BOOK OF THE DEAD

There's no faulting the messenger in Patricia Cornwell's latest thriller. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson renders the latest adventure of forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta quite perfectly. What Masterson can't do is save the novel, a pale imitation of a once robust franchise. Masterson breathes life into the colorful cast of characters that inhabit the Scarpetta world, giving each one a distinct personality. Ostensibly the book is about the murder of a 16-year-old tennis star by The Sandman. After a maddening series of subplots, he's captured in a couple sentences. It happens so fast this listener thought he'd missed something. Either this is a terrible abridgment, or this series is dead. M.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 08]