This is book 28 in the Kay Scarpetta series by my favorite mystery author. I have read every single Scarpetta book in order. This one was fantastic!
STORY SUMMARY
Dr. Scarpetta, chief medical examiner of Alexandria, Virginia, has been summoned to the creepy, old and now abandoned, Oz theme park. She has to help retrieve a body that was left there.....it literally fell out of the sky....and she's devastated to learn that it is Sal Giordano, a man she loved a life time ago but with whom she is still friends. When she was young and teaching in Rome one summer in the early days of her career, she had a love affair with the acclaimed astrophysicist, and although they parted ways romantically, they have had a lifelong friendship.
The murder scene is truly bizarre. There is a crop circle of flower petals all around the body and Sal's skin is a weird deep red. Scarpetta's genius niece Lucy, believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows that when she performs autopsies, they can reveal secrets of the dead person. But she is shocked to find that her friend seems to have deliberately left her a clue.
All of the investigators involved, including members of the Secret Service, are town between suspicions of otherworldly forces, and even of Giordano himself. But Kay Scarpetta detects an explanation that is much closer to home...and in her mind...it is far more evil.
Just before she has to go retrieve Sal's body, she has completed the autopsy of a little 7 year old girl, Luna Briley, whose parents, who happen to actually be the owners of Oz theme park, claim was shot by her own hand with a pistol. The autopsy reveals that she has been a victim of years of abuse.....and yes, she was shot.....but not by her own hand playing with a pistol. What are the Briley's trying to cover up? And is Luna's death related to Giordano's??
MY THOUGHTS
This book was even better than #27 and I really enjoyed the twist in that one....and now here we are at 28 with 27 kind of creeping into this latest chapter in Kay Scarpetta's life. It's been 5 months since the previous book and the author does a great job in getting the reader invested in yet another weird death.
Characters from the past show up again in this story and the author has a knack for keeping it fresh.
I loved the action and the science behind the plot. I learned some really interesting things about computer technology as well as issues relating to NASA. Some readers might feel that it bogs down the story but the author does a great job of moving things forward and nothing feels stilted in this plot.
The ending is poignant and yet we know.....we know......that one character is most likely going to return before Dr Scarpetta finally retires. I love that.
I'm already looking forward to reading the latest one in the series, #29 Sharp Force. Of course there's quite a waiting list at the library for it as it was just released in early October.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.
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