Patricia Cornwell

‘Dust’ by Patricia Cornwell

11/28/2013

The latest outing for Dr. Kay Scarpetta is packed with too-close-for-comfort encounters. The murder mystery that the medical examiner tangles with in “Dust” hits close to Scarpetta’s home, her Cambridge Forensic Center office, her technical wizard of a niece, Lucy Farinelli, and her FBI profiler husband, Benton Wesley.

Upping the nail-biting suspense factor is the story’s breakneck pace: The action opens on a dark and stormy winter’s night — the eve of Benton’s birthday — doesn’t let up for nearly 500 pages, and largely takes place within a 24-hour period. Read More