Publishers Weekly
08/05/2024
In Cornwell’s diverting if overstuffed latest mystery for Kay Scarpetta (after Unnatural Death), Virginia’s chief medical examiner investigates two bizarre, potentially linked crimes. First, Kay is called to examine the body of seven-year-old Luna Briley, daughter of billionaire Ryder and his wife, Piper, who claim Luna accidentally shot herself. After conducting an autopsy, however, Kay comes to believe the Brileys are guilty of child abuse—and likely murder. Meanwhile, Kay gets word that her former lover, Nobel-winning physicist Sal Giordano, has been killed and left on the grounds of Oz, an abandoned theme park founded by none other than Ryder Briley. When Kay and her friend, former detective Pete Marino, helicopter to Oz to recover Sal’s remains, they find strange crop circles surrounding his corpse. Questions abound, including what Sal was working on at the time of his death, whether UFOs might be involved, and the uncomfortable possibility that his murder is linked to Luna Briley’s untimely death. Cornwell gives each one their due, but an excess of subplots stifles the plot’s momentum. This one’s best-suited for devoted series fans. Agent: Esther Newberg, CAA. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Iconic. Bold. Brilliant. Identity Unknown is hauntingly original, impossibly clever and devilishly daring. Scalpel-sharp storytelling, trademark twists and characters that feel like family, this series is one of the all-time greats.”
- Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark
—Chris Whitaker
OCTOBER 2024 - AudioFile
January LaVoy returns to narrate the 28th book in the Kay Scarpetta series. This one is a doozy. A shocked Scarpetta learns that her former lover, Sal Giordano, has been murdered and that she must perform his autopsy in front of several high-ranking DC officials, including her husband, Benton, an FBI profiler. LaVoy's crisp delivery of dialogue crackles throughout the production. Consistent voicings for every character are commendable as Scarpetta discovers clues linking the deaths of Giordan and three other people. LaVoy's stellar ability to ratchet up suspense using pitch and pacing is riveting, especially after Scarpetta discovers villain Carrie Grethen's role in this case. S.D.B. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2024-08-29
The death of an old friend who was more than a friend sends Dr. Kay Scarpetta down her latest rabbit hole.
If every body tells a story, the corpse of 7-year-old Luna Briley sings the blues. On top of the many signs of ongoing physical abuse, there’s the fatal gunshot wound to her head. Ryder and Piper Briley, the wealthy and powerful parents who didn’t call the police until after their daughter died, insist that Luna’s death was an accident, or maybe a suicide. Scarpetta doesn’t think so, and her refusal to release the body to the Brileys’ hand-picked mortician moves them to legal action against her as Virginia’s chief medical examiner. You’d think it would be a relief to put this case aside for another when Scarpetta’s niece, Secret Service agent Lucy Farinelli, calls her and ferries her by helicopter to an abandoned Oz theme park owned by Ryder Briley, but this one’s even more heartbreaking. Scarpetta is there to examine the body of astrophysicist Sal Giordano, her close friend and former lover, who was evidently kidnapped, held in captivity for several hours, and tossed out of an unidentified aircraft. The leading suspects are the Brileys; Carrie Grethen, Lucy’s sociopathic ex-lover, with whom Scarpetta has repeatedly tangled in the past; and the UFO that dumped Giordano’s body without leaving the usual traces for air-traffic technologies to pick up. The multiple rounds of physical examinations Scarpetta conducts on both victims are every bit as meticulous and gripping as fans would expect; the killer’s identity is neither surprising nor interesting, but Cornwell juggles her trademark forensics, and the paranormal hints she’s become increasingly invested in, more dexterously than usual.
Expert, but unsurprising.
