Depraved Heart audiobook

Depraved Heart is the 23rd novel in the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell. It is also the middle novel in a three-book arc focusing on a common villain who's resurfaced from the past. To be honest, I don't recall whether we read about Carrie Grethen in one of the very early novels, but I believe she was mentioned at some point given the books began in 1990 and the time period referenced was 1995 thru 1997 when the criminal interacted with the main characters. Sorry! After this many books read and this long of a period passing by, my mind isn't 100% certain on everything I read (without a refresher); and I'm too lazy today to verify. Ha!Depraved Heart was a strong book for me, although others didn't love it as much. It's hard to keep momentum in a series, especially when they are technical and detailed. Most of the plot of this book takes place over a 24-hour period when we focus on the legal aspects of what the FBI can and can't do to Lucy based on a tip they've received and an inkling they have about what really happened in the last book in Florida. While we do have a body and an autopsy, Kay isn't doing it herself, and she only comments on what she's seen or heard from others. We're not even certain who killed the woman as it could be a couple of people, but we'll be sure in the next book when the arc concludes.Overall, this was the kind of book where I couldn't stop flipping pages to see what the key characters would learn about Carrie Grethen, the criminal FBI mastermind who's been stalking them for years in the background. She's a formidable villain and can hold Scarpetta AND Lucy at bay for their actions in the past and currently. We see very little of Benton in this book, and Lucy is only there for a few conversations. We're almost entirely witnessing a few hours of time between Kay and Marino as they investigate a potential homicide, receive a video about Carrie and Lucy's former friendship, and realize the crime is connected to the past.For suspense and thrills, it's top notch but not in terms of a chase. It's a methodical look at how Carrie could pull off such actions from the dive 'accident' in Florida to the copper-mining to the murder of the starlet's daughter in the initial crime that we think is unrelated. Watching the drama unfold was fantastic, but I like this sort of novel. If you're looking for detailed medical procedures and analysis, this book strays from the norm. If you like connecting prior events we've seen bits and pieces of to something current and crazy, you should love it.

At last….after being so disappointed in the last couple of books in Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta Series, along comes the latest and 23rd novel in one of the series that I really like…..and I just found out that this year marks the 25th year of Kay Scarpetta’s world!! Incredible. Depraved Heart features once again Dr Kay Scarpetta, the fascinating and dedicated forensic pathologist and Chief Medical Examiner……. Dr. Kay Scarpetta, fussy and exacting, doesn’t mind gore. “A select few of us,” she says, “come into this world not bothered by gruesomeness. In fact we’re drawn to it, fascinated, intrigued, and it’s a good thing.” The story takes off two months after the previous book, Flesh and Blood. Kay, still suffering from the injuries from her previous case, is suddenly thrown into a cat and mouse chase, after receiving some very disturbing and frightening videos on her mobile about her niece, Lucy.Worried that these videos may implicate Lucy, she doesn’t know who she can trust with the information. Running against time to finding the killer of the woman murdered that is somehow connected to Lucy, Kay and Marino will have to use all their wits if they are to save Lucy from being arrested by the FBI for something that she’s being framed for.Gritty, tense, suspenseful, diabolical characters, unexpected twists and turns, red herrings…….it’s a fast paced ride over a period of 24hrs that leaves you breathless until the end. Aah, the end!!!! What a TWIST!!!! It’s a page-turner all the way!!!I loved Kay’s take on technology…which by the way, there’s a lot of!!! Beware of Big Brother….. “Technology made everything better for a while and now it seems life is circling back around to the dark ages… I miss paper and pen. I miss face-to-face conversations.” I was so happy being back in Kay Scarpetta’s world!!

I admire Cornwell's professionalism and have rated many of her earlier books 5 stars. I found this one too interior (focused on Scarpetta's thoughts and feelings). I prefer the findings of the autopsy suite rather than the legalistic constraints of what can be said to whom. The writing felt forced, although kudos to Cornwell for fitting the action into just a few days' span. Also, although there are national and international references this is really a regional crime novel, so anything outside of the Boston--sea diving nexus seemed patched on. As proof of the difficulty of copy editors' jobs, a wrong homonym slipped past everyone in production, surprising me. Other readers, let me know if you find it.I do continue to recommend most books in this series.

At first blush, it was same old, same old: Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta's colleagues don't respect her. Her investigative partner Pete Marino doesn't trust her. Her techno-wizard, filthy rich niece Lucy doesn't believe her. Her FBI profiler husband Benton Wesley won't confide in her. And a psychopathic liar, murderer and Lucy's one-time love interest is out to kill her. Or so the good doctor, whose mind has moved disturbingly toward the paranoid in recent books, is convinced. This time, though, she's right on the money with that last one. After nearly killing Scarpetta with an underwater spear gun somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle a couple of months earlier, it's a pretty sure bet old nemesis Carrie Grethen wants Scarpetta - and maybe Wesley, Marino, Lucy and her now-partner Janet - at the very least discredited professionally and at worst dead. As she investigates a death scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Scarpetta gets a text message, apparently from Lucy's secret phone line, with a video link to a film of Lucy, taken a couple of decades ago when she was an FBI rookie. Soon thereafter, Lucy's highly secured estate becomes the target of an intrusive search and seizure presumably designed to collect enough evidence to send her to prison. That's followed by the murder of the daughter of a Hollywood heavyweight in her own home. Wedged in and around all that are murdered cops, more revealing and incriminating old-time videos of Lucy, and, of course, lots more Scarpetta angst.This time, though, the story is so intriguing that Scarpetta's fretting over not being the center of everyone's universe really didn't bother me much. As the plot thickened, I was far more worried about what was happening - and about to happen - to the others. More often than not, nothing is as it seems; just trying to keep all the head games straight in my own mind was a challenge, and hanging over it all was the fear that this time, someone might not live to see another book. All in all, it's an exciting book and, IMHO, one of the best in the series of late.

This is the first book I have read by Cornwell and the first book I have read in this series. With that being said this is the 23rd book and I was a little lost. Although each book has its own story I got the feeling I should've at least read the book prior to this one so I was at least caught up. Scarpetta is a medical examiner and while she is on a call she gets a video that Lucy her niece sent but it's from the 90s when her niece was at the FBI academy. Some weird things go on and Scarpetta is determined to get to the bottom of things. I liked Lucy and how smart she was. I also enjoyed learning about her time at the FBI which is a huge part of this story. Scarpetta was another favorite character of mine. She is fierce and loyal to her family and her close friends. She digs deep and won't stop until she gets the answers she is looking for. I thought this book was different then other thrillers I have read. I liked that Scarpetta is a medical examiner and is not a detective but she is smart like one since she knows what to look for. From the beginning you know who the killer/ stalker is which was unique. It gives you the feel of how did this person do things to manipulate all these characters that are intertwined together. I enjoyed Cornwells voice and I thought this story was very put together. I was quickly involved and trying to put the pieces together on my own. Did this story meet all my expectations? Yes. Will I read more from this author? Yes. Will I eventually start this series from the beginning? Absolutely! I want to experience these characters from the beginning and get caught up in the journey they all go on in each book. I recommend this book if you are into mysteries and trying to solve puzzles. This was a good one!

Picks up 2 months after the last book. I admit, to start with I was a little confused by what was happening but once I worked it out, the book keeps you guessing. As usual, I enjoyed the interplay between the characters and feeling like I was a secret observer to what was going on. Is it her? Is she back? Who is up to no good? All questions that keep you guessing.

Hi everyone!I'm thrilled to be the first stop on the blog tour for the new Patricia Cornwell book, Depraved Heart. This is the 23rd (can you believe that?!) instalment of the Scarpetta series. I've been a fan of Cornwell's books for as long as I can remember, and I've read all of this series. Needless to say, I was delighted to be given the opportunity to take part in the blog tour. My thanks to Hayley Camis and Harper Collins for my review copy of Depraved Heart. About the author:Patricia Cornwell has sold over 100 million books and had 29 New York Times bestsellers, including Dust, The Bone Bed, Red Mist and Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper- Case Closed. Postmortem is the only novel to win five major crime awards in a single year and Cruel and Unusual won Britain's prestigious Gold Dagger Award for the best crime novel. Fox 2000 have bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta to be developed for the big screen. When not writing from her Boston home, she is tirelessly researching cutting edge forensics to include in her work. Currently researching drone technology as well as continuing her work in ballistics, explosives and firearms, Cornwell has also been learning about advanced trauma for the emergency responder through simulation technology, working with the Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T) department, training on the VirFa Firearms Training Simulators as well as Scuba Diving in Bermuda. About the book:Dr. Kay Scarpetta is working a suspicious death scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts when an emergency alert sounds on her phone. A video link lands in her text messages and seems to be from her computer genius niece Lucy. But how can it be? It’s clearly a surveillance film of Lucy taken almost twenty years ago.As Scarpetta watches she begins to learn frightening secrets about her niece, whom she has loved and raised like a daughter. That film clip and then others sent soon after raise dangerous legal implications that increasingly isolate Scarpetta and leave her confused, worried, and not knowing where to turn. She doesn’t know whom she can tell – not her FBI husband Benton Wesley or her investigative partner Pete Marino. Not even Lucy.My thoughts:Following on from Flesh and Blood, Depraved Heart picks up two months after the events involving the Copperhead Killer. Dr. Kay Scarpetta is called to a suspicious death in Cambridge. A film mogul's daughter is found dead in her home and Scarpetta and Marino attend the scene.Within minutes of beginning her exam, Scarpetta receives a message on her phone from her niece Lucy's ICE with a video link. The accompanying footage makes her question those around her and who to trust.Simultaneously, Lucy's home is being raided by the FBI. With worry setting in, Scarpetta rushes through her examination of the scene in order to go over to Lucy's house, not knowing about the raid.This book essentially takes place over the course of one day. It is full of forensic detail, the kind you usually expect from Cornwell. At times, it's difficult to take in all that gets written, but it's good to know the reasoning behind the forensic processes.I really enjoyed Depraved Heart. More so than Flesh and Blood. It's full of psychological warfare as the characters don't know who to trust, and an old nemesis resurfaces, testing everyone. There are some unexpected twists and turns along the way which make for interesting asides.My only issue with Depraved Heart was that once you get to the climax of the story, it ends very quickly. I would have liked a little more explanation of certain events, but that's personal preference.I gave Depraved Heart 4⭐️ on Goodreads. It was a highly enjoyable story and I'm very grateful to Harper Collins for my copy!Happy Reading

Depraved Heart begins much as the 22 novels preceding it have. Dr. Kay Scarpetta is surveying the body of a Hollywood star's daughter when her phone buzzes. The message appears to be from the private line of her niece Lucy. As an expert in all things technology, Lucy as accumulated a massive wealth and cherishes her privacy. If Lucy is reaching out through this line, then something is terribly important. If you didn't read the previous novel, Flesh and Blood, then you may be surprised to learn that a psychopathic murderer and Lucy's former love interest is out to kill Scarpetta. For those of you who did read the last book, you'll recall that Carrie Grethen, who Scarpetta believed dead, shot Kay with a harpoon gun and escaped. When Scarpetta looks at the message from Lucy, she is terrified to discover that the message is actually a link to a secret video taken of Lucy during her days as a trainee at the FBI. Two things become very clear. Carrie is behind the videos, and she is threatening the lives of Scarpetta and everyone she holds dear. The twenty-third installment in the Kay Scarpetta series corrects many of the wrongs committed in the previous novel. Flesh and Blood threw a sudden cliff hanger at readers that really sullied all of the great moments that preceded it. Thankfully, Cornwell uses Depraved Heart to begin to flesh out the implications of that ending. With all of that in mind, I highly recommend reading the previous novel before you dive into this one. Without the backstory of Carrie Grethen's resurgence, much of the plot and suspense of this novel will be unintelligible. I was gifted an autographed copy of Depraved Heart from my book-blogging friend John Valeri. My mixed reaction to the previous novel kept the book languishing on my shelf for months. Finally my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to see the story through. Much of my complaints about the newer Scarpetta novels remain in this one. Kay Scarpetta has gone from a tough medical examiner making her way in a male dominated profession to a paranoid whiner who complains when things don't work out to her liking. The evolution of the character has made it difficult to root for her. Where the early novels relied on the action of an active investigation, Depraved Heart is mostly comprised of the suspicious inner dialogue of the main character. The action is almost non-existent. All that being said, I could not stop reading this book! I'm usually weary of an author reviving a villain from previous novels, but Carrie Grethen is a force to be reckoned with. To see the way that Scarpetta, Lucy, and Marino (Scarpetta's longtime detective partner) react to being hunted by a killer is terrifying. For all her faults as an author, nobody can deliver genuine scares and thrills like Patricia Cornwell. The climatic encounter had me holding my breath as Scarpetta faced one of the most fear-inducing scenes that I've ever read. While Depraved Heart is far from perfect, it represents an upward tick in a series that has recently languished in mediocrity. With Depraved Heart, Patricia Cornwell has found a solid footing to ground the next evolution of her decades-old series. For the first time in years, I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in the Kay Scarpetta series.

I love to read some creepy book with the word "Heart" in the title to help me get ready for the festivities of Valentines Day. Other books I've read in the past include: Heart-Shaped Box, Your Heart Belongs to Me, Dark Rivers of the Heart . I will have to read Hearts in Atlantis at some point. Future candidates for reading may also include: My Heart and Other Black Holes and Written in My Own Heart's Blood.In the past I have been disappointed with some of the Scarpetta Novels by Patricia Cornwell, but recently I've been enjoying them again. I was actually very impressed with Depraved Heart.Some Passages:I've spent countless hours in unwelcoming places but it's not by choice._____Our lives together started with hopes and dreams and promise, and incrementally got worse and better and finally not so bad and then pretty good until it all went to hell again.....It's as if I outran a speeding train only to be hit by it coming the other way around a bend in the tracks._____I imagine odors and sounds as colors in a spectrum or instruments in an orchestra._____He dabbles in comedy, occasionally does stand-up in local clubs. He thinks he's quite entertaining. He's not._____"....trauma changes your perceived reality"_____Technology made everything better for a while and now it seems life is circling back around to the dark ages. Digital communication has begun to make me feel I'm moving faster than ever even as I lose the trusted navigational equipment I was born with. My own eyes. My own ears. My own sense of touch. I miss paper and pen. I miss face-to-face conversations. I worry we're on a collision course with doubt and delusion on a galactic scale._____"If you're never an original thinker how can you possibly get in trouble? If you're banal and unoriginal enough you'll get promoted."

3.5 I started with the first book (Postmortem) in Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series way back in 1990 when forensic mysteries were becoming popular. Her latest release, Depraved Heart, is the 23rd entry in this series.Now, I must admit, I just haven't enjoyed the last few books - they seemed mired in extraneous detail and became repetitive. But I was willing to give this latest a go. And up front, I want to say, I did enjoy Depraved Heart.Scarpetta and Marino are at the scene of what appears to be the accidental death of a wealthy young woman when a video link appears and starts playing on Kay's phone. Although her policy is to never interrupt a scene investigation with personal calls, she is powerless to stop watching. The video is a twenty year old video of her niece Lucy - and her then lover Carrie Grethem. Grethem was thought to be dead, but surfaced in the last book and attempted to kill Kay. It looks like she's back and still determined to wreak havoc with Kay and her family."The FBI placed the niece I raised like a daughter into a psychopathic monster's care, and that decision changed the course of our lives. It has changed absolutely everything."Depraved Heart picks up two months after the abrupt ending of the last book, Flesh and Blood. Readers who have kept up with the Scarpetta books will have a better understanding of this perpetrator and plotting.One key element of Depraved Heart is the concept of 'data fiction'. "It's what can happen if we're so reliant on technology that we become completely dependent on things we can't see. Therefore we can no longer judge for ourselves what's true, what's false, what's accurate, what isn't. In other words if reality is defined by software that does all the work for us, then what if this software lies? What if everything we believe isn't true but is a facade, a mirage?" I was fascinated - and somewhat disturbed - with this notion. (I thought of how much time I spend online...) Are the videos (yes there's more than one) true? Or false? Is Benton lying to her? Who and what can she believe and trust? The reader sees the entire book unfold through Scarpetta's eyes and thoughts.Marino is a perennial favourite of mine and this time Scarpetta seems to be a little kinder towards him. For the life of me, I have no idea why she stays with Benton. Lucy just annoys me, but I think there's more of a forthcoming story with her new partner Janet.The book takes place during a twenty four hour period. The book moves along quickly as Kay and Marino attempt to deal with both their latest case - and the apparent danger to Lucy. The tension is palpable as everyone's actions and motives are called into question. I was easily caught up in the story and possibilities. Cornwell does weave an intricate plot, one I appreciated. (But one glaring omission by investigators, that is mentioned and is part of the final whodunit, will be caught by sharp eyed readers.)The title? "Legal definition of Depraved Heart - 'Void of social duty and fatally bent on mischief.' Mayes V. People, Illinois Supreme Court. 1883."The ending leaves the door open for a continued story in this vein. Although I quite enjoyed this latest entry more than the last few, a wee bit of me thinks it's time to end this ongoing storyline and give readers a fresh mystery and investigation next time 'round.

i guess they're irreversibly like that and that's part of their appeal.p115: unfortunately she doesn't mean it, and i go out of my way never to forget that her charisma, her alleged empathy are a rubber chicken.p220: "...we need assurance that hype and lapin are safe."

fantabulous!

3.5I'll admit this story had me fascinated, frustrated, rapt, and eventually very, very angry.I have one question-just how the hell did this book end? Does it conclude in the next book? Is this supposed to be a cliffhanger? I have never read such a lame ending.

What do you do in the 360+ days that it takes to get your hands on another Scarpetta novel? If you’re anything like me, you follow the musings of Scarpetta’s creator, Patricia Cornwell, as she weaves ever more fantastical threads of narrative into her long serving protagonist (25 years this year, happy birthday Kay!). And also, like me, you may begin to think that all those teasers that we saw in the passing year might have added up to a theme that we were introduced to in “Depraved Heart”: data fiction. Two months after Kay’s run in with a longstanding nemesis underwater sees the immortal Dr Scarpetta limp along to an actresses daughters house, where she’s allegedly fallen off a ladder and onto a marble floor, killing herself after smoking a bit of weed and doing things she shouldn’t be doing. But all is not what it seems, not here at the crime scene, and certainly not on Scarpetta’s phone, as it pings with a message from her niece-but-more-like-a-daughter, Lucy. And it’s coming from her ‘in case of emergency’ number which can only mean one thing to Scarpetta – Lucy’s in trouble. What follows is an intensely personal voyeuristic look into Lucy’s young life at the FBI. She was filmed without her knowledge during some of the most intimate times she shared with Carrie Grethen. These messages coming from Lucy’s phone blast into Scarpetta’s present, and makes her decisions a matter of life and death. Following on from the latest in the Scarpetta novels, we are allowed an insight into Kay’s innermost thoughts and fears. We hear her internal stream of consciousness more than we hear dialogue from anyone else in this book. She muses about her age, her accident, her relationships and her future. For fans of the genre that were expecting more of the technological and criminological insights that we were exposed to in other novels, this one will be a let down for you. Even though I enjoy getting to know Scarpetta so well, I was also feeling a bit uncomfortable at the level of intimacy we’ve shared with her in these last few books. It begins to feel like we’re just a tad too close with her, and like that awkward friend that tells you the last time they went to the toilet, you get the feeling that we’re just getting too much information here. Having said that, there’s a great pace to the book that starts you off with that too much information vibe, and encases you in a bubble of Scarpetta’s making. When she’s standing in a room, listening to a bunch of clocks tick down the minutes and seconds, you hear it too and you finish the chapter with an exhalation of breath, not realizing you were holding it. And that’s why you read Scarpetta novels. Cornwell makes the mundane passing of time feel like death’s at your door.

Riistetty on Patricia Cornwellin uusin trilleri Kay Scarpetta-jännityskirjasarjassa. Teos on 23. ja olen lukenut ne kaikki. Blogistani löytyvät uusimmat sarjan kirjat eli Punainen usva 2012, Paljaat luut 2013, Tomuksi ja tuhkaksi 2014 ja Samaa verta 2015. Kirjat jatkuvat siitä mihin ne ovat jääneet, eli tällä kertaa kahden kuukauden päähän edellisistä tapahtumista, jolloin kuolinsyytutkija Kay Scarpetta oli sukeltamassa ja joutui sarjamurhaajan väijymäksi. Kyseinen sarjamurhaaja on piinannut sarjassa todella pitkään, enkä aio paljastaa jääkö hän kiinni vai ei tämän kirjan aikana. Kirja alkaa kuitenkin videonpätkillä, jotka Kay saa ollessaan työtehtävissä kuolleen uhrin kotona. Kuolema ei ole aivan selkeä, joten Kay on kutsuttu apuun.Kirjailijalla on aina kirjoissaan jokin teema mitä hän kritisoi ja tuo esille, tällä kertaa se on kyberturva eli kaikki mitä tallennetaan ja missä käytetään digitaalisia laitteita, on mahdollista kaapata ja se on ollut pitemmän aikaa ajankohtainen aihe, turvallisuuden lisääminen ja riskien minimoiminen. Seuraavassa kirjassa luultavasti tilanne on pahentunut. Patricia Cornwell teki jälleen loistotyötä ja hallitsi minut lukijana alusta loppuun asti. En suorastaan uskaltanut lopettaa lukemista kesken missään vaiheessa.

This book is a further story featuring the sociopathic Carrie Grethen, who readers met in two or three previous books. This time, she tried to kill Kay Scarpetta two months prior with a spear gun on a dive of a ship wreck. In the meantime, she is ultimately after Lucy, Kay's niece, and everyone close to Kay. She is the ultimate narcissist, and she is getting much better at what she does: murdering people in terrible ways without getting caught. Ironically, she had been Lucy's mentor when she first studied at the FBI Academy in Quantico. That the FBI could even hire such a person is beyond belief. There are plenty of tense and anxiety filled moments in this book, and I could not believe the events in the last six chapters. And the story is not over yet.