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Kay Scarpetta #9
Point Of Origin
The devastating fire tore through the horse farm, destroying everything it touched. Picking through the wreckage, Dr. Kay Scarpetta uncovers human remains --- the work of an audacious and wily killer who uses fire to mask his brutal murders. And when Scarpetta learns that her old nemesis Carrie Grethen has escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is somehow involved, the investigation becomes personal. Tragedy strikes close to home. And Scarpetta must match Grethen 's every move with one of her own to douse the inferno of evil that threatens everyone around her ...
397 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 6, 1998
1582 people are currently reading
12608 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Cornwell
209 books20.1k followersPatricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, in 1990 while working as a computer analyst at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. Postmortem, was the first bona fide forensic thriller. It paved the way for an explosion of entertainment featuring in all things forensic across film, television and literature.
Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers.
Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.
Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen.
After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer.
Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta.
When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to
funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.”
Social and Digital Outlets
http://www.patriciacornwell.com
https://www.facebook.com/patricia.cor...
https://twitter.com/1pcornwell
https://instagram.com/1pcornwell/
Other areas of expertise & interests
Forensics | Forensic Technologies | Ballistics | Weapons | Explosives | Pathology & Autopsies | Crime | Historical and Unsolved Criminal Cases | Jack The Ripper | Helicopter Piloting | Suba Diving | Archaeological Excavation Experience |
Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers.
Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.
Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen.
After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer.
Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta.
When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to
funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.”
Social and Digital Outlets
http://www.patriciacornwell.com
https://www.facebook.com/patricia.cor...
https://twitter.com/1pcornwell
https://instagram.com/1pcornwell/
Other areas of expertise & interests
Forensics | Forensic Technologies | Ballistics | Weapons | Explosives | Pathology & Autopsies | Crime | Historical and Unsolved Criminal Cases | Jack The Ripper | Helicopter Piloting | Suba Diving | Archaeological Excavation Experience |
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,058 reviews
April 29, 2023
Book Review
3+ of 5 stars to Point of Origin, the 9th thriller in the "Kay Scarpetta" mystery and suspense series by Patricia Cornwell. I enjoyed this book a lot, especially given the focus around Lucy and Benton. Cornwell gives such depth to her characters, you can't help but love and hate them at the same time. They feel incredibly real, and almost as if you've met them before. The suspense is at an all time high in this book. It's a very psychological book, especially given the two parts of they stories and how/when they might come together. If you're looking for strong characters, can take the blood and guts, and like being angry with your characters, this series is for you.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
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3+ of 5 stars to Point of Origin, the 9th thriller in the "Kay Scarpetta" mystery and suspense series by Patricia Cornwell. I enjoyed this book a lot, especially given the focus around Lucy and Benton. Cornwell gives such depth to her characters, you can't help but love and hate them at the same time. They feel incredibly real, and almost as if you've met them before. The suspense is at an all time high in this book. It's a very psychological book, especially given the two parts of they stories and how/when they might come together. If you're looking for strong characters, can take the blood and guts, and like being angry with your characters, this series is for you.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
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February 25, 2023
I took a quick glance at previous reviews for this book on Goodreads and found an abundance of deep hate for Point of Origin (book nine of the Kay Scarpetta series). I was actually surprised. I didn't love this book, and I'll elaborate on that in a minute, but I certainly didn't hate it!
You know how some long book series can be read out of order? The Kay Scarpetta series is like that - with a few exceptions. This book is one of those exceptions. Much of what happens between the pages of Point of Origin relies heavily on characters and events in the past eight books. If you don't read the previous books, you won't be confused. But you certainly won't feel invested in this story in the slightest, which is where I think at least some of the hateful reviews are coming from. Meanwhile ... my personal thoughts on the book are below.
I feel like I learn something new in every Kay Scarpetta book I read. This time I learned a lot about how fires work. I always find the little tidbits fascinating. I love to learn. Patricia Cornwell is very good at filling her books with little bits of academia without talking over my head or making me feel like an idiot. That's a skill that many business writers could learn, actually! Kay always finds interesting little artefacts in her autopsies that seem to come back to be really important later in the story. She found one in Point of Origin and I knew exactly what it was and why it was there. I kept yelling at her that she should know this, meanwhile hoping I was wrong because wouldn't it be an amazing twist to be wrong about something I felt so sure about? But no. I was right. I think Cornwell might have played down Kay's intelligence a bit too much in this regard. I was a bit disappointed. Also, in the beginning chapters of the book one key question was how did the fire burn so hot so fast with no catalyst. I'm not sure that question was ever answered, unless I missed it somewhere.
Another disappointment came at the end. While Cornwell is very good at building the suspense, throwing in the red herrings, detailing the evidence; she doesn't seem so good at the big action scenes that conclude the story. This is the second book in the series where I'm prepared for a big showdown at the end (equivalent to a "boss battle" in a video game) and I'm left feeling like the action scenes were glossed over. I hope this is improved upon later in the series!
And then there's the things I can't get into because they involve key points in the overarching series. Let's just say there were some emotional scenes that nearly broke my heart. I still believe Pete Marino is my favorite character of the series. And even though she tries to come across as cold and clinical, I still wanted to give Kay a great big hug.
In conclusion, I give Point of Origin 3 out of 5 burning stars. There were a few disappointments that were too big to warrant more stars. But I still have a deep attachment to the characters and want to continue the series in the hopes that future books will be back up to 4 or 5 stars. They all can't be perfect when there are so many to be read, after all!
You know how some long book series can be read out of order? The Kay Scarpetta series is like that - with a few exceptions. This book is one of those exceptions. Much of what happens between the pages of Point of Origin relies heavily on characters and events in the past eight books. If you don't read the previous books, you won't be confused. But you certainly won't feel invested in this story in the slightest, which is where I think at least some of the hateful reviews are coming from. Meanwhile ... my personal thoughts on the book are below.
I feel like I learn something new in every Kay Scarpetta book I read. This time I learned a lot about how fires work. I always find the little tidbits fascinating. I love to learn. Patricia Cornwell is very good at filling her books with little bits of academia without talking over my head or making me feel like an idiot. That's a skill that many business writers could learn, actually! Kay always finds interesting little artefacts in her autopsies that seem to come back to be really important later in the story. She found one in Point of Origin and I knew exactly what it was and why it was there. I kept yelling at her that she should know this, meanwhile hoping I was wrong because wouldn't it be an amazing twist to be wrong about something I felt so sure about? But no. I was right. I think Cornwell might have played down Kay's intelligence a bit too much in this regard. I was a bit disappointed. Also, in the beginning chapters of the book one key question was how did the fire burn so hot so fast with no catalyst. I'm not sure that question was ever answered, unless I missed it somewhere.
Another disappointment came at the end. While Cornwell is very good at building the suspense, throwing in the red herrings, detailing the evidence; she doesn't seem so good at the big action scenes that conclude the story. This is the second book in the series where I'm prepared for a big showdown at the end (equivalent to a "boss battle" in a video game) and I'm left feeling like the action scenes were glossed over. I hope this is improved upon later in the series!
And then there's the things I can't get into because they involve key points in the overarching series. Let's just say there were some emotional scenes that nearly broke my heart. I still believe Pete Marino is my favorite character of the series. And even though she tries to come across as cold and clinical, I still wanted to give Kay a great big hug.
In conclusion, I give Point of Origin 3 out of 5 burning stars. There were a few disappointments that were too big to warrant more stars. But I still have a deep attachment to the characters and want to continue the series in the hopes that future books will be back up to 4 or 5 stars. They all can't be perfect when there are so many to be read, after all!
August 14, 2008
More of the same. Dedicated "with love to Barbara Bush". The way Scarpetta keeps oggling her naked niece's body gets more and more disturbing, esp. since I doubt Cornwell will make a real f/f incest case out of this. Poor Benton has his "still surprisingly supple" body dutifully admired, and pale feet like her niece.
The blurb as usual proclaims not only that she does it best and has bad imitators, but that this one is "her best and bleakest" (don't get up my hopes - or maybe that just means the guy will die (to resurrect later)) and praises the "sinister atmosphere ... cool prose" = as usual the most puzzling thing about this series. Could she be so famous for political reasons? At least it's quick to skim through.
ETA: 100 pages left to go, so a little about the "plot": we're back with Temple Gault! You thought she finally killed off that least threatening, most boring serial killer of all, but there's still his partner, who is similarly off-screen, has similarly inexplicable superduperhumannatural capabilities that enable her to work from inside prisons and across states in no time and with no money - where was I? Oh, yes, and Kay is so very scared and terrorised again because Claire is as much a scourge as Temple was *yawn* and so she makes a few extra-flights to run after her niece for no reason other than the descriptions of banal manual tasks hadn't filled enough pages yet. The "death" of Benton was of course only a paragraph but will duly be revisited as the trauma of her life, see all past novels. The FBI for the first time ever gets gently criticised, with disclaimers all around, indicating again her political involvement (I have no interest in finding out who took over the FBI when). The only one of her many personal-political opinions I thought good was the case of a child dying because it's parents were against medicine because god heals, but that was also gently done because - fitting with her politics - KS is more and more religious.
There are less things to quote this time, so I will later add the pertinent lines - ignoring all the insane comparisons and semantically wrong conversations (just the sun bouncing like a manic child with her ball, no "his voice was as muscular as his body" this time, and I'm focussing on the interpersonal).
But for now, just this: I actually threw back my head and laughed out loud at the ... well, perhaps it was meant a horrifying, tragic ending, but it was all too much: first the only other murders KS hadn't cleared yet were retconned to Carrie's new partner, who has nearly as stupid a name as Temple Gault but whose motive was that he had bad acne. Not. Kidding! And then, after spending the whole book talking about the ever absent Carrie as "the monster" and "evil", Kay and Lucy *shakes with sad hilarity* get into a helicopter battle with them ... *cracks up again* ow ow ow. Sob?
The blurb as usual proclaims not only that she does it best and has bad imitators, but that this one is "her best and bleakest" (don't get up my hopes - or maybe that just means the guy will die (to resurrect later)) and praises the "sinister atmosphere ... cool prose" = as usual the most puzzling thing about this series. Could she be so famous for political reasons? At least it's quick to skim through.
ETA: 100 pages left to go, so a little about the "plot": we're back with Temple Gault! You thought she finally killed off that least threatening, most boring serial killer of all, but there's still his partner, who is similarly off-screen, has similarly inexplicable superduperhumannatural capabilities that enable her to work from inside prisons and across states in no time and with no money - where was I? Oh, yes, and Kay is so very scared and terrorised again because Claire is as much a scourge as Temple was *yawn* and so she makes a few extra-flights to run after her niece for no reason other than the descriptions of banal manual tasks hadn't filled enough pages yet. The "death" of Benton was of course only a paragraph but will duly be revisited as the trauma of her life, see all past novels. The FBI for the first time ever gets gently criticised, with disclaimers all around, indicating again her political involvement (I have no interest in finding out who took over the FBI when). The only one of her many personal-political opinions I thought good was the case of a child dying because it's parents were against medicine because god heals, but that was also gently done because - fitting with her politics - KS is more and more religious.
There are less things to quote this time, so I will later add the pertinent lines - ignoring all the insane comparisons and semantically wrong conversations (just the sun bouncing like a manic child with her ball, no "his voice was as muscular as his body" this time, and I'm focussing on the interpersonal).
But for now, just this: I actually threw back my head and laughed out loud at the ... well, perhaps it was meant a horrifying, tragic ending, but it was all too much: first the only other murders KS hadn't cleared yet were retconned to Carrie's new partner, who has nearly as stupid a name as Temple Gault but whose motive was that he had bad acne. Not. Kidding! And then, after spending the whole book talking about the ever absent Carrie as "the monster" and "evil", Kay and Lucy *shakes with sad hilarity* get into a helicopter battle with them ... *cracks up again* ow ow ow. Sob?
August 13, 2024
Patricia Cornwell is on fire! Well, not really, but some of the victims in her ninth Kay Scarpetta thriller "Point of Origin" are on fire, and---based on Cornwell's gift for clinically graphic descriptions of murder, torture, and mutilation of human bodies---fire seems like the worst possible way to die.
The book literally starts with a bang, as Chief Medical Officer Kay Scarpetta is called to examine the aftermath of a housefire of one of the wealthiest men in America. The house and the neighboring horse stables---along with dozens of prize horses---were wiped out in seconds by a powerful conflagration, source unknown. All evidence points to arson, though. The charred body of a young woman is found on the property, making it murder, too.
When another intense housefire happens shortly afterwards, Scarpetta and the FBI are now on the manhunt for a serial killer, one who happens to be a pyromaniac.
On top of that, Lucy's former lover (and the late serial killer Temple Gault's protege), Carrie, has escaped from prison, with clear designs of revenge against Scarpetta and her niece.
Another exciting, and fiery, thriller from Cornwell.
The book literally starts with a bang, as Chief Medical Officer Kay Scarpetta is called to examine the aftermath of a housefire of one of the wealthiest men in America. The house and the neighboring horse stables---along with dozens of prize horses---were wiped out in seconds by a powerful conflagration, source unknown. All evidence points to arson, though. The charred body of a young woman is found on the property, making it murder, too.
When another intense housefire happens shortly afterwards, Scarpetta and the FBI are now on the manhunt for a serial killer, one who happens to be a pyromaniac.
On top of that, Lucy's former lover (and the late serial killer Temple Gault's protege), Carrie, has escaped from prison, with clear designs of revenge against Scarpetta and her niece.
Another exciting, and fiery, thriller from Cornwell.
February 22, 2024
Re Read February 2024
Story 4 stars**⬆️
Audio 3.75 stars**
Narrator Karen White
Story 4 stars**⬆️
Audio 3.75 stars**
Narrator Karen White
March 18, 2025
This is a well-written, entertaining, fast paced, police procedural thriller. It has an intelligent, strong and capable female protagonist, murder, suspense, wit, a touch of humor, heartbreak, and a satisfying conclusion. This novel can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone, but it is better when read in order for continuity. I listened to the audio version of this novel, and the narrator, Ms. Karen White, does an outstanding job voicing the characters.
November 1, 2022
I'm so invested in this series and even though it's been ages since I read it am amazed at how many details that I remember.
This book was yet another pivot point in the series and I love the continued evolution of the characters and how cases and events of the past continue to influence their current moods, behaviors and actions.
What I am finding even greater appreciation for this second time around is how problems are not wrapped up in a bow at the end of each book and how characters continue to fluctuate from doing well, to backsliding, to succeeding, to doubting, to feeling good, to feeling awful, to overcoming and to saying and doing some hard to read things. These characters are complex and so well crafted and messy and human and I love that element of the stories.
I also like that we're getting Kay's perspective on getting older and evaluating her life and her work and her relationship with herself. Her awareness of the changes in her relationships and her role in them. I also love the evolution of the character's relationships with one another and that we keep getting great, new, strong characters in these books.
I also really enjoyed the mystery of this book - again....I'll never solve them but will happily listed as Kay & Co. puzzle together the pieces, using science, evidence, research and logic to solve these cases.
This book was yet another pivot point in the series and I love the continued evolution of the characters and how cases and events of the past continue to influence their current moods, behaviors and actions.
What I am finding even greater appreciation for this second time around is how problems are not wrapped up in a bow at the end of each book and how characters continue to fluctuate from doing well, to backsliding, to succeeding, to doubting, to feeling good, to feeling awful, to overcoming and to saying and doing some hard to read things. These characters are complex and so well crafted and messy and human and I love that element of the stories.
I also like that we're getting Kay's perspective on getting older and evaluating her life and her work and her relationship with herself. Her awareness of the changes in her relationships and her role in them. I also love the evolution of the character's relationships with one another and that we keep getting great, new, strong characters in these books.
I also really enjoyed the mystery of this book - again....I'll never solve them but will happily listed as Kay & Co. puzzle together the pieces, using science, evidence, research and logic to solve these cases.
February 29, 2024
Een onbekende vrouw komt om bij een brand in het huis van een mediatycoon. De eigenaar was niet thuis, hij was ook een paardenfokker en meer dan 100 paarden zijn ook omgekomen in de brand.
Het vuur was in de badkamer begonnen en het is een raadsel hoe het op zo'n plek zo fel is beginnen branden dat het hele gebouwencomplex in de as werd gelegd.
En wie was de vrouw? Waarom is ze vermoord? Want het wordt duidelijk dat ze eerst vermoord werd voordat de brand aangestoken werd.
Kay Scarpetta wordt op de zaak gezet.
In de boeken van deze reeks interesseert met altijd weer de moordzaak het meest, ik kan me niet echt inleven in de achtergrondverhalen van de hoofdpersonages Scarpetta, haar nichtje Lucy, en Benton Wesley. Alleen over inspecteur Pete Marino lees ik wel graag.
Toch 3 sterren waard vind ik.
Het vuur was in de badkamer begonnen en het is een raadsel hoe het op zo'n plek zo fel is beginnen branden dat het hele gebouwencomplex in de as werd gelegd.
En wie was de vrouw? Waarom is ze vermoord? Want het wordt duidelijk dat ze eerst vermoord werd voordat de brand aangestoken werd.
Kay Scarpetta wordt op de zaak gezet.
In de boeken van deze reeks interesseert met altijd weer de moordzaak het meest, ik kan me niet echt inleven in de achtergrondverhalen van de hoofdpersonages Scarpetta, haar nichtje Lucy, en Benton Wesley. Alleen over inspecteur Pete Marino lees ik wel graag.
Toch 3 sterren waard vind ik.
January 3, 2026
I had forgotten what an emotionally hard read this book was. Devastated
March 28, 2007
Number Nine in the Series. Ok, you've read a series of mystery books before. Is it ever a good idea when the same serial killer shows up for the third time (at least)? And the killer just happens to be the former lover of the lesbian niece? Desperation thy name is Cornwell.
November 28, 2023
‘Point of Origin’ by Patricia Cornwall, #9 in the Kay Scarpetta series, finds our heroine, genius medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, feeling nervous and angry. Because of previous events in the other mystery novels in the series, her life is teetering on the edge of emotional chaos. She is still looking over her shoulder, traumatized by her close encounters with a pair of serial killers! One is dead, the other confined to a psychiatric facility. But it isn’t over, gentler reader….
However, another case has come up!
I have copied the book blurb:
”A farmhouse destroyed by fire. A body amongst the ruins. Dr Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner and consulting pathologist for the federal law enforcement agency ATF, is called out to a farmhouse in Virginia which has been destroyed by fire. In the ruins of the house she finds a body which tells a story of a violent and grisly murder. The fire has come at the same time as another, even more incendiary horror: Carrie Grethen, a killer who nearly destroyed the lives of Scarpetta and those closest to her, has escaped from a forensic psychiatric hospital. Her whereabouts is unknown, but her ultimate destination is not, for Carrie has begun to communicate with Scarpetta, conveying her deadly - if cryptic - plans for revenge. Chillingly mesmeric in tone, labyrinthine in structure, POINT OF ORIGIN is Patricia Cornwell at her most dazzling.
Expect the usual graphic violence and investigative science, gentler reader. The book is not really standalone, either. Start here: Postmortem.
However, another case has come up!
I have copied the book blurb:
”A farmhouse destroyed by fire. A body amongst the ruins. Dr Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner and consulting pathologist for the federal law enforcement agency ATF, is called out to a farmhouse in Virginia which has been destroyed by fire. In the ruins of the house she finds a body which tells a story of a violent and grisly murder. The fire has come at the same time as another, even more incendiary horror: Carrie Grethen, a killer who nearly destroyed the lives of Scarpetta and those closest to her, has escaped from a forensic psychiatric hospital. Her whereabouts is unknown, but her ultimate destination is not, for Carrie has begun to communicate with Scarpetta, conveying her deadly - if cryptic - plans for revenge. Chillingly mesmeric in tone, labyrinthine in structure, POINT OF ORIGIN is Patricia Cornwell at her most dazzling.
Expect the usual graphic violence and investigative science, gentler reader. The book is not really standalone, either. Start here: Postmortem.
January 2, 2020
This book was so bad that I can’t even bring myself to go into any details because that would mean reliving this atrocity. Halfway through I removed all of the unread books from this series from my TBR list. I looked ahead to see if any future books looked better and found that 14 books later the same characters are still having the same problems and literally nothing has changed. Also the main character has a REALLY unhealthy attachment to her niece that just gets more disturbing with each book.
January 8, 2013
Just arrived from Germany through Bookmooch.
One you've read one book by Patricia Cornwell, you won't find anything different or so original in the following books.
One you've read one book by Patricia Cornwell, you won't find anything different or so original in the following books.
November 22, 2016
When I finally finished this book I was so annoyed … … well, let’s just say in my defense, I was able to catch the book on its first bounce off the wall. Anyone who writes a book deserves at least one star. Cornwell knows a lot about fires and autopsies. Most of the book is about those. The protagonist, Kay, does a lot of autopsies and investigates a lot of fires, many by way of flashbacks. None of them even pretend to have anything to do with the storyline. Cornwell likes minutia. If she were writing about an interview with me, before the first question the reader would get the following: On left corner of Glen’s cheap, pressed-wood Stanton desk is a paperback copy of “Point of Origin” by Patricia Cornwell. It is sitting askew on an annual property tax bill from the County of San Bernardino. Next to that are several business cards from various officials of US Bank spread haphazardly. There is a wire handled magnifying glass. To the left of the glass are several credit card charge slips. Near the far corner on the left is a brass key from the Chi Epsilon Fraternity, an honor fraternity for Civil Engineers. Next to that is a six-inch diameter globe of the Earth. Next to that is a marble business card holder decorated with small brass elephant heads holding cards advertising Glen’s Neandertal trilogy. On the desk in front of the card holder are tickets to California Theater for the upcoming musical, “Evita.” Okay, I’m going to give you a break and not describe the right side of the desk. If you are reading a mystery and I’m a main character, several of those items could be important clues. However, if you have placed them in your memory to help you solve the case, you will be disappointed to find out that Glen is really not a part of the story, neither he, nor the junk on his desk, nor the information gleaned from the interview will appear in the book again. You have wasted your time and valuable memory space. Page after page we learn about fires and autopsies and every bit of minutia Kay comes across in her travels. We also learn about her niece, her lover, and a female murderer she sent to a mental institution where she is being held until her murder trial comes up.
It all starts with a letter from the woman in the mental institution that is highly coded and impossible to understand – this is actually a great start for a mystery – the best part of the book. Then there is a fire where a beautiful blonde is killed and burned to death along with a herd of expensive horses. Kay and her co-characters go through experiences that tell the reader about them. This is good background and character development, except after learning a few things about the characters, they continue to do stuff, but it all only confirms what we have already learned. Cornwell keeps giving us details about fires and autopsies, and minutia, but nothing new – the story doesn’t move. Cornwell decides to really impress us with her medical knowledge by blending in statements like, “… kidneys show hyperosmolar vacuolization of the proximal convoluted tubular lining cells. Meaning, instead of cuboidal pink, they're clear, bulging and enlarged.” Kay calls a father to inform him of the results of the autopsy on his son. “Your son's cause of death was acute pneumonia due to acute diabetic ketoacidosis due to acute onset of diabetes mellitus. I'm sorry for your pain, Mr. Quinn.” This poor guy is a member Christian Science Church – you can pretty well bet he is not going to be familiar with those kinds of medical terms. Then there are all kinds of suspicious, childish actions like someone ordering a pizza delivery to Kay’s house, but it turns out none of them are connected with the plot. Though an occasional clue to the crime is woven in, it’s obvious that the story is not moving, the characters are not developing, and nothing is going on but page count.
Speaking of page count – on page 281 the actual story begins – it will basically end on page 392 – only 110 pages left. However, Cornwell cannot stop stalling it with descriptions of minutia, so there are actually only about 60 to 70 pages of story. What we have is a short story that could possibly be stretched to a novella. Ultimately, the conclusion was totally unsatisfactory. I won’t be a spoiler and tell you what it is. On top of that there are many questions unanswered. For instance, one character has built up a collection of items over a period of decades beginning in Ireland and then all around the United States. Each of these items requires special care, especially when it is shipped someplace. There is no question the collector has spent an incredible amount of time and money amassing the collection, caring for it, and moving it around. At the end, he simply walks away from it, with no effort whatsoever to preserve it and there is no reason why he couldn’t, though he would have had to leave pictures of the individual items to be found as part of the plot. In Cornwell’s defense, she has fans.
It all starts with a letter from the woman in the mental institution that is highly coded and impossible to understand – this is actually a great start for a mystery – the best part of the book. Then there is a fire where a beautiful blonde is killed and burned to death along with a herd of expensive horses. Kay and her co-characters go through experiences that tell the reader about them. This is good background and character development, except after learning a few things about the characters, they continue to do stuff, but it all only confirms what we have already learned. Cornwell keeps giving us details about fires and autopsies, and minutia, but nothing new – the story doesn’t move. Cornwell decides to really impress us with her medical knowledge by blending in statements like, “… kidneys show hyperosmolar vacuolization of the proximal convoluted tubular lining cells. Meaning, instead of cuboidal pink, they're clear, bulging and enlarged.” Kay calls a father to inform him of the results of the autopsy on his son. “Your son's cause of death was acute pneumonia due to acute diabetic ketoacidosis due to acute onset of diabetes mellitus. I'm sorry for your pain, Mr. Quinn.” This poor guy is a member Christian Science Church – you can pretty well bet he is not going to be familiar with those kinds of medical terms. Then there are all kinds of suspicious, childish actions like someone ordering a pizza delivery to Kay’s house, but it turns out none of them are connected with the plot. Though an occasional clue to the crime is woven in, it’s obvious that the story is not moving, the characters are not developing, and nothing is going on but page count.
Speaking of page count – on page 281 the actual story begins – it will basically end on page 392 – only 110 pages left. However, Cornwell cannot stop stalling it with descriptions of minutia, so there are actually only about 60 to 70 pages of story. What we have is a short story that could possibly be stretched to a novella. Ultimately, the conclusion was totally unsatisfactory. I won’t be a spoiler and tell you what it is. On top of that there are many questions unanswered. For instance, one character has built up a collection of items over a period of decades beginning in Ireland and then all around the United States. Each of these items requires special care, especially when it is shipped someplace. There is no question the collector has spent an incredible amount of time and money amassing the collection, caring for it, and moving it around. At the end, he simply walks away from it, with no effort whatsoever to preserve it and there is no reason why he couldn’t, though he would have had to leave pictures of the individual items to be found as part of the plot. In Cornwell’s defense, she has fans.
October 16, 2017
This is #9 of Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series and if you have read the previous 8 this one should be very familiar. Now Temple Gault is dead (I think) but Cornwell once again brings back Gault's partner in crime Carrie who also once had thing with Kay's niece Lucy. Carrie it seems has escaped from the loony bin in New York and is determined to get even with Kay, Lucy, Weston and Marino. Add to this the arson/slash murders that have been taking place all involving pretty people and you have the background for this one.
It is tough to read a series that was written years ago and be fascinated with the twists that Cornwell has set out in this one. Let's just say there is a big twist but I took it with a grain of salt knowing that things will change in later books in the series. Kind of an unintentional spoiler for me after reading the backs of other Scarpetta books I have purchased already.
Things are still the same with the characters. Kay is a mean lady who is also getting creepy with her lustful looks at her lesbian niece Lucy. Kay just isn't a nice person. She is mean and rude to people. Lucy is still messed up and has switched jobs again to work with the ATF for Teun McGovern (who Kay is jealous of-creepy). Marino (who is really my favorite character is still overly protective of Kay and is needy for a relationship. Benton Wesley and Kay are still dating. Not much new in their relationship (or is there?).
It is tough to read a series that was written years ago and be fascinated with the twists that Cornwell has set out in this one. Let's just say there is a big twist but I took it with a grain of salt knowing that things will change in later books in the series. Kind of an unintentional spoiler for me after reading the backs of other Scarpetta books I have purchased already.
Things are still the same with the characters. Kay is a mean lady who is also getting creepy with her lustful looks at her lesbian niece Lucy. Kay just isn't a nice person. She is mean and rude to people. Lucy is still messed up and has switched jobs again to work with the ATF for Teun McGovern (who Kay is jealous of-creepy). Marino (who is really my favorite character is still overly protective of Kay and is needy for a relationship. Benton Wesley and Kay are still dating. Not much new in their relationship (or is there?).
January 6, 2014
***SPOILER ALERT ***
I have been anxiously waiting to read this book for years; I've missed Kay, Benton, Lucy and Marino, it's been a long time. But, unfortunately, this book just fell short, on too many levels. I wasn't drawn into the story like I should have been, it just wasn't suspenseful enough. You'd think bringing Carrie back into the mix would have spiced things up, but it was the opposite, I was completely disappointed in how our infamous villain was addressed in this book. And don't even get me started on how anticlimactic Benton's death was, or even how anticlimactic the final 'fight scene' with Lucy & Carrie was. Just fell flat all over and was quite a disappointment. I've read the next two books in the series and I remember I liked them; I hope the ones following are better than this as well.
I have been anxiously waiting to read this book for years; I've missed Kay, Benton, Lucy and Marino, it's been a long time. But, unfortunately, this book just fell short, on too many levels. I wasn't drawn into the story like I should have been, it just wasn't suspenseful enough. You'd think bringing Carrie back into the mix would have spiced things up, but it was the opposite, I was completely disappointed in how our infamous villain was addressed in this book. And don't even get me started on how anticlimactic Benton's death was, or even how anticlimactic the final 'fight scene' with Lucy & Carrie was. Just fell flat all over and was quite a disappointment. I've read the next two books in the series and I remember I liked them; I hope the ones following are better than this as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2015
This one was TERRIBLE. So far, her later books are a lot better. I don't expect much from my guilty pleasures, but I would like some entertainment and not sigh and facepalm so much.
Better review to come.
Better review to come.
February 15, 2023
A very weird scene of Kay looking at her niece’s naked body with a lot of interest
December 23, 2013
Scarpetta returns in an explosive thriller sure to send fans rushing out to read it. When a fire at a horse farm leaves a mysterious body in the rubble, Scarpetta is tasked by ATF to investigate. All fingers point to the farm's owner, whose known to Scarpetta from past media encounters. Could the body and the fire be the work of someone with a larger agenda? Meanwhile, an old nememis escapes from prison with the goal of wreaking havoc on Scarpetta's life. The story comes to a head when paths cross and Scarpetta is left to put all the pieces together. Who'll get the last laugh in this cat and mouse game and can Scarpetta outwit this criminal mastermind and bring them to justice...again? Cornwell at her best, no doubt.
The ongoing character development of Kay Scarpetta continues to entertain the reader in this novel. Much of her personal life has come to light over the last few novels and this one adds another layer to the story. Scarpetta, and those around whom she is surrounded, continue to grow and develop, entertaining the reader throughout. With some great plot and excellent storylines, Cornwell does not disappoint or leave the reader bored.
Kudos Madam Cornwell on another great novel.
The ongoing character development of Kay Scarpetta continues to entertain the reader in this novel. Much of her personal life has come to light over the last few novels and this one adds another layer to the story. Scarpetta, and those around whom she is surrounded, continue to grow and develop, entertaining the reader throughout. With some great plot and excellent storylines, Cornwell does not disappoint or leave the reader bored.
Kudos Madam Cornwell on another great novel.
June 29, 2023
Who is behind the murders and arsons popping up in NY and PA? How did the gruesome serial killer from the past's accomplice escape a high security psychiatric hospital on a secure island? Are they in danger? Is it all connected? It all comes together with the loss of someone important in the group and a helicopter chase.
Interesting story. I can't put my finger on what exactly it is about this one that is preventing me from giving 5 stars. But I do still recommend reading it.
Interesting story. I can't put my finger on what exactly it is about this one that is preventing me from giving 5 stars. But I do still recommend reading it.
March 25, 2019
This was one of my favorite series many, many years ago.
June 5, 2020
Patricia Cornwell’s main series begins in 1990, when the internet was new and her computer whiz niece, Lucy, was little. I enjoy watching computers advance through software and hardware capacity that I remember, Lucy grow-up into an F.B.I. agent, and Pete Marino build true friendship with them. F.B.I. profiler Benton Wesley is also family. This approach to their team is why I am willing to read violent crime cases of a chief medical examiner; notably the first woman chief in Virginia. I do not read thrillers, with very few exceptions.
The next novel is in 1999 and I like moving towards our modern environment. I am glad a trio of mutilating psychopaths has been terminated. Many cases pertained to their gruesome crimes. I prefer fresh plots and characters per novel as it is, which is conducive to originality. Kay Scarpetta is always tired or busy, or has doubts about who she is dating and dreary weather is emphasized too often too. It causes blandness; not seeing Kay energetic about anything. Her job is gruelling but everyone has favourite music, television, animals... that animates them. Furthermore, Kay is only in her early 50s but acts ancient, which bothers me additionally. The nature of crimes and her job cannot be happy, therefore scenes of these characters’ personal time need brightening; some levity. Kay, Lucy, and Pete moaning at home as well as on the job, denies their stories of relief from the blandness.
“Point Of Origin”, meaning where a fire started, mixed too many layers. It entailed the worst mutilations and extended to the death of a major character. It was depressing in the extreme! The death of horses multiplied that; a needless, sad increase of drama that yielded no explanation! I hope there is a tone of renewal from now on.
The next novel is in 1999 and I like moving towards our modern environment. I am glad a trio of mutilating psychopaths has been terminated. Many cases pertained to their gruesome crimes. I prefer fresh plots and characters per novel as it is, which is conducive to originality. Kay Scarpetta is always tired or busy, or has doubts about who she is dating and dreary weather is emphasized too often too. It causes blandness; not seeing Kay energetic about anything. Her job is gruelling but everyone has favourite music, television, animals... that animates them. Furthermore, Kay is only in her early 50s but acts ancient, which bothers me additionally. The nature of crimes and her job cannot be happy, therefore scenes of these characters’ personal time need brightening; some levity. Kay, Lucy, and Pete moaning at home as well as on the job, denies their stories of relief from the blandness.
“Point Of Origin”, meaning where a fire started, mixed too many layers. It entailed the worst mutilations and extended to the death of a major character. It was depressing in the extreme! The death of horses multiplied that; a needless, sad increase of drama that yielded no explanation! I hope there is a tone of renewal from now on.
July 10, 2017
Nikad duze nisam citala neku knjigu. Jedva dvojka.
December 23, 2011
This book is what I consider the last good Scarpetta novel; all the books that follow it (The Last Precinct, Blowfly, Predator, et al) are hardly worth the paper they're printed on.
The plot centers on the suspected arson of a media magnate's home which resulted in the death of one female and several prize horses. A new villain enters the picture (Newton Joyce), and he's aided by serial killer Carrie Grethen, newly escaped from prison. There's a subplot involving Benton Wesley, Scarpetta's FBI paramour, which turns into the mother of all plot twists in her later novel 'Blowfly'. I felt that Cornwell didn't give her characters enough chance: she rapidly ditches both Joyce and Grethen in favor of Le Loup-Garou, her villain of 'Black Notice' and 'The Last Precinct', which in my opinion was a mistake.
The supporting characters are back: Lt. Pete Marino (I swear if she kills him off I will never touch one of her novels again), FBI agent Lucy Farinelli, Scarpetta's neice (although too much of a deal is made of her lesbianism), and one of the best villains in contemporary thrillers, Carrie Grethen. Carrie can be placed easily next to Hannibal Lecter in terms of fictional villains.
As you read, you'll learn about how arson fires are investigated and, incidentally, how fires work in terms of accelerants and point(s) of origin (where the fire initially begins); you'll also learn a little bit about how a scanning electron microscope (SEM) works. Cornwell's science is always dead-on, and this book is no exception.
The plot centers on the suspected arson of a media magnate's home which resulted in the death of one female and several prize horses. A new villain enters the picture (Newton Joyce), and he's aided by serial killer Carrie Grethen, newly escaped from prison. There's a subplot involving Benton Wesley, Scarpetta's FBI paramour, which turns into the mother of all plot twists in her later novel 'Blowfly'. I felt that Cornwell didn't give her characters enough chance: she rapidly ditches both Joyce and Grethen in favor of Le Loup-Garou, her villain of 'Black Notice' and 'The Last Precinct', which in my opinion was a mistake.
The supporting characters are back: Lt. Pete Marino (I swear if she kills him off I will never touch one of her novels again), FBI agent Lucy Farinelli, Scarpetta's neice (although too much of a deal is made of her lesbianism), and one of the best villains in contemporary thrillers, Carrie Grethen. Carrie can be placed easily next to Hannibal Lecter in terms of fictional villains.
As you read, you'll learn about how arson fires are investigated and, incidentally, how fires work in terms of accelerants and point(s) of origin (where the fire initially begins); you'll also learn a little bit about how a scanning electron microscope (SEM) works. Cornwell's science is always dead-on, and this book is no exception.
May 21, 2017
OK, so this is as far as I got when I read this series as it was released. I quit reading because I was downright angry at Patricia Cornwell. She KILLED him! Yep, it was a good plot twist. Yep, it built tension, suspense, empathy. Yep, it proved that I care about the characters. But it really pissed me off. So, I am trying again, and even though it didn't shock and surprise me this time, it did still anger me.
Here's why: In my opinion Kay, Lucy, Benton and Marino are all too "hard." Their lives are all about work -- and their work is all about the evils in the world. Their relationships humanize them. They need the love, friendship, tenderness and empathy to soften them. So killing one of them affects all of them, and while I understand that might be a good thing for many readers, for me it isn't.
Having said all that, the story in this one is full of crazy action. The villains continue to take all of us on a roller coaster ride as Kay and friends try to catch them. This particular book is one of my favorites of the series, which may seem at odds with the fact that I quit reading after it came out. But I remembered the story all these years unlike the previous volumes.
If you like Cornwell's style you will like this book. But please -- read it. Do not listen. The narration is dull, breathy, boring and simpering. Ugh. I hated it.
Here's why: In my opinion Kay, Lucy, Benton and Marino are all too "hard." Their lives are all about work -- and their work is all about the evils in the world. Their relationships humanize them. They need the love, friendship, tenderness and empathy to soften them. So killing one of them affects all of them, and while I understand that might be a good thing for many readers, for me it isn't.
Having said all that, the story in this one is full of crazy action. The villains continue to take all of us on a roller coaster ride as Kay and friends try to catch them. This particular book is one of my favorites of the series, which may seem at odds with the fact that I quit reading after it came out. But I remembered the story all these years unlike the previous volumes.
If you like Cornwell's style you will like this book. But please -- read it. Do not listen. The narration is dull, breathy, boring and simpering. Ugh. I hated it.
December 17, 2010
Recently someone handed me a bag of paperbacks and asked if I wanted to borrow them. Well, of course, I did. But I answered without really looking. And when I did look, I noticed that approximately 6 of the 8 books were Jodi Picoult. And those’ll be great in a week or so when I get on a plane, but in the meantime I needed something else. It was the middle of the night—no bookstore or library open—so I picked one of the non-Picoult’s: Patricia Cornwell’s Point of Origin.
Point of Origin is one of nearly twenty books featuring the protagonist Kay Scarpetta and her niece Lucy. (I’ve read exactly 0 of the others, but if another turned up in my bag of paperbacks, I’d give it a shot.) Medical examiner Scarpetta must help determine what caused a fire at a wealthy man’s estate. In the midst of trying to solve the case, an old adversary escapes from the mental institution where she was being held.
The novel reads fairly quickly, and I dare say that if you are a fan of crime fiction, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. Me, I could do without the descriptions of charred bodies and other gory details.
Though the novel is part of a series, it can easily be read alone. While there are references to occurrences outside the scope of this novel, everything is adequately explained without being overly explained.
Point of Origin is one of nearly twenty books featuring the protagonist Kay Scarpetta and her niece Lucy. (I’ve read exactly 0 of the others, but if another turned up in my bag of paperbacks, I’d give it a shot.) Medical examiner Scarpetta must help determine what caused a fire at a wealthy man’s estate. In the midst of trying to solve the case, an old adversary escapes from the mental institution where she was being held.
The novel reads fairly quickly, and I dare say that if you are a fan of crime fiction, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. Me, I could do without the descriptions of charred bodies and other gory details.
Though the novel is part of a series, it can easily be read alone. While there are references to occurrences outside the scope of this novel, everything is adequately explained without being overly explained.
December 8, 2011
i liked carrie being back, but . . . i wanted resolution!
the whole thing with benton is really annoying me. i hear the series takes a turn for the better after The Book of the Dead and it's not like i'm going to be putting down these books any time soon, but man, i just don't like them very much right now.
i also find it fascinating that cornwell has written such a strong, smart homosexual character in lucy, while being a lesbian herself. i wonder why she didn't come out earlier? i mean, i know she's a republican, but man. hiding in the closet? i am not saying that it is necessary, or purposeful, or whatever, but i would think that she would be a little more open about it.
anyway. it was better than the last one, but still i feel the endings are rushed. i like kay, and i still want marino to settle down. i'm a little annoyed by lucy, who doesn't seem to age, and is so reckless, stupid and smart - but seriously? she's not in the FBI still? how effing lame.
the whole thing with benton is really annoying me. i hear the series takes a turn for the better after The Book of the Dead and it's not like i'm going to be putting down these books any time soon, but man, i just don't like them very much right now.
i also find it fascinating that cornwell has written such a strong, smart homosexual character in lucy, while being a lesbian herself. i wonder why she didn't come out earlier? i mean, i know she's a republican, but man. hiding in the closet? i am not saying that it is necessary, or purposeful, or whatever, but i would think that she would be a little more open about it.
anyway. it was better than the last one, but still i feel the endings are rushed. i like kay, and i still want marino to settle down. i'm a little annoyed by lucy, who doesn't seem to age, and is so reckless, stupid and smart - but seriously? she's not in the FBI still? how effing lame.
March 28, 2017
Patricia Cornwell is the master of suspense and she delivers another helping in Point of Origin. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia is back and faced with an evil from her past. In collaboration with her niece Lucy, Detective Pete Marino, and Profiler Benton Wesley, Scarpetta takes on the case of a deadly fire that turns into a plot even more sinister. Well written as always, Patricia Cornwell has delivered another thrilling tale of murder,deceit and mystery. Another page turner in the Kay Scarpetta series!
May 14, 2021
Algo largo para lo que quiere contar, con un final que mejora la novela. El libro me ha costado bastante acabarlo la verdad, el final es interesante pero me ha parecido que el ritmo del libro era muy lento. Regular.
February 24, 2018
This was so good, but so sad. Definitely one of my favorites in the series so far.
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