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The Body Farm: Scarpetta 5 (Kay Scarpetta) by [Patricia Cornwell]

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Patricia Cornwell

The Body Farm: Scarpetta 5 (Kay Scarpetta) Kindle Edition

by Patricia Cornwell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

1,924 ratings

Book 5 of 26: Kay Scarpetta

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#1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell returns to the chilling world of gutsy medical examiner Kay Scarpetta in this classic forensic thriller.

Little Emily Steiner left a church meeting late one afternoon and strolled toward home along a lakeside path; a week later, her nude body was discovered, bound in blaze-orange duct tape. Called by the North Carolina authorities, forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta recognizes similarities to the gruesome work of a serial killer who has long eluded the FBI But as she tries to make sense of the evidence, she is left with questions that lead her to the Body Farm, a little known research facility in Tennessee where, with the help of some grisly experiments, she might discover the answer.

It is Scarpetta alone who can interpret the forensic hieroglyphics that eventually reveal a solution to the case as staggering as it is horrifying. But she must also endeavor to help her niece, Lucy, who is embroiled in controversy at Quantico. And Scarpetta, too, is vulnerable, as she opens herself to the first physical and emotional bond she has felt in far too long a time. Tenacious and brilliant, tender and gentle, this is Scarpetta even more realized and poignant than we’ve seen her before—in a stunning achievement from a bestselling author at the peak of her powers.

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401 pages
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English
Publisher

Scribner
Publication date

November 30, 2010
File size

1055 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patricia Cornwell is recognized as one of the world’s top bestselling crime authors with novels translated into thirty-six languages in more than 120 countries. Her novels have won numerous prestigious awards including the Edgar, the Creasey, the Anthony, the Macavity, and the Prix du Roman d’Aventure. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper, a biography, and two more fiction series among others. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the cutting-edge forensic technologies that inform her work. She was born in Miami, grew up in Montreat, NC, and now lives and works in Boston. Find out more at PatriciaCornwell.com, at Facebook.com/Patricia.Cornwell, on Twitter: @1pcornwell, and on Instagram: @1pcornwell.

Review

"Among the grittiest of this season's crime novels...convincing...chilling."— Time

"All the pacing and suspense Cornwell fans have come to expect."— People

"Reminiscent of The Silence of the Lambs. Her writing is masterful."— Booklist

--This text refers to the mass_market edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Cornwell ( Body of Evidence ; All That Remains ) casts a wider, surer narrative net in the latest case set for her increasingly complex heroine, Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia. As an FBI consultant, Scarpetta investigates the North Carolina murder of 11-year-old Emily Steiner, whose mutilation suggests the M.O. of an escaped killer met previously in Cruel and Unusual. Forensic clues from the body's second autopsy prompt Scarpetta to request that certain experiments be made at the University of Tennessee's Decay Research Facility, known as the Body Farm. Meanwhile, she, Pete Marino of the Richmond, Va., police, and her new love interest, FBI Unit Chief Benton Wesley investigate the apparent suicide (from autoerotic asphyxiation) of the local FBI agent in charge of the case. Then, Scarpetta's computer-whiz niece Lucy, working at FBI headquarters at Quantico, is charged with violating security. During her travels between North Carolina and Virginia, Scarpetta worries about both the less-than-forthcoming Lucy and Marino, who becomes emotionally entangled with Emily's beautiful stricken mother. Results at the Body Farm lead her to a convincing, if abrupt, resolution. Deeper characterization and a more intricate plot mark this fifth in a consistently compelling series. 500,000 first printing; paperback rights to Berkley; audio rights to Simon & Schus ter; Literary Guild selection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Amazon.com Review

New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell brings back Kay Scarpetta, consulting forensic pathologist for the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, in her grittiest and most compelling novel. In rural North Carolina, the brutal murder of eleven-year-old Emily Steiner has shaken a small town. But more disturbing are the details of the crimes, chillingly reminiscent of the handiwork of a serial killer who has eluded the unit for years. Into this volatile atmosphere comes Scarpetta's ingenious, rebellious niece Lucy, an FBI intern with a promising future in Quantico's computer engineering facility--until she is accused of a shocking security violation. While coming to terms with Lucy, Kay must conduct a grisly forensic investigation at a clandestine research facility in Tennessee known as the Body Farm. There she will find more answers to Emily Steiner's murder--and evidence that paints a picture of a crime more horrifying than she imagined . . . --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

"Among the grittiest of this season's crime novels...convincing...chilling."— Time
"All the pacing and suspense Cornwell fans have come to expect."— People
"Reminiscent of The Silence of the Lambs. Her writing is masterful."— Booklist
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta (Cruel and Unusual, 1993, etc.) has given up smoking and strayed far enough from her high-pressure office to act as a consulting profiler for the FBI, but her nerves are just as frayed at Quantico, especially since her rebellious niece Lucy is a computer-whiz trainee for the Engineering Research Facility down the hall. Scarpetta's latest case is ugly even by her standards: the North Carolina sex murder of Emily Steiner, 11, whose forensics are so contradictory that Scarpetta wants to exhume her for a second autopsy. Before she can do so, North Carolina Bureau investigator Max Ferguson, returning home from Quantico, dies, apparently of autoerotic asphyxia, and his local contact winds up in the hospital with a heart attack. Scarpetta scurries to work out how and why Temple Gault, an apparent serial killer who's the leading suspect in Emily's murder, might have killed Ferguson--and what to make of her gruesome discovery in Ferguson's freezer. No sooner has she finished the grisly re-examination of Emily, than word comes from Quantico that Lucy's sneaked into an unauthorized area after hours and is getting washed out of the program. Scarpetta's two nightmares come together with a crash--a car crash that sends Lucy to the hospital and Scarpetta out to the field to run forensics on her own automobile. As always, tension is ratcheted up, rather unconvincingly, by plots whose interconnection is never quite clear and by the constant friction between Scarpetta and her niece; her sister; her FBI lover, Benton Wesley; her boorish buddy, Capt. Pete Marino; and Emily's mother, with whom Marino is having an affair. But beneath the welter of quarrels and coincidences is as insidious a study of evil as Cornwell has turned in. (Literary Guild main selection) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Library Journal

Following the disappointing Cruel and Unusual (Scribner, 1993), one wondered whether Cornwell was getting bored with her popular Kay Scarpetta series. After all, that novel featured a tired, confused plot and cardboard characters. But, happily, Cornwell is back at the top of her form here. Sure, there are still the red herrings and the plot contrivances, but what makes The Body Farm stand out is the deeper characterizations, especially in the depiction of Scarpetta's relationship with her troubled niece, Lucy. "It seems this is all about people loving people who don't love them back," says Scarpetta, referring to the murder of an 11-year-old girl, which she is investigating as an FBI consultant. But this is also the novel's haunting theme: homicide detective Pete Morino, jealous of Scarpetta's affair with FBI Unit Chief Benton Wesley, becomes involved with the dead girl's mother; Lucy, in love with a calculating fellow FBI student, is accused of violating agency security. Emotionally satisfying reading.
--Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Booklist

Cornwell's name on the cover of a book virtually guarantees both instant best-seller status and enthusiastic raves from reviewers and readers alike. Her latest story is no exception, as popular heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta is called in to help investigate the brutal slaying of an 11-year-old girl. Scarpetta believes the child may have been the victim of Temple Gault, a macabre, demented serial killer who remains at large despite Scarpetta's determined efforts to track him down. It turns out that Scarpetta is at least partly right about Gault, but the child's death is more complicated and horrifying than even the I can't be surprised anymore Scarpetta can imagine. Cornwell's plot is visceral, graphic, and frightening in a way that's vaguely reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs. Her writing is masterful, and she provides evocative backgrounds, provocative characters, and enough ghoulish specifics about autopsies and dead bodies to induce weeks of nightmares. Scarpetta, as usual, is a tenacious, principled investigator who's the one voice of reason in a story fraught with bizarre unreason. This deserves a place in every mystery collection. Emily Melton --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0045UADFI
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner (November 30, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 30, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1055 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 401 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #47,894 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #143 in Medical Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #144 in Medical Fiction (Books)
- #163 in Medical Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
1,924 ratings

About the author

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Patricia Cornwell

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In 1990, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.

Today, Cornwell’s novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper’s identity, cookbooks, a children’s book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and two other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano and Andy Brazil. While writing Quantum, Cornwell spent two years researching space, technology, and robotics at Captain Calli Chase’s home base, NASA’s Langley Research Center, and studied cutting-edge law enforcement and security techniques with the Secret Service, the US Air Force, NASA Protective Services, Scotland Yard, and Interpol.

Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston and Los Angeles.

Customer reviews

5 star		76%
4 star		17%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Reviewing The Body Farm

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2021

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A great read. Very detail oriented, but easy to understand. Has many twists and turns. Well written and very well researched. I chose this book because it was mentioned in books I read about the real Body Farm. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys mystery and authenticity.

2 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2022

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As I continue to read this series, I love how the Author is building all the characters.
Each book is it’s own story but continues certain storylines throughout the series.
I’m enjoying each book more and more!
Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

I absolutely loved this book as I do all of Patricia Cornwell’s books. When I am reading her work, I feel like I am right there. She is an extremely talented writer and I have nothing but admiration for her.

Another great read by Patricia Cornwell

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2020

Verified Purchase

I started the journey with Kay Scarpetta a few weeks ago. Since then I have been engrossed in them. I can’t wait to start the next one.

One person found this helpful

Cornwell does it again!!

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

Patricia Cornwell is a fantastic writer. I have been a fan for many years. If you enjoy a mystery or thriller that is engrossing and fast paced, you will love her books about Kay Scarpetta especially. You will certainly enjoy her other mysteries and thrillers as well. I have read almost every book that she has written and at one time had all of her mysteries in paperback. Now, I am re-reading them for perhaps the sixth of seventh time and they are still just as grabbing for me as they ever were. I am thoroughly enjoying them again and can't put them down as usual.

One person found this helpful

Totally Engrossing

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2018

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Although it has taken me awhile to discover the May Scarpetta. series, it has quickly become a favorite of mine! Strong characters and great storylines make me want to keep reading from beginning to end without stopping. I am hooked and will now be starting with book one and read the entire series, something I seldom do!

Rebecca Stewart

ANOTHER GRAND-PRIZE WINNER FOR AUTHOR CORNWELL

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2016

Verified Purchase

I have seen much abuse of children, in my former career as an Educator . My career began as a Teacher, then progressed to accepting a position as a Middle School Principal, and finally, the most challenging position in any school district, Director of Special Services, which entailed so many different daunting responsibilities that I cannot list them. I don't think that I ever dealt with a situation in which the end result was the death of a child at the hands of a mother, but some other situations that could come close in comparison. And, Lucy's problems, are more familiar than the other atrocity in this awesome novel.

EVERY TEACHER & ADMINISTRATOR in PUBLIC EDUCATION should be required to read this novel. Kay Scarpetta is such a multi-faceted character, and she struggles with many heavy burdens, including those of every patient that she must deal with as a Doctor of Forensic Pathology. If you are guilty of murdering one of her patients, or of attempting harm to Lucy, you had better head for the hills!

Sandra L. Simmons

Another great read....

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2018

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I find myself drawn into this series more with each book I read. This story takes Kay on an adventure. Emotions get the best of her and her nieces reveals some secrets of her own in the end.

One person found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

M Woodley

Time is running out.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

A dusk fringed lifeless lake, little Emily hastens back home... Darkness advancing behind her, the sun slipping below the foothills. Are the gathering shadows sheltering a terrifying presence?
Tick tock… The Boogie man, the Body Farm, the CIA, the just, the brave, the altruistic, the hedonistic, the sordid agent, the furtive lovers. Time is fleeing, some are falling, others failing, others dying, some stumbling, others thriving.
A sting of initial suspicion skilfully injects the reader with an almost intolerable tension. Friendship is tested to the limit. I read this book twice every couple of years since it was published. The first paragraph is my interpretation of one of Dr Scarpetta’s discussions.

2 people found this helpful

MISTERWINT

The Body Farm

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

I wasn't sure I'd like this one. Someone told me that this series dies off around this time but I have all the books and want to read all of them.

I liked the part about her niece finding herself as she grows up, finding herself in a gay relationship. I'm not too sure about all the Quantico stuff where theres so much security that it surely would be impossible to bypass all the security, but hey, I'm only the reader.

The actual crimes were a good read, of which I'll say nothing coz it'll spoil it for anyone bothering to read this review.

I feel sad for Marino. It's time he got himself a decent woman. He can't live off his desires for Kay any longer.

The Kay/Wesley romance thing is very intriguing.

Reading Books Fan Debs

Simply Briliant!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2018

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Loving this seres of books! This is the best one so far! Great description of scenes and the characters seem so real.
Dr Kay Scarpetta seems so normal whilst being very clever and extremely brave, so always routing for her to find the answers keeing her awake at night.
Not too gruesome, and intellgent story telling!

This is why I love to read. Going to buy books 5 & 6 right now.

One person found this helpful

Barbara Watts

Excellent story and book in brilliant condition

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2022

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I love the Patricia Cornwall books and am working my way through them all. Would highly recommend. The book itself arrived quickly and in excellent condition

Mary T

Narration spoilt series

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2021

Verified Purchase

I have been listening to audible for some time but this title in the series was not available so I decided to get it from Amazon, if it was not for wanting to read the Scarpetta series in order I would have wished I had not. The narration is absolutely terrible!!!! There is no difference between characters and it is just like a machine dictating it.

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Patricia Cornwell
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Patricia Cornwell
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