Unnatural Death (Scarpetta Book 27) by Patricia Cornwell

 

Unnatural Death (Scarpetta Book 27) by Patricia Cornwell.

Published 23rd November 2023 by Sphere.

From the cover of the book:

Two mauled bodies in the woods. Two top secret autopsies. The most chilling case of Scarpetta's career . . .

In this thrilling new instalment of the #1 bestselling series, chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement.

The victims have been savaged beyond recognition, and other evidence is terrifying and baffling, including a larger-than-life footprint.

After one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta must discover who would commit murders this brutal, and why.

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Chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta is called to the site of two bizarre deaths in a remote spot of the North Virginia wilds. Two campers, who have been under surveillance by the Secret Service, have been slaughtered in what appears to be a revenge attack, but exactly what killed them is a mystery. The evidence at the scene is confusing, and the presence of a larger-than-life footprint near the bodies is puzzling. In Scarpetta's view the deaths are certainly 'unnatural'.

A media frenzy ensues in the wake of the murders, fuelled by claims from a terrorist group calling themselves The Republic, and Scarpetta and her team find themselves caught up in one of their most terrifying cases yet - one which comes much closer to home than they are prepared for...

It has been a while since I immersed myself in a Scarpetta mystery, so it was a delight to delve into her world once more in the latest book in the series by crime-writing legend Patricia Cornwell. And what an absolute timely gem of a thriller it is.

Straight out of the gate, this is a book that grabs you with unsettling vibes, which Cornwell weaves deliciously throughout the interconnected plot-lines. From the brutal opening crime scene, set in an eerie wilderness rife with inexplicable sights and sounds; to the gripping series of events that make up the blow-by-blow finale in a perilous, blizzard-struck landscape; this is a book that will have the hairs on your neck standing firmly to attention. 

Cornwell layers her themes quite brilliantly to bring in realistic threads around insurrection and political shenanigans on the domestic and World stage, that touch on Scarpetta's professional and private lives - and burst through the genre boundaries between all-encompassing crime story, taut espionage thriller, and gritty domestic noir to perfection. Story-lines abound around technology, especially how it can be subverted, and Cornwell's insight into Post-Trump America is truly frightening. If this was not enough to keep you hooked, she underpins everything with luscious themes of greed and revenge. Of course, it goes without saying that the ongoing stories of the Scarpetta family are as complicated and compelling as ever. I especially enjoyed the emotional heft of Lucy's grief-stricken story-line, and the intriguing developments around the obsession of Scarpetta's faithful side-kick Marino with all things Bigfoot shaped.

Cornwell continues to take the Scarpetta series from strength to strength in a mystery with bite and bang-up-to-date subject matter, while holding true to everything I love about her characters. This was just like returning to old friends, and I cannot wait to go back and catch up with the books I have missed. 

Unnatural Death is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Little Brown Books for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and to Midas PR for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

In 1990, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.

Today, Cornwell’s novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper’s identity, cookbooks, a children’s book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and two other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano and Andy Brazil. While writing Quantum, Cornwell spent two years researching space, technology, and robotics at Captain Calli Chase’s home base, NASA’s Langley Research Center, and studied cutting-edge law enforcement and security techniques with the Secret Service, the US Air Force, NASA Protective Services, Scotland Yard, and Interpol.

Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston and Los Angeles