This is the first book in the Kay Scarpetta series I've read in quite awhile and I enjoyed getting back into it. I thought the introduction of UAP's and possible alien crashes and remains being found and studied was quite well done, particularly with the recent Congress hearing around this. But with Lucy being in the Secret Service and Scarpetta not having the clearance, we're left to decide for ourselves what we think might have happened.

It was also good to have all the same characters back but I did think it was a bit odd that Marino had married Scarpetta's sister. He's always been in love with Scarpetta so is this his way of staying close to her or is he genuinely trying to move on and found that in Dorothy? They don't seem to get along very well and when Scrapetta was commenting on Marino being affectionate with Dorothy, it felt a little weird like maybe she was jealous, even though she has never thought of Marino that way. Maybe she enjoyed the attention she got from him.

I thought this was well written as usual and it was good to have a storyline that's been around for several books now, finally start to look like it might be resolved. But there is always the possibility this person will be back at some stage,

Thanks to NetGalley and Sphere for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

"Identity Unknown" is a solid addition to the Kay Scarpetta series, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of Cornwell's earlier work. The plot is intriguing, and the suspense is well-maintained, but the pacing feels uneven and some twists are predictable. 3 stars ***

I really enjoyed this, book 28 in the Kay Scarpetta series. I wasn’t wowed like I have been with some previous books, but, the author is such a masterful storyteller, despite the complexity of the storyline I maintained interest.

A body is found in very suspicious circumstances and the victim is Sal an Italian old flame of Kay Scarpetta. What follows leads us into the realms of possible lifeforms outside our own and all the fabulous characters from the series are involved and it’s like meeting old friends.

This can absolutely be read as a standalone and for anyone not familiar with the series, I envy you your 28 books of enjoyment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown UK for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review and congratulations to the author on another success.

This is the 28th Kay Scarpetta book and of course the 28th for me by Patricia Cornwell. As this series has progressed, it has gone from a police/mortuary procedural to a science fiction crime fantasy genre. It has changed quite a lot and yet the style of writing is ever the same.

The whole book is so action packed that the story from go to whoa takes a little bit of time in the sense of days or weeks. Having said that, we open the story with a phone call to Dr Scarpetta informing her of the bad news of the death of her friend, she leaves to get to the scene straight away and it's at the 30% mark when she actually gets to the scene. So much back story and filling in of details.

As normal, there is nothing happy or delightful in the interactions of Kay and her family and the tragic and sordid tales of all of their history are a bit thick to wade through. The science element just leads me to believe that Lucy is a God and nothing else, because she can do everything and anything her mind can conjure up. A bit trying if you are in the mood for something lighthearted but as usual, Patricia Cornwell is the queen of the dramatic scenes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC

Many years ago I binge read the first dozen or so Kay Scarpetta novels but haven't been back since. Given the opportunity to read this one I was intrigued to see how the series had developed. Unfortunately I was very disappointed. The plot was convoluted and seemed more about high tech than anything else.

Still Scarpetta, still good, still dangerous to know. Whether you're a figure from her past or a current nemesis, this won't end well for you

There comes a point in a Patricia Cornwell book when my reading speed increases and I turn electronic pages faster as I want to know what’s happening. That point came very early in this book as I wondered how Dr Scarpetta was going to pull all the disparate story threads together. And Kay (and Ms Cornwell) managed that with aplomb.

There are reasons I like this book that I can’t explain without spoiling the plot and I’d never do that. Suffice to say that there are some surprises and some clever science.

You could read this as a standalone but the whole series gives a proper timeline to the various relationships - why Kay and Lucy are so close, why Janet lives on in a computer, why Dorothy is tolerated by Kay, how Benson, Lucy, and Kay handle all the ‘need to know’ stuff, and perhaps most importantly why Kay puts up with - and respects - Marino.

There are the usual cookery lessons as Kay feeds her various loves - certainly wanted to eat potato cakes by the time she was finished making them! An old lover of Kay’s is found dead in suspicious circumstances in an abandoned theme park, which happens to be owned by the parents of the child she is autopsying at the beginning of the book. Add in a body at the bottom of the sea and Kay has a difficult few days. I like the descriptions of helicopter flying and diving etc that we get as I’ll never do those things in real life.

There is a lot going on here and even if it isn’t ‘literature’, it’s damned fine storytelling and I’m up for that. Ms Cornwell has an incredible imagination and I get to live looking over Kay’s shoulder without worrying about the gruesome scenes and horrible smells.

I’m also very much looking forward to the TV series with Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis among others. Will it match my expectations from reading the books? We will watch and see.

I was given a copy of the book by NetGalley

I don't know if it was the way the ARC was unedited (numbers everywhere) but I struggled with this book. It felt disjointed and slow. I have read all of Patricia Cornwell's books but lately, especially with the Quantum novels, I feel she has struggled with the plots. There seems to be less action and more descriptions. Yes, most are aware that she flies helicopters, but the need to describe the take off process in detail I found, nearly boastful.

Would I recommend this book - not as an introduction. I would have bought this on offer to keep up with the progression of Scarpetta but would have resented paying full cost.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A return to classic Scarpetta at her forensic best. Caught up in politics as usual, she has to recover the body of a former lover. Lurking in the shadows is her arch nemesis Carrie.

I've struggled with recent Scarpetta books, they became too wordy and scientific, it decided to try Identity Unknown, the latest in the series - it didn't disappoint, it was more of a return to the older style.

Kay is investigating the death of a child when a body is found a an abandoned theme park, suspiciously owned by the dead child's father. How are the deaths linked, and can Kay, Marino, Lucy and Benton solve the crimes before more are commited?

I love the characters in these books, so I was nice to return to the story being more about them than the science. There is a running storyline through this book from older ones, and I'll definitely read the next book when released, as it will interesting to see how the story progresses from here.

I have read or listened to almost all of the Scarpetta stories. This I really enjoyed as it has the flavour of some of the earlier work.

Questions are raised following a post mortem of a child whose parents are theme park owners and the discovery of a body at the very same theme park. I becomes personal when Kay finds out that the body is one of her long time friends. The plot quickly builds with plenty of drama and enough scientific bits to satisfy the nerd in me.

Another fabulous read.

Scarpetta is back and she is at her best !
She is looking into a case where a child appears to have shot herself with her fathers gun , the father is a wealthy business man but their parenting skills are lacking and they are a repulsive couple.
They think they can bully Scarpetta into answering their questions and releasing their daughter’s body by harassing her.
Whilst on this case Kay is asked to look at a weird case in an abandoned theme park. Which by coincidence is owned by the child’s father but is it a coincidence or something more sinister?
A male body is found and it looks like it’s been dropped from a high flying object which the secret service seems to believe is a UFO ( not meaning that it’s aliens but just unidentified.)
This case rocks Kay it her core when she founds out who the body is and leaves her playing a game out cat and mouse both trying to stay alive and protect those close to her .
A tangled web which makes a perfect Scarpetta read!
Highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK.

Dw i wedi bod yn darllen cyfres Scarpetta ers blynyddoedd, campwaith Patricia Cornwell, ac mae'n anodd credu bod cymaint o lyfrau yn y gyfres erbyn hyn. Rwyf wedi darllen bron pob un ohonynt ac maent oll yn llwyddo i'mhudo i ddirgelwch a chyfrinachau'r Unol Daleithiau a'r gwasanaethau cudd. Mae'r prif gymeriadau fel hen gyfeillion erbyn hyn gyda Kay a Marino yn parhau i'n diddanu er eu gwahaniaethau. Mae hen elynion yn llechu eto yn y nofel hon ac mae cymaint o droeon annisgwyl. Er fy mod wedi bod yn darllen gwaith Patricia Cornwell ers dros ddegawd, mae'n anodd iawn dyfalu'r hyn sydd am ddigwydd. Mae'r cyfan yn dechrau gyda marwolaethau annisgwyl ac mae'n rhaid i Kay ymchwilio iddynt gyda chymorth ei chyfaill oes Marino, ei gŵr Benton a'i nith Lucy sydd oll yn wynebau cyfarwydd o'r nofelau eraill yn y gyfres. Mae Patricia Cornwell yn rhoi digon o wybodaeth fel y gallai rhywun ddarllen y nofel hon ar ei phen ei hun ond yn bersonol teimlaf fod angen darllen y mwyafrif helaeth ohonynt i gael y darlun llawn, ac i ddod i adnabod Kay Scarpetta a'i chyfeillion (a'i gelynion) yn iawn. Campwaith arall ac mae'n fy synnu bob tro sut mae'r awdur yn llwyddo i ddal ati i'n synnu!

I've been reading the Scarpetta series for years, Patricia Cornwell's masterpiece, and it's hard to believe there are so many books in the series now. I've read almost all of them and they all manage to draw me into the mystery and secrets of the United States and the secret service. The main characters feel like old friends with Kay and Marino continuing to entertain despite their differences. Old enemies are lurking again in this novel and there are so many unexpected twists. Although I've been reading Patricia Cornwell's work for well over a decade I can never guess where the story is leading. It all starts with unexpected deaths and Kay has to investigate with the support of her lifelong friend Marino, her husband Benton and her niece Lucy who are all familiar faces from other novels in the series. Patricia Cornwell supplies enough information so that a reader could read this as a standalone novel, but personally I feel the majority of them need to be read to get the full picture and to fully get to know and understand Kay Scarpetta and her friends (and her enemies). Another masterpiece and it always astounds me how the author manages to continue to surprise us!

Scarpetta is back with another mind-bending thriller. This series has been going for a long time and I've dipped in and out over the last few books but this really does feel like more of an "original" Scarpetta book.

Whilst there is plenty of scientific and technical jargon, I didn't feel like a complete idiot when I was googling things! There is always something new to learn in a Scarpetta book and this time around it was UFO, secret projects and a long lost love.

There are plenty of twists and I completely failed to pick up on some of the clues scattered through the book so I was flabbergasted at the big reveal! How could I have forgotten about XXX! Very much a Kay centred story and I have to admit I still find Marino/Dorothy a weird turn of events.

Continuing the series, book 28, featuring Dr Kay Scarpetta and her sidekick Marino and this time she is facing the death of a very old and close friend Sal Giordano. Interrupted in the middle of an autopsy of a young girl Luna who she believes was killed by her wealthy parents, they are flown to the site where Sal has been found. It appears he was thrown out of an aircraft but the only craft spotted on radar was a UAP or UFO. Marino of course loves the idea of possible Aliens on Earth! As always a well written and well constructed story with some clues cleverly hidden in the narrative.

Briefly, Kay has serious concerns about Luna’s death but Luna’s father, Bryce Briley, is being particularly obstructive. The autopsy on Sal is done at a secret military installation and Kay is shocked to find the Sal may have left her a clue. Unable to ascertain how or why her friend has been killed Kay begins to suspect her nemesis Carrie Grethen is involved, but she is dead, isn’t she?

This is a bizzare case for Kay and the team - UFO, deserted theme parks, strange substances just for starters. The scenes in the theme park are quite creepy, almost horror! But nothing fazes Kay and she is going to get to the bottom of both deaths. Another riveting thriller and, apart from the gory work on the autopsy table which sent a shiver down my spine, it was difficult to put down. A very enjoyable read.

Summoned to an unnerving, abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, Dr Kay Scarpetta is devastated to learn that the victim is a man she once loved. While teaching in Rome during the early days of her career, Scarpetta had an intense love affair with Sal Giordano that led to a lifelong friendship. The murder scene is bizarre, with a crop circle of petals around the body, and Giordano’s skin is strangely red. Scarpetta’s niece Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows an autopsy can reveal the dead’s secrets, but she is shocked to find her friend seems to have deliberately left her a clue.
The twenty eighth book in this long running series & I’ve read most of them, as with all series I find some books better than others, this was about in the middle. I really like Kay, Lucy, Mario & Benton & love the dynamics between them. Another well written enjoyable thriller. I liked that clues were scattered throughout the book even though I didn’t pick up on most. I look forward as to what’s come
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

Identity Unknown

In ‘Identity Unknown’, Dr Kay Scarpetta is dealing with the latest visitor to the morgue with a heavy heart. It’s the seven year old daughter of a local entrepreneur and wheeler dealer who allegedly shot herself to death with her father’s gun. But Scarpetta has found injuries on Luna’s body which point to her life being short and troubled although her parents describe her as ‘accident prone’. To add to the atmosphere the staff are also being plagued by anonymous calls in which the caller says nothing and hangs up.
Bryce Briley, Luna’s father, is determined to be difficult and obstructive and makes threats against the department. He wants Luna’s body returned to him and everything hushed up. But time stops briefly for Kay when her niece, Lucy, rings in with another case. The body of a brilliant astrophysicist, Sal Giordano also known as the ET Whisperer, has been found and has apparently been dropped from a UFO. It landed in the Witch’s House at an abandoned Wizard of Oz theme park.
At the dark and deserted them park, Kay senses that someone is watching them and as they leave it suddenly comes to life as an anonymous person has paid to have the power switched back on. A character describes it as ‘someone sticking pins in our doll.’
Sal was Kay’s fairytale romance when she lived in Rome before she and her husband, Benton, finally got together. Sal had turned 60 on the previous day and Kay had met him at his house to give him a birthday present. Now he is gone and so is a part of her life. But there is an autopsy to perform and she knows that this is the last kindness that she can do for him. But as Kay begins to investigate Sal’s horrible death, she finds links between him and Luna Briley. Both of their bodies have a mysterious substance on them and Kay is even more mystified when she finds out what it is. Meanwhile Bryce Briley seems to be everywhere. He owns the theme park, the airport from which a newscaster’s doomed helicopter takes off and can call in favours from all and sundry.
But as events begin to escalate Kay realises who is really pulling the strings and will stop at nothing to achieve their aims.
This is the 28th Scarpetta book and it really rips along. We meet her with a new secretary, Shannon, who takes no nonsense from Bryce Briley and a new security guard after Kay fired Norm Duffy. There is a bittersweet air to the story as Kay remembers her affair with Sal and that their careers drove them apart. Unrequited love seems to be a big theme in the book.
The Scarpetta books have really improved since the emphasis on technology receded. They were hard going as I prefer to read about people and not hardware. The human aspects of the story seemed to have been forgotten. The author also seemed to have grown tired of her cast of characters and they were shadows of themselves, going through the motions. Technology can be fascinating but it shouldn’t completely drive the plot. But there has been a return to more of a story and the books have become better over recent years. Although UFOs or Unidentified Flying Craft as they’re now known is part of the plot it takes a back seat.
UNKNOWN 3yet she keeps getting caught and carted off to jail only to break free and start over again. I did find myself thinking ‘If she’s so clever, how come she’s keeps getting caught?’ The scenes in the Oz theme park were some of the best in the book – really creepy especially when the power came back on again as they were leaving to give the team a macabre send off. I also felt Kay’s sorrow at being present at Sal’s lonely cremation as part of her life went with him.
One of the best Scarpetta novels in recent years and the stage is set for the next one. Bring it on!
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this awesome book

scarpetta at her best.... when the call goes out that there is a body at an old abandoned theme park scarpetta and marino with the help of lucy fly out to the area... its not going to be pleasant for kay as its her long time friend and old lover Sal Giordano.....

but what is unknown and what everyone is twitched about was could the et whisperer have actually been abducted by aliens who then dropped him to earth....

with all the interest and national security interest kay and marino have their work cut out for them....

wow this book has everything that anyone could want from a scarpetta book murder , intrigue. threats, and plain old autopsies... its what we all know and love about this series

I always enjoy catching up with Kay Scarpetta and her squad and have been with them since the start.

This book starts with the examination of a young child who Scarpetta believes has been killed by her abusive parents. Kay and Marino are then called to examine a body in an abandoned theme park. The body belongs to Sal, a ex boyfriend of Kay’s and a fellow scientist studying UFO’s.
Whilst investigating his murder, Kay and her team are put in danger when an old advisory reappears.

Great novels which mix forensics with cutting edge technology and current affairs, I always look forward to the next release.

I don't know how the Author does it , especially in such a long running series , but she has done it again ......... produced
another nail biting book , full of twists and turns around every corner .
When Kay is called out to a body found in an abandoned theme park she is in for a shock ........ the body is none
other than that of a past love and long time friend , Sal Giordino !
Kay is already dealing with another death , that of a child , who just happen to be the daughter of the owners of the theme park - is
this a coincidence or is there more to events than first appears .
Kay feels as though she is being kept in the dark about Sal's work in the run up to his death , not just by the Government
but also her own family . And just why are the child's parents pushing to get the body back before she is ready to release it ??
This book brings to the fore Kay's relationships not just with her husband and niece but also that with her sister and brother-in-law
which is covered in depth in the book .
The book is very fast paced after the initial first few chapters , detailing the use of modern technology to further Kay's investigations
and producing plots within plots to keep the most discerning reader involved in the outcome - another excellent addition to the series

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own