Overly complicated and full of poorly constructed sentences (as if Cornwell has forgotten commas exist and her editor was too scared to remind her), this book follows the increasingly tired pattern of these books as of late - Scarpetta is smarter and more right than everyone around her, Benton and Lucy are amazing even when they're lying to her and leaving her in the dark, and poor Marino can't do anything right. The plot is intriguing but unevenly paced, and while I enjoyed bits and will continue reading (out of loyalty and due to unnecessary cliff-hangers), this series really isn't what it used to be.