There are several investigations going on at the same time. Come to find out at the end, they are all related. And there is one killer. A woman. She is a beautiful woman but was sexually and physically abused as a child. This causes her to become psychotic with a disorder called DID. This is similar to split personalities. Cornwell, is getting a little repetitive with her story lines. Again, a member of her staff, a undesirable, is linked to the murder. He is involved with one of the personalities and is feeding the killer info about Kay, Lucy and Marino. There is definitely surprise and suspense in this book. A new word I learned “red herring”. Definitely one in here. “Something that draws attention away from the central issue.” I enjoyed this book and I like the new path Cornwell has taken the characters on. I just hope she doesn’t run out of ideas.

Another well written Scarpetta mystery that manages to ask many questions and leaves some of the answers for the next book.

I wanted to love this book. I've always enjoyed the stories of Kay Scarpetta, Marino, Benton Wesley, and Lucy. Even the premise of PREDATOR intrigued me-- Benton is heading a new program where he studies the brains of volunteer test subjects, mostly convicted felons of heinous crimes. He hopes to find a scientific and physical reason for why people do the things they do, and sets out to find if the molecular make-up or abnormalities of the brain cause people to commit vicious crimes against each other. Sounds good, right?

It could have been a great story. There's a plot, of course, where people are dying, strange events are taking place with related murders that seem random, and where an inmate might hold the key to solving the deaths.

The problem is I wanted to shoot almost each and every character that I've grown to love over the years. Benton Wesley is his same, staid self, and I don't have too many complaints about his behavior in PREDATOR. After all, the guy is back from the dead, and I'm happy about that. Kay Scarpetta, on the other hand, has turned into an alternately brooding/bi**y whiner. Marino is a bad-boy-wannabe who now talks in monosyllables such as "mmm" and "mmm-hmm". And Lucy. Sigh. What the HECK has happened to Lucy? As if it wasn't bad enough that in Cornwell's last book, TRACE, Lucy was involved with a psycho-woman, in PREDATOR she's doing all the stupid things she did last time, except this time her involvement with a physcho-woman might get her killed.

What has happened to my favorite characters? I was eagerly anticipating the release of PREDATOR, only to be so let down that I've decided to wait and rent each new Patricia Cornwell release from the library.

I gave the book three stars for the basic plot, which was interesting. If I had to rate the behavior of the characters, it would be in the negatives.

Pedator is the terrifying new Dr. Kay Scarpette novel from America's number-one-bestselling crime writer. Scarpetta, now feelancing with the National Forensic Academy in Florida, digs into a care more bizarre than any she has ever faced, one that has produced not only unusual physical evidence, but also tantalizing clues about the inner workings of an extremely cunning and criminal mind. She and her team--Pete Marino, Benton Wesley, and her niece Lucy--track the odd connections between several horrific crimes and the people who are the likely suspects.

Another great book by Cornwell.

The characters of Lucy, Pete and Scarpetta definitely have grown together after being on the same ravaged psychological road.

After I finish it...will very likely relist it so someone else can enjoy it!

gave this book to my daughter she has the set of this series she said it was a great book

If you've read any of the other Scarpetta series, you must read this one too. My goal is to read all the Kay Scarpetta series because they are all really that good!

Great writer!!!

Forensic expertise tracking horrific psycopaths

Great read as always!

An old and well-known predator teases Kay Scarpetta from behind bars.

Cornwell always writes an interesting book.
Dot

I love the Scarpetta series. This was a great read.

If you like Patricia Cornewell and Kay Scarpetta you'll love this one!

This is a very book like all of hers. I have never been bored reading Cornwell.

This is an excellent installation in the Kay Scarpetta series! One of the most complicated killers that she has ever tracked.

AWESOME 14th book in Kay Scarpetta series!!

Not loving the newer endings like the older books.

Excellent.

Good Read

This book has a great plot and a lot of work to solve the crime. As usual Patricia Cornwell did a excellent job with the storyline.

as usual with all of the kay scarpetta series books, this one was great. can't wait to read the next one. Patricia Cornwell is one of my most favorite writers.

This book is one of the better Kay Scarpetta books, if you have read all of the previous ones. It is a great page turner, and has some real in depth characater work. However, if you have not read the previous books, a lot of the subplots including Benton, Kay, Lucy and Marino will be missed. An excellent and fast read!

This wasn't my favorite Scarpetta novel but it is still worth the read. Marino, Kay, Benton and Lucy are like old friends that I haven't heard from in awhile. When a new novel is released, I can't wait to catch up with them. My mental image of Marino was changed in this one. He's working out! I always picture him a dishelved mess!

This book seemed a bit more negative than her other books. Kinda depressing all the way through. It was good however to see the characters again. Nice plot.

A slightly disjointed book. Tales of kidnapping, torure and murder, against a background of research. She needs to put back the forensic tid-bits that made her books interesting. The good Dr. is becoming a detective instead of an ME..

Not one of her best. I couldn't even finish it.

some chapters great, some what was she smoking, not well tied together

Another great Scarpetta novel!

MUCH better offering that her last two books! I really enjoyed this one.

Slow, not one of her best works. Nothing like her previous Kay Scarpetta books

dissapointing, too much anger directed at co-workers. Distracted from the story line, not her best effort

I liked it!

All the favorite Kay Scarpetta characters are back, tracking odd connections between numerous murders. Are the crimes related? Can a psychopath behind bars be providing tips that are real? Can studying his brain help the crew solve horrific crimes? Good read.

Dr. Kay Scarpetta, now freelancing with the National Forensic Academy in Florida, takes charge of a case that stretches from steamy Florida to snowboundBoston, one as unnerving as any she has ever faced. The teasing psychological clues lead Scarpetta and her team-Pete Marino, Benton Wesley, and Lucy Farinelli-to suspect that they are hunting someone with a cunning and malevolent mind whose secrets have kept them in the shadows, until now. Predator is proof once again that Patricia Cornwell has few peers with her extraordinary ability to entertain and enthrall.

Predator is the terrifying new Dr. Kay Scarpetta novel from America's number-one-bestselling crime writer.

This Scarpetta mystery was rather a weird one. It kept me guessing.

GREAT READ,READ IT IN A DAY AND HALF,LOVE THIS AUTHOR!!

Cornwell travelling in the realm of Hannibal in her grand style. Gripping and exciting!

I did not enjoy this Scarpetta book as much as I have others. Yet, it was still a great Cornwell.

Excellent story. I couldn't put the book down because I had to find out what happens, it keeps you thinking and intrigued.

I have never read a novel by Patricia Cornwell that I did not love...this one remained true to my other reads!

If you are a Patricia Cornwell fan - then this is another good book by her. Perhaps not one of her best but still a good read!

Sorry to say, this is not Cornwell's best work. Not even mediocre. It jumps around between characters far more than is typical of this series, and is very hard to follow. I was disappointed.

Scarpetta, now freelancing with the National Forensic Academy, digs into a case more bizarre than any she has ever faced, one that has producted not only unusual physical evidence, but also tantalizing clues about the inner workings of an extremely cunning and criminial mind.

not the best that she has written, but worth swapping for a book you have read.

Another Scarpetta mystery. Book was a little scattered but still very good.

I must have missed a book somewhere in the Scarpetta series... suddenly everyone is working at Lucy's forensic academy and Marino has a totally different physical description and personality. It felt very disjointed

A thriller/mystery starring Dr. Kay Scarpetta, investigating a crimnal mind.

I love her books but the last few books are written in the first person and I don't like that.

Brand New

Good Scarpetta mystery!

Latest Kay Scarpetta adventure as she adjusts to a new life in Florida with a new job and employees who are not who they seem to be.

Another thrilling and suspenseful kay scarpetta novel!

I actually read some bad reviews on this book, but I enjoyed it as much as her others. I had a hard time putting it down. Somewhat on the dark side, but the story kept moving.

Great case/mystery but I'm unhappy and confused as to where she is going with her lead characters.

Best Cornwell I've read in quite a while.

Kay Scarpetta does it again--from one of my favorite authors!

usual good cornwell novel

Pretty good but somewhat confusing in places.

Another great Kay Scarpetta book. Some surprises with Lucy, so you know it will continue with her next book. Fast paced and as usual some real twist in the end.

Not one of her best efforts.

excellent

Another great Kay Scarpetta Mystery by Cornwell!!!

This is one of the best Scarpetta stories yet!

I enjoy Cornwell always, but this lacked a little something
still enjoyable but not up to par for her.

Good..

Latest in Scarpetta Series - full of surprises. In like new condition.

Thought it was better than her last few. I would love something like some of the first few though.

I have read all the Kay Scarpetta books and love them. This one is no different.

Where is the story? It never seemed to get going. I continue to be disappointed by Cornwell.

I thought that this was by far the worst book in the Kay Scarpetta series. Some parts of the plot don't make sense and others should have been left out entirely. I almost stopped reading, but kept going since I thought it would get better based on previous reviews.

this is another kay scarpetta/and her niece lucy novel. the newest one out...good reading

Another great one by cornwell. Enjoyed alot. Alittle slow to begin...but speeds up and races towards the end.

Excellent book as always by Patricia Cornwell.

The latest in the Scarpetta series, the most exciting plot twists to date from Cornwell.

I have always enjoyed the Kay Scarpetta series books by Cornwell, but this book was a exception. I had to force myself to finish it..was a very..very.. slow read. I had the feeling after finishing this book it could have been a blockbuster hit had someone edited it and rearranged the way it was written and inserted in many areas. Definately not as good as her previous books and was very disappointed in it.

Love Scarpetta as usual; but for some reason this one was a slower read and didn't hold my attentiuon as her others. Hope you enjoy it.

Having read all of the Scarpetta novels, I found this one took a bit of time to get into. The first 100 or so pages are unconnected to each other, but after that, the plot takes off and the threads are connected. Not as much of a thriller as previous books.