The Bone Bed (Kay Scarpetta Series #20)

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Overview


A woman has vanished while digging a dinosaur bone bed in the remote wilderness of Canada. Somehow, the only evidence has made its way to the inbox of Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, over two thousand miles away in Boston. She has no idea why.
 
But as events unfold with alarming speed, Scarpetta begins to suspect that the paleontologist’s disappearance is ...
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The Bone Bed (Kay Scarpetta Series #20)

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More About This Book

Overview


A woman has vanished while digging a dinosaur bone bed in the remote wilderness of Canada. Somehow, the only evidence has made its way to the inbox of Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, over two thousand miles away in Boston. She has no idea why.
 
But as events unfold with alarming speed, Scarpetta begins to suspect that the paleontologist’s disappearance is connected to a series of crimes much closer to home: a gruesome murder, inexplicable tortures, and trace evidence from the last living creatures of the dinosaur age.
 
When she turns to those around her, Scarpetta finds that the danger and suspicion have penetrated even her closest circles. Her niece Lucy speaks in riddles. Her lead investigator, Pete Marino, and FBI forensic psychologist and husband, Benton Wesley, have secrets of their own. Feeling alone and betrayed, Scarpetta is tempted by someone from her past as she tracks a killer both cunning and cruel.
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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

With vexing cases everywhere she turns, forensic whiz Dr. Kay Scarpetta hopes for help that doesn't seem to be forthcoming. The Bone Bed snaps along with investigations ranging from a body washed up in Boston Harbor to a missing paleontologist in western Canada.

Library Journal
First, a leading paleontologist goes missing from a dinosaur dig in Canada. Then a body is heaved out of Boston Harbor. Soon, other curious, unsolved cases pile up, and forensic expert Kay Scarpetta has her hands full. Cornwell has been struggling lately; see what happens, and buy for her fans.
Kirkus Reviews
Having survived brushes with ruthless killers, human monsters and treacherous colleagues of every stripe (Red Mist, 2011, etc.), forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta limps into her 20th case to encounter more of the same. Scarpetta's latest casts her as Zeno trying to overtake the tortoise. Before she can track the provenance of the video that's been emailed to her--a video apparently featuring footage of missing University of Alberta paleontologist Emma Shubert's severed ear--she has to testify, however unwillingly, for the defense in Channing Lott's trial for the murder of his vanished wife. Before she can leave for court, she has to examine the mummified remains of an unidentified woman who's been spotted in Boston Harbor--an examination that has to begin instantly, before the deterioration delayed by the corpse's long period of climate-controlled storage resumes at top speed. But before Scarpetta can get the corpse on a slab, it'll have to be gently cut loose from the leatherback turtle who's gotten tangled up with it, an animal whose endangered species status gives it priority over a mere human cadaver. The first half of this sprawling, ambitious tale may make the reader feel like Zeno as well, constantly struggling to catch up to what Scarpetta already knows about the latest round of traumas posed by her husband, Benton Wesley, her niece, Lucy Farinelli, and her investigator, Pete Marino. It's not till the second half, when Cornwell hunkers down to tie all these cases together, that excitement rises even as disbelief creeps in. An ingenious murder method, more hours in the mortuary and forensics lab than usual, an uncharacteristically muffled killer, and all the trademark battles among the regulars and every potential ally who gets in their way.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781410452887
  • Publisher: Gale Cengage Learning
  • Publication date: 11/1/2012
  • Series: Kay Scarpetta Series , #20
  • Edition description: Large Prin
  • Pages: 603
  • Sales rank: 370,467
  • Product dimensions: 5.80 (w) x 8.60 (h) x 1.30 (d)

Meet the Author

Patricia Cornwell

Patricia Cornwell is one of the world’s major internationally bestselling authors, translated into thirty-six languages in more than fifty countries. She is a founder of the Virginia Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine; a founding member of the National Forensic Academy; a member of the Advisory Board for the Forensic Sciences Training Program at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, New York City; and a member of the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she is an advocate for psychiatric research. In 2008, Cornwell won the Galaxy British Book Awards’s Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year—the first American to win this prestigious award. In 2011, she was awarded the medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Ministry of Culture in Paris. Her most recent bestsellers include Red Mist, Port Mortuary, The Scarpetta Factor, The Front, and Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper. Her earlier works include Postmortem—the only novel to win five major crime awards in a single year—and Cruel & Unusual, which won Britain’s Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel of 1993. Dr. Kay Scarpetta herself won the 1999 Sherlock Award for the best detective created by an American author.

Biography

Patricia Cornwell writes crime fiction from an unusually informed point of view. While many writers are, as she says, conjuring up "fantasy" assumptions regarding what really goes into tracking criminals and examining crime scenes, Cornwell really does walk the walk, which is why her novels ring so true.

Before becoming one of the most widely recognized, respected, and read writers in contemporary crime fiction, she worked as a police reporter for The Charlotte Observer and as a computer analyst in the chief medical examiner's office in Virginia. During this period of her life, Cornwell observed literally hundreds of autopsies. While the vast majority of people would surely regard such work unsavory beyond belief, Cornwell was acquiring valuable information that would not only help her write the groundbreaking 2002 study Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper -- Case Closed but would also enrich her fiction with uncommon authenticity.

"Most of these crime scene shows... are what I call ‘Harry Potter' policing," she said in a candid, heated interview. "They're absolutely fantasy. And the problem is the general public watches these, 60 million people a week or whatever, and they think what they're seeing is true." If Cornwell comes off as a bit vehement in her criticism of television shows meant to simply entertain, that's just because she takes her work so seriously.

Not that Cornwell's novels are ever anything short of entertaining, even if their grisly details may require extra-strong stomachs of her readers. She has created a tremendously well-defined and complex character in her favorite fictional crime solver Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Cornwell introduced medical examiner Scarpetta in her first novel, Postmortem in 1990. Today, Scarpetta is still cracking cases and cracking open cadavers. (She has even inspired a cook book called Food to Die For: Secrets from Kay Scarpetta's Kitchen.) In addition, Cornwell writes more lighthearted cop capers in her Andy Brazil & Judy Hammer series.

Good To Know

Cornwell knows what its like to shatter records. Her debut, Postmortem, was the only novel by a first-time author to ever win five major mystery awards in a single year.

Cornwell may be a former crime solver, but she shudders to think that her books could actually contribute to crime. In fact, she says she has received "thank you" notes from prisoners who claim they have gleaned information from her books that might help them cover their tracks while committing future crimes.

If parody is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, then Cornwell has a fan in Chris Elliott. The professional wisenheimer published a hilarious takeoff on her true crime book Portrait of a Killer called The Shroud of the Thwacker.

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    1. Also Known As:
      Patricia Daniels Cornwell (full name)
    2. Hometown:
      Boston, MA and New York, NY
    1. Date of Birth:
      June 9, 1956
    2. Place of Birth:
      Miami, Florida
    1. Education:
      B.A. in English, Davidson College, 1979; King College
    2. Website:
      http://www.patriciacornwell.com

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 268 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(127)

4 Star

(37)

3 Star

(42)

2 Star

(33)

1 Star

(29)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 268 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 21, 2012

    Not her besr

    I have been a fan of her books but this one was a disappointment. The plot took forever to start and was very disconnected to the rest of the book. Think I will find another author to read instead of Cornwell for a while.

    25 out of 27 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 21, 2012

    Not one of her best novels.

    Very disjointed, almost as if written by someone else. Not as good as her early works. Last several books have been this way.

    22 out of 23 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 29, 2012

    Awful.

    I actually despise these characters now. Last Cornwell book for me.

    13 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 8, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Last book by Cornwell for me. I haven't read a book by Patricia

    Last book by Cornwell for me.
    I haven't read a book by Patricia Cornwell in some time, so I decided to take a chance on this one after reading the first few pages in the store. Boy was I wrong! Like several other reviews, I find the characters need a serious attitude adjustment, particularly Scarpetta. She is arrogant, self centered, and a few other adjectives I would prefer not to include. I don't understand why she continues to put up with Marino either. Maybe they are made for each other? I was so disappointed and even bored with this book, I quit reading half wal thru. Maybe when I have nothing else to read I'll pick it back up. Don't waste your money.

    12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 18, 2012

    Great as always

    Another fabulous Scarpetta novel from the master. Highly recommended.

    12 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 3, 2012

    Disappointed

    I have read every Scarpetta book and was shockingly disappointed in this one. If the point if this book was to show that Kay is human and struggles with unsecurity then I guess that comes through. Surely there was a better way to accomplish that than the constant negative self talk and doubt. It felt like Kay was simply getting old and losing her confidence and edge. I've always loved these characters, but in this book not a single one developed further or experienced any personal growth. Is it a good story? It's OK, but it is nowhere near the quality I expect frim PC. My only hope is that this book laid some groundwork for the next one where the story of these characters can actually continue. If that isn't the plan then she should have ended the series with the last book.

    9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 31, 2012

    Just So-So

    I long for the great plots of Cornwell's earlier days

    9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 20, 2012

    don't waste your money

    Very disappointing! I've been a PC fan since the beginning but her last book wasn't great and this was worse.

    8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 20, 2012

    I have always liked Patricia Cornwell's books. I have been disap

    I have always liked Patricia Cornwell's books. I have been disappointed in her last two books. The storyline doesn't seem to stay on track making it very difficult to figure out where she is trying to lead us in her book. There has been too much focus on Kay Scarpetta's niece "Lucy" and all the insight into her personality which distracts from the storyline tremendously. I could not concentrate on the story and all the peices didn't fit well for me. The Bone Bed storyline didn't flow together. I am wondering if Kay Scarpetta needs to take a leave of absence for awhile. The characters didn't seem to be "working together" in this mystery thriller and there was too much focus in their own individual problems. I

    7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 8, 2012

    Very disappointing..her last book wasn't that good either..it&qu

    Very disappointing..her last book wasn't that good either..it"s like someone else is writing the Kay Scarpetta series now...

    7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 7, 2013

    The absolute worst

    Cornwell Entertainment must be a group of undiscovered wannabes now writing Ms. Cornwell's books in committee. I loved the Scarpetta series initially but from what I have read in the last few years I get the feeling that our dear Ms. Cornwell no longer does her own writing. The style is formulaic and the narrative line very disjointed, almost as if she were attempting to patch together the efforts of a number of different writers. The title is a misnomer as the dinosaur dig played a very minor role in the plot. The forensic aspects play a big part but do little to advance a thinly patched-together plot. I found it substantially less than riveting, easy to put down and a major disappointment. I will waste my money no longer buying Ms. Cornwell's books. She lacks the exciting and creative inspiration that served her so well in the past. This book is by far the worst she has written.

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 20, 2012

    The worst of the series....

    I have read all the Kay Svarpetta series. This was terrible and did not meet up to the others. Very disappointed

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 19, 2012

    Not one of her best

    The book was full of conversations that really added nothing to the story. It drug on and on then wrapped up quickly. I wouldn't recommend it.

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 15, 2012

    Kay Scarpetta seems weak and lost. There seemed to be pages of

    Kay Scarpetta seems weak and lost. There seemed to be pages of boring innocuous dialog that lead nowhere. The villain was introduced or I should say thrown in in the last 30 pages. A bit out of nowhere also. I will not be reading any other Patricia Cornwell books. Very disappointing! I miss the edgy early Scarpetta books! Couldn't put them down! I had to force myself to finish this book! Just a snooze!

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 2, 2012

    Not that good

    A lot of words but not much going on. I love this series but really this one was not worth the money.

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 1, 2013

    A big disappointment

    Having read many of her books I was really looking forward to this one. However I found it very drawn out and her story line is the "same ol" - This will be my last book about Dr Kay Scarpatta.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 16, 2012

    Not one of the best

    This book felt choppy and disoriented compared to other Scarpetta novels. Very little about solving a crime. More about the personalities of the characters. It is not something i would have spent money on if i had known. Hoping for better in the next novel..

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 22, 2012

    O.K. Book

    Maybe it's time to let Kay Scarpetta retire and enjoy herself with Benton. It's getting bad when you can almost figure out what's going to happen based on earlier books. While I love Ms. Cornwell's books, they're getting a little stale and redundant. Plus, hasn't Kay been about the same age for the last 10 years?

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 26, 2012

    This book kept you guessing and took the characters in direction

    This book kept you guessing and took the characters in directions they had never been before I loved every second of it. Then again she has written a book I havent loved

    3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 27, 2013

    I recently began this audiobook and am having a hard time listen

    I recently began this audiobook and am having a hard time listening to it. I have either read or listened to alot of Cornwell's book but am having a hard time with this one. It seems like there is alot of high school jealousy talk - it is taking forever to get to the plot! Will give it a couple more chapters, if doesn't get any better, back to the library it goes!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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