ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, October 13, 1996 TAG: 9610120009
SECTION: BOOKS PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
Cornwell fills plots with details from scuba diving to robotics
Reviewed by PAUL DELLINGER
CAUSE OF DEATH. By Patricia Cornwell. G.P. Putnam's Sons. $25.95.
In "Cause of Death," for practically the first time, Patricia Cornwell's fictional Virginia chief medical examiner is not pursuing a serial killer.
This time, it is the death of an Associated Press reporter in a Tidewater naval shipyard, in what the authorities seem all too eager to dismiss as a diving accident. Dr. Kay Scarpetta soon knows better, and neither military secrecy nor an overbearing Chesapeake detective's attempts at intimidation are going to keep her from following wherever the evidence leads.
This time around, in Scarpetta's eighth outing, it leads to a terrorist plot of international proportions involving the takeover of a nuclear power plant, a cult with a twisted messianic leader, a peek into advanced crime-fighting technology involving virtual reality and robotics, and another murder close to Scarpetta. As usual, Scarpetta must overcome the usual petty political intrigues, male chauvinism and even secrecy among those to whom she is closest before she sorts this one out.
The other characters who have helped make Cornwell's previous novels best sellers continue to develop: Pete Marino, the belligerent and crude Richmond detective who is nevertheless devoted to Scarpetta; Benton Wesley, the married FBI profiler with whom Scarpetta had an affair; and Scarpetta's niece, Lucy, who has gone, through Cornwell's books, from teen-ager to FBI computer expert and seems a possibility for her own series.
A plus for Virginia readers is the knowledge that Scarpetta's scrappy personality characteristics are based on Dr. Marcella Fierro, a former state deputy chief medical examiner who moved to North Carolina in 1992, and with whom Cornwell worked as a computer expert while researching her chief character for her first novel.
Cornwell herself has come in for unwanted notoriety recently by being named in a bizarre divorce case between two ex-FBI agents. The husband claimed his estranged wife shared a lesbian relationship with Cornwell. His credibility has not been helped by his being charged with abduction, robbery and other crimes stemming from his apparent kidnapping of a minister in an attempt to lure his wife to a church for reasons not yet clear.
A typical reader reaction was that it all sounded like a plot for Cornwell's next novel. The elements are all there, including the lesbianism (which has never involved Scarpetta but is part of her niece's character). And Cornwell draws on actual events for her fiction. Her first novel, "Postmortem," was based loosely on the Southside Strangler serial killings in Richmond.
Has the controversy helped sales of her latest book? "Her novels always sell very well," replied a Waldenbooks clerk in the New River Valley Mall where cartons of "Cause of Death" were being unpacked. Cornwell needs no scandal-sheet hype with her thoroughness in plot details from scuba diving to robotics, and a cast of characters that we continue to care about.
CAUSE OF DEATH. By Patricia Cornwell. Read by Blair Brown. Abridged. Random House Audio Books. $23.50.
She mispronounces "Henrico," gives Tidewater officials a redneck accent and does Capt. Pete Marino's voice in a rasp which is almost painful to hear. But these are quibbles. Overall, actress Blair Brown narrates dramatically and convincingly as Cornwell's Dr. Kay Scarpetta and the slight abridgement does not hurt the story at all. This audio version of the latest Scarpetta mystery will be a treat for Cornwell fans.
Paul Dellinger covers Pulaski County and Southwest Virginia for this newspaper.
Private eye investigates murders in Montana
Reviewed by JILL BOWEN
WHEN WALLFLOWERS DIE. By Sandra West Prowell. Walker. $22.95.
This third novel by Sandra West Prowell is set in her home state of Montana. Phoebe Siegel is a tough private investigator cast in the same mold as Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone.
The story opens with Robert Maitland, a local lawyer who is planning to run for governor, asking Phoebe to investigate the 27-year-old murder of his wife, Ellen Dahl Maitland. Phoebe learns that another murder took place at the same time, and she questions whether there is a connection between Ellen, who was found dressed as a whore in a sleazy motel, and Chili, the young hooker who was found apparently drowned in a local lake. Frank Chillman, Chili's brother, a recently released convict, contacts Phoebe but is killed in his remote cabin before he can share his information. A street informant is beaten to death, and Phoebe herself is shot. It becomes increasingly obvious that asking too many questions is fraught with danger.
The end of this mystery is quite a surprise. "When Wallflowers Die" offers a fast pace, plenty of action and interesting detail. Prowell's description of winters in Montana and the general ambience of the area make me rather glad that I have to cope only with the weather in Virginia.
WHEN WALLFLOWERS DIE. By Sandra West Prowell. Unabridged Audio. Read by Susan Breck. Brilliance. $23.95.
This unabridged recording of "Where Wildflowers Die" provides eight hours of listening. Although the reading by Susan Breck is not the most inspired, it made my journey to Richmond and back much less tedious.
On a technical note, this tape is recorded using all four tracks and therefore an adapter is required if you are using a tape player without a balance control. This could be a problem for some.
Jill Bowen is a Blacksburg veterinarian.
The corpse gave no clues
Reviewed by RANES CHAKRAVORTY
DEADLY CARE. By Leonard S. Goldberg. Dutton. $23.95.
Leonard Goldberg is a well-established forensic physician and also the author of a number of detective novels. He uses his expertise well in this book.
A man is killed and his body mutilated in such a fashion that even an expert forensic pathologist and her cohorts find it almost impossible to identify him. The killer himself is a person with no detectable past - though the reader knows his identity from the very start. The novel hinges on efforts to establish the identity of the victim, the identity of the killer and the motive behind the murder.
The solution of a crime needs the systematic unraveling of clues, some through common knowledge and painstaking examination, others through the esoteric knowledge of specialists and the use of sophisticated instruments. Also, blind luck also may play a critical role in solving a crime. Goldberg uses all of these in solving his mystery.
The main characters (including a group of homeless people) are diverse and well-portrayed. The action is violent and gradually tenses to a climactic ending. The technical miracles of modern medicine and gadgetry are well-described and abundantly used to develop the plot.
The reader follows the villain as he proceeds through multiple murders to protect his identity. The motive for the murders is hidden to the end, and the medical examiner and detective solve the case almost by accident.
Goldberg has strong opinions about managed care and free enterprise in the practice of medicine in this country, and he makes the issue an integral part of his plot. His handling of the theme is improbable but not impossible.
The plot of "Deadly Care" is well-constructed, and the pace is lively. I would recommend it to aficionados of murder mysteries.
Ranes C. Chakravorty is a surgeon at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem.
BOOKMARKS
Art, literature unite in books by husband, wife
Reviewed by LYNN ERWIN
THE SYLVAN. By Judy Vermillion Witt. Brandylane. $24.95.
ROSES ARE RED ... AND WHITE. By Jack Witt. Brandylane. $20.
Jack and Judy Witt share their artistic and literary talents in their offering of two imaginative treasures.
"Roses Are Red ... and White" consists of poems by sculptor Jack Witt, collected over the past 20 years and inspired by the names of the flowers in his garden. Witt's calligraphy features large letters and colorful inks which, coupled with his thoughts, make an elegant book. It would be a meaningful gift for those of us who putter in the garden and know how a morning glory or hollyhock can inspire feeling.
"The Sylvan" is a complex fairy tale about a girl named Sarah and Sylvania, a whimsical little man who lives in an enchanted forest. Judy Witt introduces each chapter with small watercolor drawings. A child of 9, who still enjoys read-alouds, thoroughly enjoyed the story and seemed to understand - even more than myself - the relationship between the characters.
Jack and Judy Witt, a very talented husband and wife team, operate the Hide Park Gallery in Ashland, Virginia.
Lynn Erwin is a librarian at Hollins College.
Jack and Judy Witt will sign books at Books Strings & Things on Oct. 19 from 1-3 p.m. and at Books-A-Million 4-6 p.m. They will be at Ram's Head Book Shop on Oct. 26 from 1-3 p.m.
BOOKS IN BRIEFS
Recovered letters set stage for Austen mystery
JANE AND THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR.
By Stephanie Barron. Bantam. $19.95.
Fans who have not had enough Jane Austen this year, with "Sense and Sensibility," "Persuasion," and now "Emma" at the theaters as well as "Pride and Prejudice" on television, may welcome Stephanie Barron's new sleuth, none other than Jane Austen herself.
This novel consists of recently recovered letters from Jane to her sister that relate Jane's involvement in the investigation of a murder. The elderly Earl of Scargrave, husband of Jane's dear friend Isobel, died suddenly under suspicious circumstances. When a young maid is butchered as well, evidence points to Isobel, but Jane is convinced her friend is innocent.
The courtroom denouement is outlandish, but the style and atmosphere feel right and the characterization of Jane Austen rings true.
Editor's notes scattered throughout the narrative add authenticity to the story. This is an engaging and promising debut.
- ANNA WENTWORTH
CRITICAL JUDGMENT.
By Michael Palmer. Bantam. $22.95.
Start with a young woman doctor, an emergency room specialist. Bring her to a remote California mountain town where her fiance works for a multinational company, ostensibly developing government contracts related to battery technology. But, wait! People are getting sick for no apparent reason. The fiance begins to act strangely. The company, despite its protestations, must be up to no good! The plucky young M.D. resolves it all.
Is the situation plausible? Maybe. Does the dialogue crackle with excitement and suspense? No. Does the climax make sense? It does, if you enjoy "deus ex machina" endings. But, despite these flaws, the story does move right along if the reader is willing to suspend disbelief for a while. "Critical Judgment" isn't heavy stuff, but it is better than average hammock reading.
- A. SIDNEY BARRITT III
Anna Wentworth reviews theater for WVTF public radio and movies
for WDBJ-Channel 7.
A. Sidney Barritt III is a Roanoke physician.
LENGTH: Long : 199 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) Cornwell, Prowell. Cover of "Roses Are Redby CNB... and White."