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**Dr. Kay Scarpetta is starting over with a unique private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina. But in this thrilling #1* New York Times* bestseller, her fresh start ushers in a string of murders more baffling—and terrifying—than any that have come before... * ** The Book of the Dead is the morgue log, the ledger in which all cases are entered by hand. For Kay Scarpetta, however, it is about to acquire a new meaning.  *A sixteen-year-old tennis star, fresh from a tournament win Charleston, is found nude and mutilated near Piazza Navona in Rome. The body of an abused young boy is dumped in a desolate marsh. A woman is ritualistically murdered in her multimillion-dollar beach home. Meanwhile, in New England, problems with a prominent patient at a Harvard-affiliated psychiatric hospital begin to hint at interconnections among the deaths that are as hard to imagine as they are horrible. Scarpetta has dealt with many brutal and unusual crimes before, but never has she seen a string of death like what she's facing now. Before she is through, that book of the dead will contain many names—and the pen may be poised to write her own... ** ### From Publishers Weekly Bestseller Cornwell's 15th novel to feature Dr. Kay Scarpetta (after 2005's *Predator* ) delivers her trademark grisly crime scenes, but lacks the coherence and emotional resonance of earlier books. Soon after relocating to Charleston, S.C., to launch a private forensics lab, Scarpetta is asked to consult on the murder of U.S. tennis star Drew Martin, whose mutilated body was found in Rome. Contradictory evidence leaves Scarpetta, the Italian carabinieri and Scarpetta's lover, forensic psychologist Benton Wesley, stumped. But when she discovers unsettling connections between Martin's murder, the body of an unidentified South Carolina boy and her old nemesis, the maniacal psychiatrist Dr. Marilyn Self, Scarpetta encounters a killer as deadly as any she's ever faced. With her recent switch from first- to third-person narration, Cornwell loses what once made her series so compelling: a window into the mind of a strong, intelligent woman holding her own in a profession dominated by men. Here, the abrupt shifts in point of view slow the momentum, and the reader flounders in excessive forensic minutiae. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ### From Booklist Forensic trailblazer Kay Scarpetta faces numerous battles and challenges in this latest entry in the series, which seems to be losing a little steam but still has a large following. Scarpetta and her sidekicks struggle to establish a private practice that provides autopsy services for jurisdictions that lack a local pathologist. Complex and unhealthy relationships grow stranger, and personal issues threaten to overshadow unfolding mysteries. Reading’s highly capable narration is the strength of this production, but it is still hard to overlook the distracting repetitiveness of backstories that explain circumstances and relations to new listeners. Reading’s darker tones are well suited to the many characters, and she offers a wide range of distinctive accents, including Italian and southern U.S., with ease. For fans who find solace in the Scarpetta formula. --Jeanette Larson