Always a good read, Patricia Cornwell and her fictional pathologist, Dr. Kay Scarpetta. This novel was interesting in that Kay appears very briefly, the central characters are Detective Andy Brazil and Superintendent Judy Hammer. It made for an interesting mix, and some unique good/evil questions, including secrecy and truth.

Released on Sunday, February 16, 2003 at Second Cup, SW corner King & John in Toronto, Ontario Canada.

It was a bit of an ordeal, but I managed to save this book from the Purgatory of the Second Cup lost and found. In fact, it's not quite that official. The lost and found there consists of a barista looking in a number of different nooks and crannies where staff often stash stuff. The staff were extraordinarily helpful, but I felt like I was being a bit of a nuisance, especially when the barista trotted next door where the manager's office is located. In the end he couldn't find the books that day, but asked if I'd leave my number and he'd track them down (he remembered seeing the two books which JWilder had released there). Sure enough, he called me that afternoon to let me know one of the staff had taken them home for safekeeping, and would bring them back when he next had a shift. So I ended up picking them up today during my lunch break.

To be honest I just went after this book just because it's fairly novel for a book to be released in the vicinity of my usual haunts. Now that I've read the description of it, I'm looking forward to reading it. The words that really caught my eye were " Move Over Carl Hiaasen". If this is anything like his books, I'm sure to love it. I'll report back once I've read it.

I started reading this yesterday. I'm now about a quarter through it. I wasn't so sure at the beginning, but now I'm starting to like it. Some very funny moments. TheLorax and Cdn-Jane have both expressed interest in reading it after I'm done with it.

This was amusing, but not a great work. I found she overused some of her conventions, so they became tiresome after a while. For instance she makes a lot of fun of people who get words or phrases wrong. Used more moderately this would be funny, but when every other person speaks like this it smacks of snobbery (on the part of the author). I also felt that it could have used one or two fewer sub-plots and it felt like it ended rather abruptly. Nonetheless, I'd like to try more of this author's work. She definitely has a knack for absurdity, and I'd like to see her hone it further.

Not sure whether theLorax or Cdn-Jane will get this first. If my recollection is correct, they both have fairly substantial TBR piles, so I wouldn't count on this being journalled again soon.

P.S. I found it highly implausible that no one figured out the identity of Trooper Truth. It wouldn't have taken much investigating to crack that mystery.

And another thing...what was the big deal about the governor's daughter's weight/size? She's made out to be this absolutely, conspicuously gargantuanly overweight person, and then toward then end it's revealed she's a size 16. If Patricia Cornwell thinks size 16 is morbidly obese, then she can kiss my backside.

Interesting book, not a great introduction to the author. I just read Point of Origin by the same author and it was really good. This one is a little goofier in terms of characters, but a passable read. The ending felt really rushed and somewhat of a letdown though. Passing it on to another bookcrosser!

Having raved about Patricia Cornwell's books, I was really sorry that this was Miss Efficiency's first introduction to her books. They are normally much better and less corny than this. I guess we all have our bad days, and Ms Cornwells bad days were all invested in writing this book. It was amusing, but just not what I have come to expect.
Sorry it took so long to journal, Miss E.

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