Trace by Patricia Cornwell: A Review

By Jonathan Berohn

A new Kay Scarpetta novel is to Patricia Cornwell fans what a new Harry Potter novel is to fans of J.K. Rowling. You don’t wait for the paperback.  You don’t pay any attention to the reviews.  You have to have it.  As soon as it comes out.  At any price.  And you have to read it.  Now—preferably in one long uninterrupted session, but you can make allowances for work if you’re out of sick days.  And bathroom and food breaks are OK if you must.  Such was the build-up for Trace, Cornwell’s latest thriller.  Unfortunately, the thrill of the anticipation was the only compelling thing about the book.

Depth Missing

For those of you unfamiliar with Cornwell and her heroine Kay Scarpetta, Scarpetta is a coroner who solves murder cases.  In Trace, a freelancing Scarpetta returns to Richmond, Virginia to help solve a difficult case.  Unfortunately for the reader, she shows up in Richmond without any of the depth and character relationships that devoted Cornwell readers have to come to love and expect.  For example, Scarpetta’s relationship with Benton Wesley is a non-factor in Trace.  All of this would be OK if the plot were up to Cornwell’s usual standards.  Unfortunately it comes up short, too.

Suspense, Too

Usually, Cornwell is a master of suspense.  When a new Scarpetta book comes out, Cornwell readers ideally reserve an entire uninterrupted day to devote to Cornwell’s mastery of compelling plots.  Breaks for work are OK if you’re out of sick days or performing some sort of vital job for national security, but that’s about it. In Trace, though, the compulsion to keep turning pages—keep reading to find out what happens next—is just missing.  It’s as if Cornwell is just going through the motions, and it shows.  The plot—sad to say—has to suffer perhaps the worst criticism you can level at a mystery—it’s predictable.

If you’re a devoted Cornwell fan, you’ll probably still read the book out of loyalty and just to keep up with Scarpetta.  If you’re new to Cornwell, do yourself a favor and start with one of her classics like Body of Evidence or Body Farm.