By Patricia Cornwell
(Reviewed by Carla Hedstrom)

Kay Scarpetta is back, this time solving the murder of a young American tennis star whose body was found at a construction site in Rome. As often happens with this forensic pathologist, the trail of this murder leads to a serial killer who uses bizarre methods of death. The more Kay discovers about this particular killer, the closer he or she seems to come to those Kay cares about.

Kay’s relationship with her friend and coworker Pete Marino is strained as he becomes entangled with a woman who supports all of his worst habits, encouraged by a TV talk show host who is somehow involved with the murder. Kay’s husband, Benton, a criminal profiler who formerly worked for the FBI, is also entangled in the mystery, as is Kay’s high-tech niece, Lucy.

If you have followed Kay Scarpetta since her appearance in Postmortem, you will once again enjoy her way of solving mysteries: brains, skill, intuition, and help from her staff and family.

This novel brings some twists with some of the recurring characters: Marino may be on his way out of the series; Kay’s secretary, Rose, reveals a secret; and Lucy, well, Lucy always has secrets.

If you haven’t read Cornwell before, that isn’t an obstacle to reading and enjoying this mystery, but for those of you who are Cornwell fans, this is another fun read.