From Potter's Field

Written by Patricia Cornwell

Narrated by C. J. Critt

In From Potter’s Field, #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell enters the chilling world of Virginia’s Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta—and a bold, brilliant killer from her past.

Upon examining a dead woman found in snowbound Central Park, Scarpetta immediately recognizes the grisly work of Temple Brooks Gault. She soon realizes that Gault’s murders are but a violent chain leading up to one ultimate kill—Scarpetta herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9781705079232

Patricia Cornwell

Patricia Cornwell is recognized as one of the world’s top bestselling crime writers and the author of the Scarpetta series. Her novels have been translated into thirty-six languages in more than 120 countries and won numerous prestigious awards, including the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, Macavity, and the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the cutting-edge forensic technologies that inform her work.

Reviews for From Potter's Field

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent story. Fast-paced, quick read. Not a mystery since we all knew "whodunit" from the start, but a couple of surprises. Kay Scarpetta is a really well-written character and that's what it all boils down to.

[hopkinshj · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Perhaps _From Potter's Field_ was not the best Patricia Cornwall book for me to start with. I always hear the hype about the Kay Scarpetta books, but the quality of the writing and the author's knowledge of her subject seems, well, weak. I had always assumed Cornwall was or had been a medical examiner. Halfway through _From Potter's Field_ I found myself looking for her bio and was not at all surprised that she actually had been a crime reporter and worked as tech writer and a computer analyst in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia. Maybe that is why I feel the medical details in the novel ring false. Or maybe I have just been spoiled by Kathy Reichs, who has a wonderful flair for sharing the more technical aspects of her profession with clarity, while not dumbing-down the information. I will, of course, give Cornwall another shot - this is the sixth book in the Scarpetta series - perhaps I simply selected a novel Cornwall phoned in. After all, _Postmortem_ (1991) has the distinction of making Cornwall the only author ever to win the Edgar Award, John Creasey Memorial Award, Anthony Award, and Macavity Award all in the same year.

[buffalogr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Exciting and fast paced, Scarpetta, Marino and Wesley finally tackle a3-book serial killer in downtown New York...away from her native Virginia. It was a fun read and I'm on to the next Cornwell mystery.

[eyejaybee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was the sixth instalment in the series featuring Dr Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and may have marked the beginning of the decline. The early books in the series had all been excellent, and I remember eagerly awaiting the publication of each new addition to the canon. However, I remember first time around feeling that this one was a little weaker than its predecessors, and that maybe Patricia Cornwell was starting to try to pin gold from straw.This was also the third novel to revolve around the gross misdeeds of Temple Gault, a psychopath whose ingenuity blended with sheer taste for evil had first appeared in Cruel and Unusual, and then again in The Body Farm.Many of the customary elements of a Cornwell novel are in place – Marino seems as jaundiced and bigoted as ever, although Kay’s niece Lucy Farinelli is slightly less obnoxious than expected. The book opens with a murder in Central Park in the snow in the run up to Christmas. The police are unable to identify the female victim, but the way that the body has been left betrays many of the signature traits associated with Gault. His involvement is rapidly concerned when more of his self-aggrandising twists are also found.This time the science played a smaller part than in the previous books, and I wonder if this was one reason why it felt more flimsy than its predecessors. In the earlier books, one of the appealing characteristics had been the deployment of the writer’s considerable knowledge of forensic science.It was still enjoyable, even for a second time nearly thirty years on, but the appeal of the earlier books, which were rightly universally acclaimed, had started to fade.

[heptonj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another excellent read from Patricia Cornwell. A psychopath is on the loose seemingly killing random victims. But this time it's more personal when the killer invades CAIN (a crime database created by Kay Scarpettas niece Lucy). Lucys ex lover Carrie is deeply involved with the killer (Gault) who has fixated on Kay and her niece. Pete Marino gets macho and Kays relationship with Benton Wesley seems to be going nowhere but getting more complicated.A fast-paced thrilling novel which is hard to put down.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Marino and of course, FBI Agent Benton Wesley investigate the death of a frozen naked woman propped openly in Central Park. Their path leads them to the parents of a psychotic serial killer, one of whom can see nothing wrong about her son and the other parent who would only see his if pointing a shotgun at the son's face. The woman's identity is a shock.

The plot here is sometimes scatty and random. I tend not to like books full of random killings, without rhyme or reason. Here the "randomness" is chilling, and Tenple Gault is a super villain, who curdles the blood. He is just so...hateable. You loathe him absolutely. Especially when you find out how he treats his sister. You just hate him even more.

[emscape · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

So glad to be done with this extended Temple Gault plot, and it will be interesting to see if Cornwell reverts to a one-mystery-per-book format in the next one. The most fascinating part of this was Kay's interrogation of Gault's parents, and it was over too soon. The rest of the book was made up with extensive travelling back and forth between New York, Virginia and South Carolina. The relationships between Kay and her niece Lucy as well as between Kay and Wesley are not developed or resolved much at all. I expected the final confrontation with Gault to be climactic, and it was, but there was little denouement or resolution to the tale; Gault's reasons, motivations, most of his history are not explored. Although the chase of him was pretty suspenseful and detailed, I don't feel very satisfied with the case as a whole. Hopefully, though, now that he's been caught, we can get back to the basics of Kay's expertise and finding killers because of clues a Medical Examiner would find on the body.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Serial killer Temple Brooks Gault's rampage compels the reader. Kay Scarpetta, Pete Marino, Wesley Benton, and scores of FBI and police frantically search for Gault before he strikes again. The people protecting justice have no holidays or vacations. Christmas rings in the air, and Gault strikes in New York City. The story quickly moves among New York, Richmond, and South Carolina. The woman killed in New York appears to be a homeless Jane Doe, but she has extensive gold fillings that would have cost thousands to install. Plus the nameless victim seems to have been a musician. Why did Gault select her? Other issues invade the story. Gault has invaded the FBI computer and sends messages listing himself as CAIN, as the Cain in the Bible. This story forces the reader to continue, as normal routine tasks remain undone. The ending is poetic justice as to who will be buried in Potter's Field.

[miyurose_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I started this series near the end and then went back to the beginning. I think that if I had started at the beginning I would have given it up by now. This series is merely "meh" for me. The storylines are entertaining enough, but it seems like the last few books have just been major downers. Everyone is so unhappy all the time. Every single one of them! I'm not sure I can take all the melancholy.

[susandennis-139327 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I think I've burned out on Cornwell.

[readingover50 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure why, but this book didn't hold my interest as much as the previous one did. The bad guy, Temple Gault should have been a very creepy character, but he seemed less scary and more sad this time. His mental state is deteriorating as his attacks are escalating. There was some more Lucy in the story, yay! Not much Benton, which was ok by me. Overall a good story, just not a great one.

[darrol_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I cannot help but think that this style of thriller--it is not really a mystery--errs by being over done. I perversely begin to almost root for Temple Gault. He is almost too mythical. Real killers are evil, but also banal and shabby. Some shabbiness comes through in his drug addiction, but he is just too clever. Stories with real insight into police and ME procedure and real insight into the psychopathic criminal mind are much more satisfying.

[skinglist · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm glad the Temple Gault arc is wrapped up - interesting twist with his sister Jayne and Carrie dressing like him. I hope Carrie is resolved too since we're not sure if she survived. Nice to see Lucy getting into the FBI more.

[jepeters333 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kay Scarpetta chases Gault to New York; chief of police is murdered.

[msbeautiful · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good mystery, especially for someone who likes science/anatomy

[trishaj-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty typical Cornwell book. I thought it moved a little slow at times, but I enjoyed it for the most part.