Point of Origin (Unabridged)

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Summary: Well written. Powerful. But be warned...
Review: Inside these pages is pain. And horrific violence that sadly feels real. I tried to stop reading, but felt compelled to finish. I've enjoyed all the books in the series, but I'm not sure if I'll read another.

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Summary: Tiresome Bore!!!
Review: When some authors become popular their writing lacks. This is the case with Patricia Cornwell. With the publication of each of her novels they seem to be getting worse. The characters are 2 demensional. The plot is contrived. The writing is juvenile. Dr. Scarpetta is no longer growing. I think Ms. Cornwell needs to lose Kay and find a new career. This book is a waste of time.

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Summary: Point of Origin burns right to the soul
Review: Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell is a vivid description ofthe origins of blazes and the horror we all feel at the way a life canbe destroyed in a matter of minutes or even seconds. A gripping tale of mystery from the fires at Warrenton to Lehigh County, PA to Dr. Kay Scarpetta and the cast of characers losing one of their own. Point of Origin leaves you on the edge of your seat and wanting yourself to catch Carrie Grethen. In the end you stil don't know if Carrie is still alive and will show up in the next Scarpetta series, but you can't wait until the next book.

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Summary: Cornwell hits gold again
Review: Well the ending upset me somewhat I greatly enjoyed this book. Scarpetta is at her best again along with her merry band of follwers her neice Lucy, Marino, Benton and more. Great writing and a thriller until the end.

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Summary: Read it one sitting but was unsatisfied
Review: I have been an avid fan of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta novels from the first book. However, I was disappointed with Point of Origin for several reasons. First, the characters have become uninteresting to me. The past few books have featured Scarpetta, Marino, Benton, and Lucy all moving in their own isolated circles of pain. There's no change in this situation in Point of Origin. While I appreciate the fact that this might reflect reality, I was disappointed that there was no further character development in this book. Second, the book was gruesome in a way that seemed different to me than in previous books. I felt that many of the scenes in this novel were sickening just for the sake of being so. Finally, I felt that the ending was sloppy and completely inconsistent with how Cornwell had developed the characters involved. It mostly seemed to simply leave the door open for yet another novel in which the main characters sink even lower into their pain and ! anguish. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't put this book down until I finished it, but when I did, I felt largely unsatisfied and put off.

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Summary: Dr. Scarpetta needs a REST!
Review: I can remember the excitement I experienced when I read my first Patricia Cornwell book, BODY OF EVIDENCE. How exciting, refreshing , and informative. Kay was great and her strength and vonunerability (sp?) balanced the character so very well. How I long for the htroine fo those early books. How I long for the plots of those earlier ones. After CAUSE OF DEATH I promised myself I would never buy another Cornwell in hardback, but, untrue to my promise, I purchased HORNET' NEST. Big mistake. Not one to learn by my mistakes, I got PoO the day it came out. Frankly, having just finished it, I am depressed. Poor Kay! This woman has become a heavy , bogged down in her work that seems to gove her little satisfaction, overwelmed in her relationship with the equally tiring niece, Lucy, a neat kid who has grown into a sucidal, though brilliant, young woman, and unappreciative of the care that Marino shows her, to say nothing of the people she comes into contact with! daily. Couldn"t she have given Marino a hug as she was leaving his home, one of the more touching scenes in the whole book? I sincerely wish Kay (cornwell?) could chill for a long while, maybe with Lucy by her side, and forget about the technicalities of autopsies, sexual politics, etc. And does anyone elst have the feeling that Teun will be in the next book, possibly as Kay's new love interest? If so, I'll read about on Amazon reviews, etc., because this time I'm REALLY NOT gonna buy the next Cornwell hardback, maybe not even the soft cover. I miss the old Kay.

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Summary: Patricia Cornwell is finally back in the swing of things
Review: Finally, another Scarpetta book that kept me on the edge of my sofa. Definitely not a relaxed read however. Find something lighter for the beach. By the end I was seriously depressed, but longing for the next in the series to see just how things work out for our favorite medical examiner ... in her new morgue no less.

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Summary: Superb medical mystery; a plot twist I could do without.
Review: As usual, Patricia Cornwell has written a wonderfully exciting medical mystery that kept me glued from beginning to end. I enjoyed this book because of its plot direction and end-of-my-seat suspense. Additionally, the reappearance of a previous character, Carrie, brings an entirely new element to this story - previous readers know this character and want some type of resolution, especially me! Patricia Cornwell resurrects previous characters, namely Benton, Marino and her niece, Lucy. I, for one, love these characters and always want to read more about them. Furthermore, this book truly rounded out these characters for me, as I learned more about them in this particular novel. Finally, the author is not afraid to take chances with her work; while I may not always agree with her plot twists on a personally emotional level, Patricia Cornwell definitely knows what she's doing!

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Summary: PC's personal life overshadows & intrudes into a good plot.
Review: I've been an avid fan of Patricia Cornwell for many years and especially enjoyed the Scarpetta series. However, this last book, Point of Origin, left me feeling betrayed and disappointed. PC let her personal [life] bitterness, anger and disappointment of the FBI community insinuate itself into the plot of POO to the point that the novel became more of an FBI bashing event than anything else. Hence, the dangling ending to an otherwise good read. (I'm not defending the FBI) Her underlying anger towards them foreshadows the death of the FBI in future novels and the birth of DEA in them, which is okay with me. We need some new "blood" in the series. Also, in my humble opinion, PC needs to drop Lucy from the Scarpetta series (perhaps create a new series featuring only Lucy). To much time and energy was spent on defending Lucy's alternative lifestyle. There is no need to keep giving us Lucy's "bio" in every new book - your current fans already know it! . If new readers don't know about Lucy, this would be an incentive for them to go back and read your previous books. I felt like the whole book presented PC's defense of her last unpleasantness with the FBI, as if she had to defend herself to her fans. I am a fan no matter what and I believe the rest of her fans feel the same way. Take a sabatical PC and come back to us with the kind of writing you are capable of - and have shown us in the past. I'm waiting for your next book and hope the original Patricia Cornwell of past novels is back.

Rating:
Summary: Patricia Cornwell is back in good form!!
Review: After Unatural Causes I was hesitant to buy Point of Origin,eventhough I find Kay Scarpetta so intriguing. But PoO is super, agreat read, could not put it down.