Product Description

An intriguing Dr Kay Scarpetta novel which will take Kay an ocean's breadth away from home. The case begins when a cargo ship arriving at Richmond, Virginia's Deep Water Terminal from Belgium is discovered to be transporting a locked, sealed container holding the decomposed remains of a stowaway. The post mortem performed by the Chief Medical Examiner, Kay Scarpetta, initially reveals neither a cause of death nor an identification. But the victim's personal effects and an odd tattoo take Scarpetta on a hunt for information that leads to Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, where she receives critical instructions: go to the Paris morgue to receive secret evidence and then return to Virginia to carry out a mission. It is a mission that could ruin her career. In a story which crosses international borders, BLACK NOTICE puts Dr Kay Scarpetta directly in harm's way and places her and those she holds dear at mortal risk. For more on Patricia Cornwell and her books visit her website at www.patricia-cornwell.com

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49064 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The postmortem is in--Black Notice, the 10th in Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series--is a gore- splattered, intensely exciting read.

As winter grips Richmond, Virginia, an air of sombreness pervades chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta's world. Her beloved niece Lucy is involved in a dangerous undercover police operation in Miami, and auntie fears for her life. A tyrannical new deputy chief, Diane Bray, wants to get Kay's department under her jurisdiction. Meanwhile, back at the office, someone has tinkered with the e-mail system, stealing Kay's identity and sending off slanderous and hurtful messages. Emotionally battered, Scarpetta fears she is going insane. Or, could it be that someone is deliberately sowing this harvest of sorrow?

Despite her personal problems, Scarpetta is still the reigning diva at the department of death. She is sent to investigate the purified remains of a man found inside a container ship, "eyes bulged froglike, and the scalp and beard were sloughing off with the outer layer of darkening skin." Kay finds strange, animal-like hairs on the man's clothing--the same hairs that she discovers on a murdered store clerk a few days later. In actuality, the bizarre killings extend well beyond Virginia; whoever killed the Richmond victims also butchered people in France. Kay and police captain Pete Marino are whisked off to Paris where they must collect top-secret information from a Paris morgue, and avoid becoming victims themselves.

This macabre tome is the stuff that classic Scarpetta tales are made of: creepy but compulsive autopsy scenes, plentiful plot twists and the compelling, if slightly more vulnerable, chief medical examiner herself. --Naomi Gesinger

Review
'Cornwell still does it better than anyone else' Daily Mail 'Cornwell's books run on high octane fuel, a cocktail of adrenalin and fear. Black Notice is no exception' The Times

The Times
'Cornwell's books run on high octane fuel, a cocktail of adrenalin and fear. Black Notice is no exception'

Customer Reviews

NOT JUST ANOTHER WEREWOLF STORY...
This is an intriguing and well-crafted Kay Scarpetta mystery, which begins promisingly enough with the discovery of an overly ripe, dead body. Found stashed in a locked and sealed freight container aboard a cargo ship from Belgium that has landed in Dr. Kay Scarpetta's jurisdiction of Richmond, Virginia, the male, mystery corpse is covered with loose hairs. This intriguing beginning sends Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Richmond, Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner, on a hunt for information that turns international in scope. She discovers that this is just one of a number of murders to contain those tell tale hairs.

The murders, themselves, are graphic and the forensic details, as always, are fascinating, and Dr. Scarpetta's critical analysis of the pathology issues are well thought out and highly informative, as she sifts through the forensic evidence in order to profile the killer. Her assessment of the peculiar affliction of this serial killer is intriguing, providing scientific insight into creatures who were called werewolves, but who may have only been persons with a rare and unusual genetic condition, causing them to be especially hirsute, among other anomalies.

Moreover, there are a number of subplots afoot. Dr. Scarpetta, who is recovering from the death of her lover, Wesley Benton, faces a number of problems closer to home. It seems that she has been the victim of identity theft, with her internet screen name being used to set up a phony chat room, and personally destructive emails being sent falsely under her screen name.

To add fuel to the fire, a new Deputy Chief in the Richmond police Department, Diane Bray, and has managed to demote Dr. Scarpetta's long time friend, Homicide Detective Pete Marino. Having her own secret agenda, Bray has turned her sights onto Dr. Scarpetta, desiring to get jurisdiction over the Medical Examiner's Office. Perfidy also exist among Dr. Scarpetta's trusted staff, and her niece Lucy, who is still not operating with a full deck, is on a dangerous, undercover police mission with her lover in Miami, adding yet another worry to Dr. Scarpetta's already full plate.

It is the camaraderie between Pete Marino and Dr. Kay Scarpetta, however, that holds this particular book together. Their repartee and dialogue is wonderful, giving evidence of their comfortable and close relationship, without saying so in so many words. They carp as if they were an old married couple. Lucy, Dr. Scarpetta's niece, however, is still a loose cannon, and it is unbelievable that any police agency would allow her to run around with a gun in her hand, given her record for shooting it off. Mercifully, this annoying character has a smaller role than usual in this novel, and the reader may only hope that she will either be written out altogether or get an attitude adjustment.

The ending of the book, however, is a little too pat. Dr. Scarpetta's actions in the book's grand finale are not really believable for such an astute and normally cautious woman. Given what she already knows about the killer, her actions in the end bespeak more of the actions of an unknowing civilian. Still, this book does not fail to entertain and is sure to provide reading pleasure for many Kay Scarpetta devotees.

Ho-hum
I used to love the Scarpetta novels, especially the first few. Then Kay Scarpetta seemed to disappear up her own arse. Does this woman possess a sense of humour? My friends and family became used to hearing my screeches of anguish as I read yet another passage in which Kay makes fresh pasta or cooks some amazing stew from scratch. I thought she was supposed to be a busy woman! Now I find Cornwell's written a book called "Scarpetta's Winter Table", which appears to include a collection of recipes. Either Cornwell's got a better sense of humour than her protagonist, or she's totally gone insane. Anyway, as for Black Notice - I was relieved to find myself enjoying it, after the astonishingly anti-climatic ending of "Point of Origin", but once again, the ending left a lot to be desired. There's no interplay between heroine and villain like we used to get, just the obligatory break-in and the chase through the various rooms of the house. Ho-hum, seen it all before. Hey Patricia, how about a nice prolonged confrontation scene? Pretty please?

Oh dear....what was the rush ?
I am an avid fan of Cornwells novels and have read them all...over and over ! I have introduced many friends and family to the intricate world of Kay Scarpetta and like most i rushed out to buy Black Notice. Oh dear..... i got the impression that Cornwell was in one big rush to finish this. There were several plot elements that could have been expanded in more detail, which would have improved the overall read. In my opinion, there is too much in too little detail.Which is a shame as the rest of the series are EXCELLENT ! But maybe this almost lack of enthusiasm from Cornwell reflects Scarpetta's lack of enthusiasm at everything that is so familiar but no longer holds the same intrigue or purpose (since Benton's death). But i live in hope that the next one will be better and that Scarpetta will cheer up ! I much prefer it when the atmosphere is a little more upbeat and not so dark and depressing ! Come Scarpetta...look on the bright side ! you still have Lucy and Marino ! (although i fear that Marino may not last much longer, especially as we are constantly reminded of all his bad habits ! ) So fingers crossed for the next installment and i promise you it'll all work out ok in the end !