Unnatural Exposure

Here's the marvelous team of Cornwell, Scarpetta, and Critt up to their ghastly best again. Five dismembered torsos in Ireland and four in Virginia are where this thriller begins, but worse is still to come--smallpox. Or is it? People are dying in diverse locations at a rate of one hundred percent, and when Scarpetta is exposed, the terror is intensified. C.J. Critt urges the listener on with subtle pacing and distinct characters. Everyone from naive young men to crotchety admirals and series regular Pete Marino is polished in our imagination by Critt's clarity. Kay Scarpetta herself plays many roles in this novel--doctor, ex-lover, aunt, survivor, and victim. The psychological elements unveil much more of her complex personality to the reader. B.H.B. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

In Cornwell's latest, she concocts a killer with a deadly biological agenda. Blair Brown just doesn't have the gritty determination for Kay Scarpetta and her law enforcement cohorts. While distinguishing the characters she's not able to capture the tension or complexities to drive the narrative. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

The eighth Kay Scarpetta adventure combines mystery, the Internet and a potential epidemic from a fatal virus. Scarpetta believes a recently discovered body is the handiwork of a serial killer, but when the autopsy reveals that the victim may have been exposed to smallpox, she fears that a more sinister plot is at work. Kate Reading does a wonderful job portraying Scarpetta, especially in expressing her innermost thoughts and fears. The listener feels Scarpetta's pain, anguish and anxiety as she follows the killer's trail while worrying about her exposure to the virus. Slight inflections help Reading differentiate most of the characters; she saves her best work for creating a distinct Marino and interpreting the unique accent of the inhabitants of an isolated island off the Virginia coast. The audio has all the suspense and emotional interactions that Scarpetta fans have become accustomed to. M.H.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine