Crime-fighter Dr Kay Scarpetta has slowed a step or two. The popular protagonist seems preoccupied by personal troubles in Predator, a novel of “terror, suspense and forensic science” by Patricia Cornwell (Little, Brown Book Group, 2005, London, 466 pages).
Suicides that may be murder, disappearances that reek of kidnaps and mysterious handprints adorning sensitive parts on human bodies, some living, some dead, form the basis of a disjointed plot. The leading characters, including Scarpetta, her niece Lucy, psychologist Benton Wesley and investigator Pete Marino, plus the villain, must grapple with private tragedies, troubled love-lives and mental turmoil. Thoughts of the heinous crimes tend to fade into the shadows.
Suspense builds too slowly, forcing readers to struggle. The pace quickens in the final hundred pages, but that's late in the chase. Ultimately, an ugly crime wave ends, but the personal dilemmas still fester. Failing to fix these problems creates an unsatisfying conclusion.
Guided by Cornwell, a prolific, talented and award-winning author, Scarpetta has cracked tough cases in previous books like Postmortem, Body of Evidence, Cruel and Unusual, From Potter's Field and Blow Fly. On those occasions, the author and her heroine performed much better.
Approval rating: 44 per cent.
For more information: www.particiacornwell.com.
(October 19, 2006)
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