Trace

Written by Patricia Cornwell

Narrated by Kate Reading

Dr. Kay Scarpetta, now freelancing from south Florida, returns to the city that turned its back on her five years ago.

Richmond, Virginia’s recently appointed chief medical examiner claims that he needs Scarpetta’s help to solve a perplexing crime. When she arrives, however, Scarpetta finds that nothing is as she expected: her former lab is in the final stages of demolition; the inept chief
isn’t the one who requested her after all; her old assistant chief has developed personal problems that he won’t reveal; and a glamorous FBI agent, whom Scarpetta dislikes instantly, meddles with the case.

Deprived of assistance from colleagues Benton and Lucy, who are embroiled in what first appears to be an unrelated attempted rape by a stalker, Scarpetta is faced with investigating the death of a fourteen-year-old girl, working with the smallest pieces of evidence—traces
that only the most thorough hunters can identify. She must follow the twisting leads and track the strange details in order to make the dead speak—and to reveal the sad truth that may be more than even she can bear …

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781705081822

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 Trace

[merrickg112 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So freaking good. Another great addition to the series in my opinion

[chris.wolak · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would. I thought Cornwell was in a bit of a slump around this time, but I liked Trace. Marino takes a turn in this book--he's working out or at least watching what he eats and losing weight. He's no longer a complete dinosaur. His vulnerability with Scarpetta is touching and surprising, like when she doesn't acknowledge or praise his efforts after years of nagging at his dining habits and lack of exercise. Something is going on under the surface.

[highlander6022 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book too so long to develop into a reasonable mystery. Not at all one of the author’s best efforts. Good thing I got it at a library used book sale for only a couple bucks.

[literaryfeline · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta is called back to her old stomping grounds of Richmond, Virginia to consult on the mysterious death of a 14 year old girl. Joined by her good friend, Marino, the two set out to uncover the truth despite their presence not being completely welcome by the new chief medical examiner of the state. Meanwhile, Kay’s niece Lucy is working on her own investigation with the help of Benton and Rudy, trying to unravel the motive and identity of a possible stalker who attempted to murder someone in Lucy’s employ.

Like her previous book in the series, Trace has not been too popular among the circle of readers I associate with. And so it was with a bit of reluctance that I picked up the latest installment in the series to read. About 120 or so pages into the book, I finally was hooked into the story. I enjoyed the book overall, but like Blow Fly, was disappointed with the ending. It seemed anticlimactic. Whereas in Blow Fly I was able to convince myself that the story was much more about the relationships of the characters, I am not able to do that with Trace. Ms. Cornwell spends a lot of time creating and weaving the story together and yet when it comes time to reach the conclusion, it feels almost as if the reader is left out in the cold. With a snap of the finger, the case is resolved, the killer caught and little explanation is made as to how the characters made that final leap other than a quick sentence or two after the fact. It leaves me feeling like I must have missed something. She left a lot of loose ends as well, with very little explanation for much of what happened or was happening. The character development was poor. I will definitely think twice before reading another book by Patricia Cornwell. Her last three books have been really disappointing.

[susanbeamon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One thing I like about the Scarpetta novels, a very long series by now, is that you do not have to read them in order. I haven't. I dip in every now and then and I'm right at home. Just enough of the past to keep me updated, and not so much that I may as well be reading the last book again. This episode concerns that past in part, starting with a mysterious pair of deaths that should not be related but are because of a strange bit of trace evidence that could have been cross contamination. From that little bit, a bigger plot is exposed and the day ends well for our heroes. Life goes on and we wait for tomorrow.

[cecilturtle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Scarpetta novel, so I must admit to having to Wikipedia to resort to some context, which, in itself was mildly annoying - I never knew what was new and what was implied knowledge... this combined with Lucy's over-the-top personality, the complicated relationship with Benton, and the extremely complicated story and I had a hard time getting into the story.This said, I really liked Scarpetta's personality, her relationship with Marino, the decor and the scientific appeal to the story...I think that going back to the beginning would give me a better appreciation for the series; worth a try!

[bsquaredinoz · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is the last Scarpetta novel I'm ever going to read. I wish I'd stopped several books ago when she started bringing characters back from the dead soap opera style. The early books were great yarns but somewhere along the line Cornwell started phoning it in.

[storeyonastory · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It’s been years since I’ve picked up a Kay Scarpetta novel, but Patricia Cornwell has the fantastic knack for keeping the characters familiar, no matter how much time has passed or what events have taken place in the intervening books. Things happen in one book that change who the characters are in the following books, how they think and behave, but it’s easy to fall right back into their lives. Cornwell fills in the necessary information without tedious spoon-feeding.In Trace, Kay Scarpetta is called back to Richmond, VA after 5 years to assist in an investigation; for which the current Chief Medical Examiner is none-too-happy about. The teen death that Kay is investigating has unusual ties to the accidental death of a construction worker at the demolition site of Kay’s former coroner office. And then evidence ties the suspect, a former employee of Kay’s, to a stalking case Lucy (Kay’s niece) is investigating in Florida; her own stalker.Like every Scarpetta novel, I enjoyed the mystery involved in this one. Unlike others I have read, this one had more emotion; Kay hating the new Chief Medical Examiner, Marino desiring Kay and despising himself for it, and Lucy bitter for choices she has made. I wish there had been more suspense, more twisting turns, and more leading clues. I was left unsatisfied. I feel as if several threads were left unexplained. Like why was everyone getting sick? Or what does the reoccurring eye drawing mean? I’m okay with things not always being neat and tidy. But if it was a theme that was important enough to reoccur, then I would like to understand why. Overall though, it was an entertaining and quick read. I think I’ll pick up another one. Made me miss Kay Scarpetta’s adventures.

[skinglist · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book started slowly and I found it very disjointed as it bounced between Henri and Benton in Aspen, Lucy and Rudi - and the random Edgar Allan Pogue bits as Marino and Kaye worked on the Paulsson case. But then it started to get good. I get a little tired of Marino sleeping with the vics/families as a replacement for Scarpetta, but I guess it worked. Just as it started to get good, it was rushed toward the end and I didn't get the point in wasting time on Lucy/Henri's non reunion. Not sure what I think of this series with scarpetta out of the ME's office but we'll see

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Cornwell ends a novel, she always picks up the next novel where the action ended in the previous book. I must have missed something in the last novel, such as what happened to the escaped Jean-Bapiste and his nephew, Albert. Also, the confrontation between Benton and Kay does not happen. In this installation, Marino has lost weight and stopped smoking, but he still does not win Kay. Lucy is her usual feisty and self-absorbed self. Kay is asked to aid in determining death of a teen-age girl. The case brings Kay and Pete to Richmond, just as the old forensic building is being leveled. The story involves the plight of unclaimed bodies, and the grievances of a loner. Cornwell does an excellent job with her characters, except with the minor character Henri. Cornwell's stories only reinforce the belief that the world contains many unbalanced people.

[jwcooper3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

OK. Cornwell spins a good yard and the Scarpetta series has held up well over the years. That's a given. The particulars of this entry find Scarpetta and Marino returning to Richmond to help solve the death of a thirteen year old girl. The sub plots with Benton and Lucy eventually get woven together in a less than climactic finale. In fact the blase, wind-down nature of this book is not satisfying at all; it left me wondering if Cornwell just ran out of gas on this one. An OK read if nothing else is pressing on your "to-be-read" shelf.

[jolielouise · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Patricia Cornwell's books. Reading her comforts me even though the topic is violence and death. This book was just as engaging as most of her books but it ended with a lot unanswered. I'm not used to that with Cornwell. She set up several scenarios involving the parents of a murdered little girl, made us wonder in what way they contributed to her death, and then just dropped the possibility. It was a couple of days after I finished the book when I realized I felt cheated. Wait a minute - you didn't finish! I even hoped that maybe she had decided to continue the story in her next book. I've never known her to do that but I felt like she had pulled an end of season cliffhanger and maybe she was following the formula of other recent writers (think children and teen authors) who keep you hanging from book to book but continue the story. It's not unusual to buy a book from the bookstore with pages missing. But, unfortunately, I don't think that's what happened here. I know I'm using a lot of words to describe my disappointment - I wish she had used a few more. At over 500 pages she certainly could have tied up the stories of two of the more compelling characters.

[jenspeaks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Typical Scarpetta mystery. Not her best. Not her worst. Most of her main characters are still unlikable, except for Pete Marino. That guy is growing on me.

[citygirl_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This novel trips over the surface of the story, the characters, the mystery itself. There is just enough information about each of the characters to give an outline of each, but the omissions do not enlighten in the way, say, Carol O'Connell's do. The main characters are not imperiled enough to create real suspense. The murderer is introduced early and it is obvious that he is such; he does not possess a particularly interesting pathology and presents no challenge to his pursuers.Skip it.

[zerraweth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not bad, but there's only so much that can be done with one character and it shows here. It all starts to feel rather same old, same old.

[heidilove_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

you know, i don't know if the problem is mine or cornwell's, but i just don't seem to be enjoying these books much anymore. the plot seems thin in this, the characterization falls apart more than it comes together, and the resolution is anything but satisfying. the one thing that stands out is the inner voice of kay, which seems more brittle and defensive than ever. weird, i know.

[msbeautiful · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Plot didn't really move until the last 25% of book, as a result this book was really slow and hard to stick with