CHAOS Kay Scarpetta, Book 24

Although this is not Cornwell's best mystery, narrator Susan Ericksen works to bring Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta to life. A young woman bicycling through a park near Harvard is killed in what appears to be a lightning electrocution only hours after casually meeting Kay. At almost the same time, several states away, Kay's mentor is also attacked. Ericksen's pace seems methodical and deliberate, perhaps matching the slower tempo of this latest entry in the Scarpetta series. Kay comes across as just plain tired and cranky, investigative partner Pete Marino is typically pushy, and FBI agent Benton displays his characteristic unflappability. Conversations between the three of them comprise most of this low-action whodunit. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2017]