Once again, Patricia Cornwell does it again....writing another masterpiece filled with suspense and mystery. I have enjoyed the Scarpetta series from the start and I honestly have never been disappointed in any of her books in this series. The stories are always filled with twists and turns and I am amazed that with as many books as there are in this series, I can still never guess the ending. I have fallen in love with Scarpetta, Benson, Marino and Lucy and I am so happy that she has continued this cast of characters throughout her books. I listened to the audio of this book and I really enjoyed the narration. I rated this a 4 star book on my Goodreads and other socials.

I enjoyed this book. I was a big fan of the authors earlier work but not so much her later books So when I saw she had a new book out, I thought I would give it ago. So glad I did because it reminded me of why I fell in love her books in the first place. A few changes have taken place during my absence but I easily caught up and it feels like I never went away, I might even have to go back and see what I missed. There is still the usual family drama to keep the characters on there toes but it is the well thought out story that really gripped me. I had no clue who or even how they were going to capture the killer. It was only when the killer was revealed that I realised that I had missed such a big clue. Kay is actually working two cases in this book, the main case is of course the serial killer which quite frankly was frightening - how technology can be used. The second case had Kay under pressure to find out if a family man was murdered, committed suicide or if it was an accidental drowning, this one tugged on my heart strings but both had me glued to my headphones as the team solved the cases. I will definitely be joining Kay again.

Dr. Kay Scarpetta as chief medical examiner has one more case to investigate before leaving on her Christmas vacation. She is under pressure to rule but with two young boys left behind she is unwilling to commit to her finds before she has carried out a proper investigation. As if that wasn't bad enough, a serial killer has killed a woman in her bed during every a holiday celebration and it doesn't get much bigger than Christmas. He stalks them and frightens them with ghostly apparitions just before he kills them and it seems like his next victim is a local news reporter. On Christmas day, before Kay and her husband leave for there flight they get the new another victim has been found. It's not the reporter but it is someone Kay knew and in a place she knows very well and this time a victim is left alive. Could his injuries be faked and he is the real slasher? With his political connections it won't be easy but it's up to Kay and her team to figure it out and stop a deadly killer.

I have listened to a lot of audio books and January LaVoy does such an amazing job with NOT only bringing the characters to life but even providing them with great accents, that she has quickly jumped to the top of my favourite narrator list.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I read the first 28 books in the Scarpetta series earlier this year. While I’ve always enjoyed the forensic mysteries, I’ve struggled with some of the personal dynamics—most of Scarpetta’s close relationships are messy at best, and at times feel unreasonably co-dependent. For example, it’s hard for me to accept that she’d remain friends with Marino after his attempted assault. And some of the plots in later books stretched believability a bit too far (yes, I’m looking at you, autopsy in space).

So I went into this one with cautious expectations. To my surprise, Sharp Force felt much closer in spirit to the early novels: a strong mystery at the core, genuine suspense, a dash of danger, and a satisfying resolution. Cornwell also weaves in timely references to technology and its risks, which grounded the story, with only one element that leaned into weird territory.

The narration by January LaVoy was excellent—her pacing and tone matched the suspense of the story perfectly and made it easy to stay engaged.

Despite my criticisms of the series as a whole, I found myself pulled back in—and I’ll likely keep reading future installments as they come.