Trace by Patricia Cornwell

After a pause, the lady doctor asks another question. She wants to know why Mrs. Paulsson though her daughter was asleep, what position she was in, and the questions are confusing. Each one hurts like a cramp, like a spasm in a deep place. Why does it matter? What kind of doctor asks questions like this? She is an attrictive woman in a poweful way, not a big woman but strong-looking in a midnight-blue pant suit and midnight-blue blouse that sharpen her handsome features and set off her short blond hair. Her hands are strong but graceful and she wears no rings. Mrs. Paulson stares at the doctor's hands and imagines them taking care of Gilly and starts to cry again.

When I was looking for an easy feel good read today in Chapters, I realised I hadn't written about the latest book I read. It was Trace by Patricia Cornwell, a book I might as well not have bought in first place as I disliked the previous Blow Fly so much. Blow Fly was disgusting, and the whole Chandonne brothers storyline should have ended with the previous book (and I'm afraid we'll still come back to it...). But I've read quite a few Kay Scarpetta novels, and I was curious to see how the storyline with Benton would develop, and the first couple of pages that I read in the bookstore seemed interesting... so I bought it.

And turns out a good buy, this book is better than several of hers I've read lately. Scarpetta is back in Richmond to investigate the tricky death of a teenager, and at the same time her niece Lucy is having problems of her own in with a murder attempt in Florida. For once, the main story is actually back to the basics forensics, and in the case itself, and not in Scarpetta's dysfunctional relationships. And the case is actually an interesting in it's own right, and not an attempt to mask a political opinion or trying to be an international spy novel, which is something Kay Scarpetta novels shouldn't try to be.

I like crime novels, for me they are my easy feel good books, no matter how strange it sounds. They should be easy to read, full of interesting characters, good inner logic and satisfying ending. This book fulfills pretty much all of those requirements although the ending was a bit abrupt... So I was happy with this book, and will be looking forward to the next one, even if the wolfman appears again. Recommended for Scarpetta fans, even if the two previous ones put you off.

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