Patricia Cornwell is an accomplished storyteller and there’s been enough water under the bridge now that the characters seem like old friends. Like old friends sometimes they infuriate you but at all times you wish them well. Apart from Janet but she’s not ‘real’ and is becoming a bit too voyeuristic. I’m thinking it might be time for Lucy to pull the plug ~ literally and metaphorically.

A serial killer spoils Kay and Benson’s Christmas and Marino is being a bit… well… Marino. His present for Kay upsets Dorothy and creates a tense holiday season.

There’s Lucy and her helicopter, Tron and Fruge and the mortuary folk and unfortunately we still have Maggie who manages to get on Kay’s last nerve. The plot is tight and complex and leaves our head spinning about how ~ or if ~ the several cases are connected. There are politicians making demands and a family without a father after a fishing accident. There are holograms and ghosts and some breathtaking moments.

This is a strong entry to the series and I’m glad I’ve stuck with Kay. I’m looking forward to seeing how the TV series captures these characters. And I hope Ms Cornwell is working on number 30. Maybe something awful could happen to Maggie?

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

Another amazing entry in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series of books. There is a serial killer terrorizing the area known as the Phantom Slasher who taunts his victims before he strikes with a phantom like hologram that comes floating into their homes with glowing red eyes. I don’t want to spoil the book so I won’t go into any further detail. Just want to say that it is well worth the read. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive and read an advance copy of this book!

I love Patricia Cornwall and her and Kay can do no wrong in my eyes. Granted some story’s have def been better than others and the earlier ones are most definitely the ones that gripped me and had me hooked. But I loved Sharp Force. I enjoy the science and AI side of things as well as hearing about Kay and Benton, as well as Pete,Lucy and others. This could be read as stand alone or if your a fan like me it’s one you’ve been waiting on coming out, therefor I feel lucky to have been given this early copy and would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher.

Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell is a great crime story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It's a perfect example of why Cornwell is so good at writing about forensics and suspense. She uses smart science details to make the mystery feel real.

The story follows Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a brilliant character who faces a tough case. As she works to solve it, you'll feel like you're right there with her, learning everything about the investigation.

The best part of Sharp Force is how well Cornwell writes her characters. Dr. Scarpetta is smart and relatable, which makes you really care about what happens to her. The writing is clear and exciting, making this a book that's hard to put down.

Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta is called to a scene on Christmas Day, The notorious "Phantom Slasher" has struck again, as he has before on other holidays. Prior to each attack, the victim has been frightened by holographic images that seem to invade their home. The Slasher seemed unaware that another person was in the home of his latest victim. That person also received knife wounds, though not fatally. The victim becomes a suspect, but Kay is not convinced of his guilt. Can she find a way to explain the strange apparitions and learn the identity of the Slasher before he strikes again?

I've read one or two other books in this series and enjoyed them. Though I mostly enjoyed this one, there was some bizarre, almost supernatural, influence that I thought detracted from the story rather than adding to it. In addition, there was a heavy presence of an AI character that should have been shut down before it every got a foothold, and that didn't make much sense, given the other highly logical characters. Still, an enjoyable book with plenty of suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I have read all of the previous 28 books in the Kay Scarpetta series. Patricia Cornwall has managed to sustain this long series very competently but I began to tire of the characters at the point where Pete Marino hooked up with Kay's sister Dorothy, a most unlikely pairing.

In this book I felt that Cornell was struggling to find a convincing plot and the characters' relationships are not sufficiently interesting to sustain the weak plotting. There was far too much description of the cold weather. The impact of an AI avatar on relationships looked like a casual attempt to bulk out the story and was treated very superficially. And there were points in the book where I wondered whether Cornwell had drawn on ChatGPT. Disappointing.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

First, a thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read an early copy of Sharp Force in exchange for my honest review. I do not shill for books, I give my honest opinion, take it or leave it.

So first of all, let me say this is better than most of her recent books. I have read every single Kay Scarpetta book (and most of the author's other series) and the early ones were really great. They definitely went downhill with a vengeance for a while there. Lately, they have been improving again.

Things I liked:
- Staying on the cutting future edge of technology without getting too crazy out there. Yes, some of the things she talks about seem nuts, but we are close to all of them. I can easily see the tech going there.
- At least they haven't moved again... yet.
-Benton and Kay's relationship. It feels real in a way most of the other relationships in the book do not. They get each other and they accept the things they can not change.
- Nothing unrealistic like bigfoot and aliens this time, thank goodness (I like those things, but not in a realistic police based thriller, LOL)

Things I didn't like:
- Lucy yet again magically has a new job. Even taking her work partner Tron with her.
- Of course, Tron has the hots of her. Does anyone not have the hots for Lucy? Thankfully it wasn't a big part of the story (yet).
- Marino and Dorothy's relationship. It's definitely toxic and that would be fine as story element but it just doesn't feel believable. Maybe this should be in a neutral category, maybe it's not supposed to be believable.
- POLITICS. Look, we do not need real life politics in these books. We don't need reminders of terrible real life events like covid. DEAR ALL AUTHORS, WE DON'T WANT IT. Most of us read to escape from this crappy world we live in. Please give us fake politician names and stuff. We don't need to be jerked out of a story so you can flaunt your personal political beliefs.
- Kay must be past 70 years old by now. It's a little ridiculous. The middle books in this series were the absolute worst for sudden revisions of everyone's age but it's STILL going on to an extent.
- Once again, Kay & Benton are trying to go on vacation and a murder stops them. I swear it's been like 5 books now. No new ideas Ms. Cornwell?

Basically, this is an average book. If you like the series, definitely give it a go. If you are new to the series, you may have some trouble with all the character history that is lurking in the background. If you'd been disappointed in the books for the last 10 years, know that this one is better, though it doesn't touch the 90's books.


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A note about my rating system for books:
I've read thousands of books, more than I could ever count so I'm a bit stingy when it comes to calling a book amazing. I also use the rating system to help me keep things straight since I love to re-read and visit my old friends. Therefore -
1 star = this book is terrible, I might not have even finished it (rare) and I will never read it again.
2 star = this book is just okay, average effort, possibly churned out in a series that's dragged on too long, and most likely I won't read this book again.
3 star = this book was good. I enjoyed it and would read again. It successfully pulled me into it's world. If it's the first in a series, I'll continue on in it.
4 star = I loved this book! I will be reading everything I can by this author. I'll be talking about it to family/friends. I will probably reread this frequently.
5 star = This book is a unicorn. It's amazing and it's changed my life. I will never forget a moment of this book and yet I will reread it MANY times.

Fans of Kay Scarpetta will want to pick up Sharp Force, the 29th installment of the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell. In this excellent novel, Kay and her husband Benton are called on Christmas Morning to a murder by a serial killer known as the Phantom Slasher. Kay knew the latest victim, who was a psychiatrist, and who had treated Lucy in her college days. Each of the slasher’s murders are preceded by a ghost-like hologram. There was another person in the house of the last victim, the nephew of a powerful senator, and he received slashes, but wasn’t killed; because of this, he becomes the prime suspect. There are also subplots that Kay and Marino are investigating.

Those of us who have read all of the novels in the Scarpetta series are familiar with the main characters, but Cornwell still does a good job of introducing new readers to much of the history, especially of Kay, Benton, Lucy, and Pete Marino. Her writing style is easy to read and the author has a way of building suspense and keeping readers on the edge. The storyline is excellent, and in this case, uses AI and seems to be a bit futuristic.

All told, readers will enjoy this novel. Newer readers will want to start at the beginning of the series and read them; they will love the characters and think of them as real friends.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Having read the Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell since the beginning it was a delight to get the ARC copy of her latest book. Sharp Force is a fast paced novel with many of the same characters but this time AI is a character as well. The plot moves quickly and is intriguing. It would work as a stand alone book but it's also a great introduction to Kay Scarpetta if you want a large back catalogue to read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for my review copy of this book.

I have been reading Patricia Cornwell for over 20 years and I still enjoy Scarpetta & Marino as much as I did in book 1! I loved the plot of this one and found it interesting and it kept me guessing the whole time. I loved that the forensics and medical examining play a bigger role than in the previous few books. Feels like the old Kay Scarpetta is back and I am here for it!
Although it is number 29 in the series, I do think that readers who haven’t read the previous books could read this without any trouble. The pacing is fast, the writing is detailed, the story was immersive and overall the book was satisfying.

Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell is the twenty ninth book in the Kay Scarpetta medical thriller series.
This starts on Christmas Eve, where Dr Scarpetta does a post mortem on a missing man found in the river. He was a married father of two and he died while fishing alone at a pier. His autopsy reveals significant heart disease so possibly a heart attack that caused him to fall in? Meanwhile, the city of Richmond Virginia is also in fear of a serial killer nicknamed The Slasher, who has killed several victims and seems to use a holographic ghost to incite fear in them leading up to their murders.
Kay, as always, seems to wear multiple hats despite being the Chief Medical Examiner. She is often out in the field, interviewing witnesses, gathering evidence and overall playing detective. Her husband Benton, niece Lucy and friend Marino are still along for the ride helping solve crime. Lucy is a super high tech phenom and has created an AI program Janet that they all use on a regular basis for info. Janet was Lucy’s wife who died, and so an AI program modeled after her isn’t creepy at all right? Janet can hack into anything and get all sorts of information she shouldn’t have access to, she listens in and sees you at all times, and overall is just an unpleasant voyeur.
On Christmas Day, instead of heading for England on vacation, Kay and Benton are investigating the latest Slasher victim, a psychiatrist who used to treat Lucy. It brings up how unprofessional she was as a doctor, almost as if she got what she deserved. One of her patients found her body and was almost killed himself by the murderer. So who did it? How does it relate to the floater in the river? And how quick do they wrap the whole thing up? Apparently the city never sleeps, even on Christmas Day, and it’s amazing how quick it’s all solved.
After the last one of this series, I was leery to ever read anything by this author again. Sharp Force was definitely better than the last, but I still feel that there are major things missing now compared to the earlier books. For a medical thriller, there is very little medical stuff described, and there were barely any scenes in the morgue! That was what I enjoyed most of this series but it seems like now it’s all about technology and what’s new and changing in the world. If it focused on what’s new and changing in the medical world, that would probably be great, but I’m tired of Cornwell’s medical thrillers becoming like James Bond action movies. I think I shall say goodbye to Kay for good. Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for my ARC.

A chilling crime story of epic proportions involving medical examiner Kay Scarpetta and her CIA husband Benton. They investigate the morbid acts of a serial killer who uses a sophisticated drone in his pursuit of victims. Fabulous drama throughout.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta takes on the case of the Phantom Slasher. The serial killer uses AI technology to project a ghost- like hologram on each victim’s bedroom wall before their murder. Soon after taking on the case, Dr. Scarpetta is targeted by seeing the hologram glowing on her bedroom wall. Will she finally have met her match or will the answer lie within the walls of the Mercy Island psychiatric hospital.

Once again Patricia Cornwell delivers a riveting installment of the long running series. The suspense keeps up until the end. Grab this book!

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced reader’s copy of the latest Patricia Cornwall thriller. I had given up on her books several years ago because they were becoming repetitive and gross. I found other authors who told a better story without the graphic descriptions Crowell employed. But I thought I would try her again. This book was a fast read and kept my interest until the conclusion. To say the end came “out of left field” is not an exaggeration. While the advancement in technology she incorporates is believable and Washington DC politics on point, her character development is lacking. The main characters are the same as they were when I left off several novels ago. No growth is a flaw hard to overlook. I will not return to her books again.

This is a good addition to the Scarpetta series. Plenty of suspense, you aren’t sure who is the guilty party until the end when the author reveals the answer. If you like police procedurals or just a good suspense you will enjoy this book. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy

Thank You NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This is my fourth Patricia Cromwell book in this series and it was a good book. I generally do not read book series in order so I had no problem starting this book which is the 29th in the series. This book follows a a Kay investigating a serial killer called the Phantom Slasher. It was an interesting read especially with how advanced technology is and to see it used by a serial killer.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell.
I didn’t realize this was book 28 in a series, but I had no problem following long along. I really enjoyed this book & have started reading the other books in this series.
Dr Kay Scarpetta is trying to help solve the serial killer along with her husband.
This story is frightening with the technology the serial killer uses. It was a bit of a twist at the end.
I enjoyed it & look forward to reading the other books I. This series.

Fans of Dr. Kay Scarpetta will not disappointed in this latest series entry--I know I sure wasn't. Still in Northern Virginia, Dr. Scarpetta continues to be the Chief Medical of Virginia, which is where it all started for us (in Richmond, at least). You will see your favorite characters Benton, Lucy, Dorothy and Marino while finding out what Maggie Cutbush and Elvin Reddy are up to. If you're anything like me, you'll be haunted by the Phantom Slasher. The "ghost" really spooked me, even though the technology is explained. Scarpetta tackles the usual latest crime-solving technologies and delves into forensic medicine for us once again. Holograms and drones work their way in as well. Patricia Cornwell seems to have an understanding of technology that far exceeds my own. What I wouldn't think is possible is just possible enough if you start looking things up. Having read Scarpetta books for most of my life, revisiting these characters in the latest happenings always feels warm and inviting to me--even when the story has chills and thrills. By the way, I never thought I'd love hearing so much about a house but now I wonder: who doesn't want Scarpetta and Benton's home? I read this one a bit faster than I expected to because I *needed* to know who the Phantom Slasher was and I'll say now: all my good theories were debunked! I would still recommend readers new to the series start at the beginning although I could see someone picking this up and enjoying it. There's just so much history of the characters woven in that I think you are best served being along for the full ride. I have to say, there's an invasion of privacy that happens at one point, which the reader will be fully aware of what I'm talking about, and I'm still mad about it. I feel betrayed for that character and it still doesn't sit right with me.

This was the first book I read by this author. I have seen a lot of her books, have seen & heard of Kay Scarpetta, so I thought I should finally read one of them.

I hate to say I was disappointed. There was a lot more language than I expected & it was offensive to my tastes.

Not to spoil it (don't read this part if you don't want to see a spoiler), but I was disappointed when we found out who the killer was. The person hadn't been mentioned before, so there was no way to have known who did it, which a lot of people enjoy guessing as they read mysteries... the "whodunit".

I think the author has done a lot of research & knows a lot about the ME field, police/FBI. It was thoroughly researched & written clearly.

Thank you to Netgalley & the author for this ARC read. All opinions are my own.