9/10
A solid mystery woven into the continuing story of Dr. Kay Scarpetta, her niece, Lucy, her lover Benton Wesley, and her police partner Marino. Side bonus—I learned a lot about arson investigations. ( )

The ninth book in Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series about the Chief Examiner of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The title refers to the spot where an arsonist sets a fire, although arson is mostly a red herring in this novel. Scarpetta is called to the stud farm of a wealthy and powerful newspaper proprietor, who was once Scarpetta’s political boss, which has burned to the ground, killing all the horses… and an unidentified young woman. Scarpetta’s niece, Lucy, has left the FBI and joined the ATF, and is also assigned to the case. As usually happens in these books, the forces of law and order flounder about for a while, unable to make sense of the crime, or subsequent crimes which are clearly connected. But then an old adversary - in this case, the female half of the psychokiller duo who went on a murdering spree a couple of books earlier, and who has now manipulated herself free from the sanatorium for the criminally insane where she was being incarcerated. But as Scarpetta and the ATF discover earlier crimes by the same perpetrator, committed before the psychokiller escaped, it becomes obvious she has a new partner. The clues to his identity then come thick and fast, but he’s leading them around by the nose. So Scarpetta does what she always does and steps into the crosshairs, allowing someone to blow the two killers away. I’ve heard complaints these books go into too much detail with the forensics and autopsies, but that’s why I enjoy reading them. The plots are formulaic, the characters are often a little too good to be true, Scarpetta is always on an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish… but the science and pathology is fascinating. Only nineteen more to go. ( )

Scarpetta used to be one of my favourite series. However, the books became increasingly formulaic and patchy. After rushing to buy each new one for many years, I haven't read anything by Cornwell in at least a decade. This one turned up in my street library, so I thought I'd give it a go. Yeah, nah. Too many loose ends and unexplained elements, and the end of the book was rushed, and rather contrived. The escaped colt that received such big buildup was forgotten. I mean, a bunch of horses die in this fire, but one survives, why?????? Who knows - it's never explained.
Killing off Benton was unnecessary and added nothing to the story arc - and resurrecting him in the next book (which I found I had read out of order) is just silly. Habit only lasts so long before it becomes a form of compulsion. Since I'm not a compulsive person, Cornwell, I fear, has lost me. ( )

Very good mystery of arson used by an old enemy to wreak revenge. Ending was a little too tidy and the story lacked any narrative from the point of view of the antagonist.

Dr Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia returns for her ninth outing, As the novel opens, she receives a letter from Carrie Grethen, a psychopathic killer who has appeared in several previous books, and who has appointed herself arch nemesis for Kay, her niece Lucy, and crime fighting associates Benton Wesley (formerly the suave, head profiler for the FBI and now established as Kay’s Lover) and ultra rough diamond Police Captain, Pete Marino. Grethen is in custody, undergoing psychiatric assessment while awaiting trial for multiple killings. The letter is far from lucid, but within its frantic scrawl Kay perceives an urgent if undefined threat.

Meanwhile, Kay and Marino are summoned to the site of a gruesome arson attack which has levelled the capacious house and stables of a prominent and immensely wealthy businessman, with whom they have crossed swords before. In addition to the string of horses housed at the property, a human body is found, prompting a federal, cross-agency investigation. The owner of the property is an African American, and racial motives for the attack are suspected.

This novel was slightly less frenetic that some of its predecessors had been, although Kay Scarpetta remains on the cusp pf paranoia. Her niece Lucy is slightly less objectional that in some of the recent books, too, which certainly came as a relief.

The plot is soundly developed, and while by this stage of her writing career Cornwell seemed happy to leave no cliché knowingly overlooked, the story moves along briskly. It still seemed a long way from the string of excellent books that launched the series, such as Postmortem, All That Remains, and Body of Evidence. ( )