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Winston Garano #1
At Risk
Another Patricia Cornwell appears, and it's a pretty safe bet that At Risk will storm its way to the top of the best-selling charts. Cornwell has been at the top of the American crime writing tree for so long now that her position is virtually unassailable--even when she produces the odd misfire (which he has been known to do). Fortunately, At Risk can be counted among her successes, though its brevity may disappoint some.
The book is based on a recent story of the same name serialised in The New York Times, but those hoping for the return of Cornwell's resourceful forensic specialist Dr Kay Scarpetta will have to wait a little longer, as Cornwell introduces a new central character in this book. Having inhabited the mind of a female protagonist for so long, the author has felt the need to move into very different territory with a charismatic male police investigator at the centre of the narrative. The book takes the reader from the cool climes of Cambridge, Massachusetts to the overbearing heat of Knoxville Tennessee. Win Garano is handed a tricky assignment: he is to investigate a murder case that is over two decades old. District Attorney Monique Lamont isn't concerned about the difficulties of the case, though--she simply wants results for personal reasons. Win is convinced that he has been saddled with a very low priority case, but quickly finds that there is much more to this twenty-year-old mystery than he thought. As some very dangerous secrets are uncovered, Win finds himself dealing with both the consequences of his investigation and the remarkable ambitiousness of Monique Lamont as he pursues a political grand prize. In the past, when Cornwell has moved away from the safe territory of the Kay Scarpetta novels, she has slightly alienated her dedicated fan base. But she is absolutely right to take chances like this in order to freshen her literary inspiration, and this fast-moving piece is a laudable effort, even if it comes in at a rather shortish page count. --Barry Forshaw
The book is based on a recent story of the same name serialised in The New York Times, but those hoping for the return of Cornwell's resourceful forensic specialist Dr Kay Scarpetta will have to wait a little longer, as Cornwell introduces a new central character in this book. Having inhabited the mind of a female protagonist for so long, the author has felt the need to move into very different territory with a charismatic male police investigator at the centre of the narrative. The book takes the reader from the cool climes of Cambridge, Massachusetts to the overbearing heat of Knoxville Tennessee. Win Garano is handed a tricky assignment: he is to investigate a murder case that is over two decades old. District Attorney Monique Lamont isn't concerned about the difficulties of the case, though--she simply wants results for personal reasons. Win is convinced that he has been saddled with a very low priority case, but quickly finds that there is much more to this twenty-year-old mystery than he thought. As some very dangerous secrets are uncovered, Win finds himself dealing with both the consequences of his investigation and the remarkable ambitiousness of Monique Lamont as he pursues a political grand prize. In the past, when Cornwell has moved away from the safe territory of the Kay Scarpetta novels, she has slightly alienated her dedicated fan base. But she is absolutely right to take chances like this in order to freshen her literary inspiration, and this fast-moving piece is a laudable effort, even if it comes in at a rather shortish page count. --Barry Forshaw
229 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
1122 people are currently reading
6306 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Cornwell
197 books19.8k 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 968 reviews
August 18, 2007
This wasn't a book in the Scarpetta series, and I had been finding those getting worse with each new novel, so I thought that something fresh may be better to read.
Nope! I honestly don't like her writing anymore. I don't know if it is the writing that has changed or whether it is me that is changing. I do know that my reading has been a lot broader now than when I first started reading PC, so maybe that is it.
In At Risk, I struggled to follow the plot line. I was confused a lot, and felt that I ws meant to know more about the characters without her telling me about them.
I was glad to finish it, but still felt that I didn't really know what had happened and why..............
Nope! I honestly don't like her writing anymore. I don't know if it is the writing that has changed or whether it is me that is changing. I do know that my reading has been a lot broader now than when I first started reading PC, so maybe that is it.
In At Risk, I struggled to follow the plot line. I was confused a lot, and felt that I ws meant to know more about the characters without her telling me about them.
I was glad to finish it, but still felt that I didn't really know what had happened and why..............
October 22, 2007
Crap. First of all, it uses the rather unprofessional format of present tense grammar. I'm supposing the author intended this to give the story a sense of immediacy and urgency; it just made it sound like it was being related by a Valley-Girl.
The story plodded, large sections of what I would have considered important action are skipped over, scenes jump around with no sense or reason, and it was just plain not exciting.
Reminder: Just because something gets on the Best Seller's list does not mean it has any quality, whatsoever.
The story plodded, large sections of what I would have considered important action are skipped over, scenes jump around with no sense or reason, and it was just plain not exciting.
Reminder: Just because something gets on the Best Seller's list does not mean it has any quality, whatsoever.
January 12, 2023
At Risk by Patricia Cornwell is the first book in the Winston Garano series and I think this could be the first book I’ve read by this author.
I’ve had this book sitting on my bookshelf for such a long time, so I thought it was about time to read it. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started this book and I must say I found it easy enough to follow the storyline had me intrigued, but for me, it wasn’t a page-turner as such even though I was interested to know how it would come together at the end.
I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.
I’ve had this book sitting on my bookshelf for such a long time, so I thought it was about time to read it. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started this book and I must say I found it easy enough to follow the storyline had me intrigued, but for me, it wasn’t a page-turner as such even though I was interested to know how it would come together at the end.
I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.
June 9, 2025
Barely even a mystery. I haven’t read Cornwell since high school. Her earlier books were fantastic. This was meant to be about solving a cold case in another state to increase forensic funding. As in, we could solve your cold case, now give us funding. Then lots of argy-bargy between FBI and other departments.
It’s gets to the last 50-odd pages and there’ve been almost no leads or interviews with the deceased’s family etc. And then, wham, the re-tested DNA results have come in. Case closed. The investigation was not necessary. No motive was explored that I could discern. And lots of last minute add ons as to who was in love with who as a way of explanation. The reader wasn’t let in on much. I wanted the cold case. It was 9:1 FBI shenanigans:cold case.
Was settled on 2 stars until the undercooked ending.
Disclaimer: I read this whilst sick and may have had a case of the grumps.
It’s gets to the last 50-odd pages and there’ve been almost no leads or interviews with the deceased’s family etc. And then, wham, the re-tested DNA results have come in. Case closed. The investigation was not necessary. No motive was explored that I could discern. And lots of last minute add ons as to who was in love with who as a way of explanation. The reader wasn’t let in on much. I wanted the cold case. It was 9:1 FBI shenanigans:cold case.
Was settled on 2 stars until the undercooked ending.
Disclaimer: I read this whilst sick and may have had a case of the grumps.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2017
Am I the only one that found the plot way too convoluted? Taking an older murder from another state, sending the blood evidence to a lab in California and having this huge conspiracy about insider trading with a rape thrown in for no good reason that I could see. And I'm so jaded I thought the rape was .
I'm pretty sure this is my first time reading this author and I don't plan on picking up any of her other books anytime soon.
I'm pretty sure this is my first time reading this author and I don't plan on picking up any of her other books anytime soon.
October 22, 2008
Terrible all around! Whatever happened to Cornwell's writing and why did it get this bad? I remember reading her Scarpetta novels 7-8 years ago and they were captivating and well written. This book is just utter garbage, seriously folks don't waste your time. I actually thought that for a few chapters there, I was reading some of James Patterson's work - the flimsy characters and the short chapters with a shock factor at the end.
August 7, 2016
Shifting gears, Patricia Cornwell pens a novella that introduces readers to a new character with many unique features. Winston Garano works for the Massachusetts State Police, assigned to liaise closely with one of the most power-hungry women who possesses the title of District Attorney. With her eyes on the Governor's Mansion, she will stop at nothing to get a leg up, literally. While Garano is studying at the National Forensics Academy, he is summoned back from Knoxville to attend to some pressing business. The DA has decided she wants to toss her hat into the ring for the upcoming gubernatorial race and needs an edge. She's created a new program she calls At Risk, utilising the up-and-coming technology of DNA analysis and seeks to apply it to an old case that might earn her praise and recognition. Funny enough, this case is a murder down in Tennessee, which will allow Garano to continue his studies while bolstering the DA's image. Dismissing it, Garano mumbles to himself and prepares to head back south when a violent crime hits close to home and he receives a mysterious phone call about this new case, both of which propel him into action. Working alongside a fellow classmate and current Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent, Garano slowly commences piecing it all together. However, the crime in Massachusetts stinks to high heaven as well, forcing him to spend some time looking into this. What was an attempt to help smaller police forces may be a political battle for Massachusetts Governor and Garano cannot be in the middle of it. Cornwell does well in showing off her new crime minion in this shorter story, pulling readers into the fray with the greatest of ease.
It is said you write what you know, which is how Cornwell created and mastered such a wonderful character in Kay Scarpetta. With Winston Garano, things flow nicely and his backstory is one that is surely intriguing, but even with a hook such as his mixed African America/Italian heritage, he does not hold a candle to the great Scarpetta. I felt as though the story sought to skim the water, a filler, perhaps, between writing assignments, as it does not have the pizzazz for which Cornwell is known. I admit to using this novel to fill a small period of time before I launch myself into a larger project. The development of characters is decent enough and the story flows smoothly, though it seems to drift along in spots, as though there is nothing to hold it together and no impetus to draw the story out into areas not foreseen. I did not feel connected or pulled in to see more about Garano as I might have with other characters. That said, it is not a horrid piece of writing by any stretch of the imagination. I'll finish things off with the follow-up novella and be able to offer something more cogent at that time.
Kudos, Madam Cornwell for attempting to branch out, though perhaps this is more a means of idling as your next Scarpetta masterpiece came to you.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
It is said you write what you know, which is how Cornwell created and mastered such a wonderful character in Kay Scarpetta. With Winston Garano, things flow nicely and his backstory is one that is surely intriguing, but even with a hook such as his mixed African America/Italian heritage, he does not hold a candle to the great Scarpetta. I felt as though the story sought to skim the water, a filler, perhaps, between writing assignments, as it does not have the pizzazz for which Cornwell is known. I admit to using this novel to fill a small period of time before I launch myself into a larger project. The development of characters is decent enough and the story flows smoothly, though it seems to drift along in spots, as though there is nothing to hold it together and no impetus to draw the story out into areas not foreseen. I did not feel connected or pulled in to see more about Garano as I might have with other characters. That said, it is not a horrid piece of writing by any stretch of the imagination. I'll finish things off with the follow-up novella and be able to offer something more cogent at that time.
Kudos, Madam Cornwell for attempting to branch out, though perhaps this is more a means of idling as your next Scarpetta masterpiece came to you.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
March 16, 2009
At one time, her Kay Scarpetta books were some of the best mystery/thriller fiction around... and then they grew dark & nasty & mean - and I stopped reading them.
Since the "At Risk" series meant a new set of characters and a possible fresh start, I gave both of the books a try this weekend. I'm sad to report that the books read like TV pilot proposals: the sexy ice queen prosecutor with political ambitions who bosses around the good-looking African-American detective hero. The hero has relationships with "broken" women who help him solve cold cases. Politics always interferes with crime-solving... and illicit sex (with a minor, rape, etc.) always manages to appear.
From a more "nuts & bolts" perspective, the books develop too quickly as they're shoehorned into 200 pages in a reduced size format - meaning each one of them is about 1/2 a novel in length.
Patricia Cornwell is a better writer than this... go back to her earlier work instead of bothering with these two books.
Since the "At Risk" series meant a new set of characters and a possible fresh start, I gave both of the books a try this weekend. I'm sad to report that the books read like TV pilot proposals: the sexy ice queen prosecutor with political ambitions who bosses around the good-looking African-American detective hero. The hero has relationships with "broken" women who help him solve cold cases. Politics always interferes with crime-solving... and illicit sex (with a minor, rape, etc.) always manages to appear.
From a more "nuts & bolts" perspective, the books develop too quickly as they're shoehorned into 200 pages in a reduced size format - meaning each one of them is about 1/2 a novel in length.
Patricia Cornwell is a better writer than this... go back to her earlier work instead of bothering with these two books.
Read
November 24, 2012One of my worst reads EVER! The story line is stupid. The background mystery is stupid. The foreground plot is stupid. Horribly written. It was a total waste of time.
Here is my review of the #2 book, it is the same.
I read the first Garano book "At Risk" and was thoroughly disappointed, but I bought both the books online together, and I did like the character Winston Garano and thought surely she would flesh him out a little more in the second book. Unless you like reading extremely skeletal outlines of what a story will be when it is written, don't bother getting this book.
I am a huge Cornwell/Scarpetta fan. The last several books of the series really weren't very good. And the last one I read was really pretty bad and rather disjointed. This new series is worse. Much worse. As in horrible. It is poorly written, the characters besides Garano and his grandmother are not even likable/interesting. It is seriously like an outline written by a high school student with a good idea but no writing skills at all. If it had not been in a large font and had been edited at all it would have been about 100 pages long.
I cannot repeat enough how truly bad these two books were.
Here is my review of the #2 book, it is the same.
I read the first Garano book "At Risk" and was thoroughly disappointed, but I bought both the books online together, and I did like the character Winston Garano and thought surely she would flesh him out a little more in the second book. Unless you like reading extremely skeletal outlines of what a story will be when it is written, don't bother getting this book.
I am a huge Cornwell/Scarpetta fan. The last several books of the series really weren't very good. And the last one I read was really pretty bad and rather disjointed. This new series is worse. Much worse. As in horrible. It is poorly written, the characters besides Garano and his grandmother are not even likable/interesting. It is seriously like an outline written by a high school student with a good idea but no writing skills at all. If it had not been in a large font and had been edited at all it would have been about 100 pages long.
I cannot repeat enough how truly bad these two books were.
December 30, 2015
I don't understand what the point of this book was. I really didn't like the style of writing. It felt like the outline of a TV show or movie with sentences half constructed. It couldn't seem to make up it's mind which story it was telling, which was a shame because it held promise. But in the end the cold case wasn't much of a case (especially as the man supposed to be investigating it palmed it off onto a colleague). The DA was awful - in fact most of the characters were awful, apart from Win's Nana.
Bit of a waste of time really.
Bit of a waste of time really.
February 18, 2017
I've read a lot of reviews of this book, and I don't see what people's problem is. I enjoyed the story, and I thought the characters were fairly well drawn. My favorite is the tarot wielding nana. It was a quick and pleasant read.
April 19, 2020
تصنف في روايات الاثارة والبوليسية هذه اول مرة اقرأ لبتريشيا كورنويل. لم اجد ما يجذب ويستحوذ على القارئ. تدور الاحداث بين رجال تحري و ومدعي عام و متخصصين في الطب الشرعي. نائبة المدعي العام للولاية امرأة لديها طموح و توق ورغبة قوية للسلطة و قد دخلت في صراع غير علني مع المدعي العام الحالي. لذا ارادت ان تؤكد على مهاراتها و قدراتها وكفاءتها وانها الاجدر لان فترة الانخابات قريبة جداً. عينت تحري ذكي في البحث في ملابسات جريمة قتل حدثت في فترة زمنية قديمة تتجاوز الثلاثين عاما. وسبب اهتمامها هو ان المعهد الوطني في الولاية طور الية عن طريق ال الدي ان آى معرفة المجرم. وتدور الاحداث في اكثر من ولاية و تتعرض النائبة العامة لعملية اغتيال واغتصاب من شخص مجهول يكتش في النهاية ان احد العاملين في المعهد الوطني هو من ارسله للتخلص من النائبة العامة
January 27, 2025
Well so begins my introduction to Patricia Cornwell - I will admit I am not sure if there is a "starting point" in her work or even if this is part of a larger series - I should really do some research but as a randomly picked book to try I did enjoy this - I did feel in places, especially the start that I was watching a story unfold I was not necessarily invited to watch - and that I was in fact as a result only seeing snippets of what was really going on. However as confusing as it felt at times it did all fall in to place - and even the early blocks and points of confusion were explained if rather suddenly and rushed at the end. This was an interesting read more than a fun one - it certainly has not put me off her work but I do feel I should have read her work starting with something else.
February 17, 2018
Win Garano is called away from a course of the National Forensic Academy to work a twenty-year-old murder case. His book, the district attorney is planning to run for governor.
Interesting characters with an interesting plot. Mix politics with mystery and you have a good story.
It did take me a little bit to get into this story and I had to really pay attention to stay with it. I did like the main character, which made the story for me.
Interesting characters with an interesting plot. Mix politics with mystery and you have a good story.
It did take me a little bit to get into this story and I had to really pay attention to stay with it. I did like the main character, which made the story for me.
October 16, 2009
Meh. I listened to the audio version of this book. I actually have the book but never got around to reading it, i saw the audio version in the library and needed something to pass the time while driving so i grabbed it, thinking... Cool, i will finally get to see what that book is about.
Well... Meh. It was mediocre at best. if I had read it rather than listened to it I might even be more harsh in reviewing this, sorry Patricia Cornwell, but it just wasn't that good of a storyline, in was dry and the characters were unlikable, i see where she was going with Win saving Miss Dog, and protecting Susie from her dead-beat husband, yeah okay so you want me to think he is a nice guy.. okay... I liked his Gram okay too but it just didn't draw me in, Win seemed underdeveloped, and Monique seemed cliched and a stereo-type of a boss who is a self serving ambitious bish. Come on, please i realise you want her to be multi-sided as well, but it just didn't work. I never really felt any connection to any of the characters. Maybe it was because it was such a short book... maybe that is why it just didn't work well. The characters seemed to cookie cutter stiff. Maybe the narrators voice provoked some dislike as well, there were times that it was hard to distinguish betwen characters, there was not enogh clarity between the characters from the narrator.
I am getting rid of the hard copy of the book I have and i already returned the audio version to the library. It did serve its purpose, it burned some time while driving, it was not really deep so i didn't have to really concentrate , it was what i consider a beach read... a book you just don't care if you forget at the hotel when you check out, certainly not a book you would seek out at the lost and found. Lol
Well... Meh. It was mediocre at best. if I had read it rather than listened to it I might even be more harsh in reviewing this, sorry Patricia Cornwell, but it just wasn't that good of a storyline, in was dry and the characters were unlikable, i see where she was going with Win saving Miss Dog, and protecting Susie from her dead-beat husband, yeah okay so you want me to think he is a nice guy.. okay... I liked his Gram okay too but it just didn't draw me in, Win seemed underdeveloped, and Monique seemed cliched and a stereo-type of a boss who is a self serving ambitious bish. Come on, please i realise you want her to be multi-sided as well, but it just didn't work. I never really felt any connection to any of the characters. Maybe it was because it was such a short book... maybe that is why it just didn't work well. The characters seemed to cookie cutter stiff. Maybe the narrators voice provoked some dislike as well, there were times that it was hard to distinguish betwen characters, there was not enogh clarity between the characters from the narrator.
I am getting rid of the hard copy of the book I have and i already returned the audio version to the library. It did serve its purpose, it burned some time while driving, it was not really deep so i didn't have to really concentrate , it was what i consider a beach read... a book you just don't care if you forget at the hotel when you check out, certainly not a book you would seek out at the lost and found. Lol
May 16, 2020
First read: 2007
Initial rating: 2/5
Initial thoughts: boo this isn't a Kay Scarpetta novel :(
I have always felt I didn't give this series a fair chance, and now eight years after I first read it I remember exactly nothing about the plot, so I'm going to re-read with the full awareness that this is a different series and it should be judged on what it is rather than what it isn't!
Re-read: May 2015
New rating: 4/5
Thoughts: This was an unusual crime novel in that the crime was almost a side plot to the action going on in the main characters personal lives. I enjoyed it a lot for the most part.
Things I didn't like; the use of present tense throughout, and the weak female characters - there was Sykes who put her own career in jeopardy to help out Win with the cold case murder just because she has a crush on him, and Monique who was horrible to Win despite everything he did for her (she did become slightly more sympathetic towards the end but it was too little too late for me).
Things I liked; fast moving plot, the main character Win was likeable and I loved his interactions with his Nana, who is a psychic. Any scenes with Miss Dog in them :)
[I just discovered that a made-for-TV movie of At Risk was released in 2010 - it only has a 4.3 rating on IMDb but it might be interesting to see how this very short novel translated to a film.]
Initial rating: 2/5
Initial thoughts: boo this isn't a Kay Scarpetta novel :(
I have always felt I didn't give this series a fair chance, and now eight years after I first read it I remember exactly nothing about the plot, so I'm going to re-read with the full awareness that this is a different series and it should be judged on what it is rather than what it isn't!
Re-read: May 2015
New rating: 4/5
Thoughts: This was an unusual crime novel in that the crime was almost a side plot to the action going on in the main characters personal lives. I enjoyed it a lot for the most part.
Things I didn't like; the use of present tense throughout, and the weak female characters - there was Sykes who put her own career in jeopardy to help out Win with the cold case murder just because she has a crush on him, and Monique who was horrible to Win despite everything he did for her (she did become slightly more sympathetic towards the end but it was too little too late for me).
Things I liked; fast moving plot, the main character Win was likeable and I loved his interactions with his Nana, who is a psychic. Any scenes with Miss Dog in them :)
[I just discovered that a made-for-TV movie of At Risk was released in 2010 - it only has a 4.3 rating on IMDb but it might be interesting to see how this very short novel translated to a film.]
February 29, 2016
This book did not feel like a Patricia Cornwell novel. I've read lots of her Scarpetta series and have always enjoyed the story. The main character, Winston Garano, is intriguing but what was happening around him either was confusing or I just didn't care about. I felt like I was missing parts of the story.
December 1, 2017
Patricia Cornwell normally writes serial killer stories with heavy reliance on forensics. Here she has tried to write something like a political thriller with a murder mystery to go along. Both were weak, to say the least. Nothing great to write about. Just +1 to my have-read list :)
June 2, 2024
Wow, Great detective mystery. A state investigator known as Geronimo to investigate a cold case murder. His boss DA Lamont is running for governor, she is the reason he was called in on the case. He ends up getting threats toward his grandmother.
Expect twist and turns. Very good who done it. Really like this book and the mystery.
Expect twist and turns. Very good who done it. Really like this book and the mystery.
April 6, 2019
An enjoyable snarky read. There is no development of relationship with the characters. Ho Hum
November 26, 2019
Nice and fast thriller, a bit disappointing in the last pages but it's a series so it makes sense. 3.5☆
Read
May 13, 2024if you love pat you will love this
April 18, 2014
Nope. Don't even go there. The main character is OK, but you don't really care about anyone else. And I kept thinking that it read like a long short story (?) Then I discovered a comment on the jacket that I had missed before saying that it was originally a 15-part series in the New Yorker magazine. Her other stuff is much better.
February 2, 2013
Lette le prime cinquanta pagine in inglese e abbandonato.
Ripreso dopo un anno in italiano.
La lettura è proceduta così molto più velocemente, ma non mi ha lasciato nulla.
Sicuramente in inglese mi avrebbe fornito, almeno, l'esercizio in lingua.
Ripreso dopo un anno in italiano.
La lettura è proceduta così molto più velocemente, ma non mi ha lasciato nulla.
Sicuramente in inglese mi avrebbe fornito, almeno, l'esercizio in lingua.
August 16, 2015
From IMDb:
A district attorney wants to further her political dreams by solving an old murder.
Quite interesting but a not so appealing book. I am not so sure I'll put some effort to read this new series by Patricia Cornwell.
A district attorney wants to further her political dreams by solving an old murder.
Quite interesting but a not so appealing book. I am not so sure I'll put some effort to read this new series by Patricia Cornwell.
November 9, 2018
too short, maybe?
p82: nana is asleep on the couch, in her long, black robe, her long, white hair loose and splayed over the cushion, clint eastwood on the tv, making somebody’s day with his big, bad gun.
p82: nana is asleep on the couch, in her long, black robe, her long, white hair loose and splayed over the cushion, clint eastwood on the tv, making somebody’s day with his big, bad gun.
June 12, 2008
Granted, it's not a Kay Scarpetta novel. but I really felt cheated reading this book. It was short on plot, short on character development, double spaced and just not up to Cornwell's talent.
July 28, 2023
Nunca había leído nada de esta autora antes, así que pensé que sería una buena oportunidad para explorar. El desarrollo de los personajes es lo suficientemente buena y la historia fluye sin problemas, aunque parece ir a la deriva en algunos puntos, como si no hubiera nada que la mantuviera unida y ningún ímpetu para llevar la historia a áreas no previstas.
Es una historia lenta al principio, pero luego los personajes se vuelven lo suficientemente interesantes como para saber cómo termina. El personaje principal, Winston Garano, mantuvo mi interés a medida que las líneas de la historia se entretejían y conducían a atar todos los cabos sueltos al final del libro. No es una novela policiaca pesada, solo con los suficientes giros para que sea entretenida, pero no tantos como para ser confusa. Definitivamente me ha gustado lo suficiente como para querer leer más libros de esta autora.
Es una historia lenta al principio, pero luego los personajes se vuelven lo suficientemente interesantes como para saber cómo termina. El personaje principal, Winston Garano, mantuvo mi interés a medida que las líneas de la historia se entretejían y conducían a atar todos los cabos sueltos al final del libro. No es una novela policiaca pesada, solo con los suficientes giros para que sea entretenida, pero no tantos como para ser confusa. Definitivamente me ha gustado lo suficiente como para querer leer más libros de esta autora.
May 6, 2018
2, maybe 2 1/2 stars.
This book took me a long time to read. It's not a long book, but it didn't make me want to read it.
The idea of the story, solving an old crime, is kinda cool. But I don't think it's written well enough to keep me interested. The last couple chapters were better than the rest of the book, but by then it was too late.
And the book jumps between two different characters and it always took awhile for me to figure out which character I was reading.
This is the first Patricia Cornwell book I have read, and I have a bunch of her books on our book shelf. I hope her other ones are better.
This book took me a long time to read. It's not a long book, but it didn't make me want to read it.
The idea of the story, solving an old crime, is kinda cool. But I don't think it's written well enough to keep me interested. The last couple chapters were better than the rest of the book, but by then it was too late.
And the book jumps between two different characters and it always took awhile for me to figure out which character I was reading.
This is the first Patricia Cornwell book I have read, and I have a bunch of her books on our book shelf. I hope her other ones are better.
July 23, 2017
Not a Kay Scarpetta detective, but a short cold case story.
I felt the author was skipping relevant details jumping scenes and making for a fast read.
Although we are given the answers by the end of the book the bad guys seemed to stand out throughout.
If you are after a quick read then this is the book for you.
I felt the author was skipping relevant details jumping scenes and making for a fast read.
Although we are given the answers by the end of the book the bad guys seemed to stand out throughout.
If you are after a quick read then this is the book for you.
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