IDENTITY UNKNOWN

5 stars out of 5

It's been a while since I read a book in a single day - and alas, this isn't one of them. That's not because of lack of wanting to, though, nor trying my darndest to put off doing things that needed done so I could polish it off. I came close, but that doesn't count except when I'm playing horseshoes. What I can do is say this is one of the best in the series so far - and I don't think I've missed one yet (this is the 28th).

The story begins in Virginia, where forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta is examining the body of a young girl whose uber-wealthy parents claim she accidentally shot herself. The parents are demanding the body back, which Scarpetta refuses to approve until she can determine the cause of death. But then, she gets a call to come to a remote location where another body has been found - apparently dropped through the air by some kind of unidentified flying object, according to Scarpetta's Secret Service niece, Lucy.

Say what? If Lucy, an accomplished helicopter pilot, can't figure out what dropped the body, who can? To make already complicated matters more so, the body belongs to astrophysicist Sal Giordano, knicknamed the "E.T. Whisperer" because of his belief in life beyond Earth - with whom Scarpetta just happens to have had a love affairs years ago, before she met and married her FBI profiler husband, Benton Wesley. Since then, she and Sal have stayed in touch but not romantically, most recently on his 60th birthday, the day before he took a downturn for the worse.

Clues as to his death are almost nonexistent, and those that are present are unexplainable - like finding his locked car dumped over a ravine and strange colors and substances found on his mangled body. Also strangely, his body was found in an abandoned theme park owned by - wait for it - the parents of that little girl who supposedly shot herself. Coincidence? I certainly thought not.

As the very secretive investigation by the Secret Service, FBI and other powers-that-be gets under way, something even more sinister is revealed; a possible connection with a villainous character who's haunted Scarpetta and Lucy for years while eluding, and/or escaping, the arms of justice. That in itself adds a whole new dimension to the entire investigation as well as threatens the lives of Scarpetta and everyone she loves.

The book works as a standalone, but for sure those who have read at least a couple of prior books will "get it" more easily (as is the case with almost any series, IMHO). I'm ready for the next one, but meantime I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one. It's a gem!

Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell (Grand Central Publishing, October 2024); 394 pp.