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Chaos cover art

Chaos

By: Patricia Cornwell
Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
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Summary

Number one New York Times best-selling author Patricia Cornwell delivers the 24th engrossing thriller in her high-stakes series starring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

©2016 Cornwell Entertainment, Inc. (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

Praise for Patricia Cornwell and the Kay Scarpetta novels:
"Cutting-edge." ( Sun)
"A pioneer of the genre of forensic psychological thriller." (BBC)
"America's most stimulating and chilling writer of crime fiction." ( The Times)
"Devilishly clever." ( Sunday Times)
"She is a brilliant writer and I was absolutely gripped." ( Mail on Sunday)
"The top gun in this field." ( Daily Telegraph)
"Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns" ( Mirror)
"The Agatha Christie of the DNA age." ( Express)
"One of the best crime writers writing today." ( Guardian)
"Few writers match Patricia Cornwell when it comes to writing crime and her latest Scarpetta novel is one of her best." ( Daily Express)
"When it comes to the forensic sciences, nobody can touch Cornwell." ( New York Times)
"Dazzling.... After reading Cornwell's thriller, most others will pale in comparison." ( Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
"Magnificent plotting, masterful writing, and marvelous suspense." ( Booklist)
"Cornwell's instincts are dead-on." ( Chicago Sun-Times)
"Cornwell remains a master of the genre, instilling in readers an appetite that only she can satisfy." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Chaos

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

This should be listed under fantasy.


When a character becomes a superhero it no longer deserves to be reviewed as crime literature or anything of the kind, even the villains are supervillains all that is left is a lifestyle reference for shoppers and she is not modest piling it on. It is all about the fabulous life without any fable just a vehicle to sell more of the same.

When Scarpetta first came out it was gritty and intelligent but little by little it degenerated into this incredible Bond type of fantasy, Lucy her super intelligent all-around superwoman was the first clue where all would end and now it is all lost to fatuous lifestyles of the reach and famous while working on cadavers, and fighting supervillains.

Last try of a series that is in a downward spiral

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointed Chaos

Have always been a Cornwell fan but found myself bored by this recent story. Thoroughly enjoyed her early books but feel there's less to the recent ones with a lot of time on incidental details.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Hard to listen

I am an ardent fan of Patrica Cornwell but this book was nothing but unnecessary words and descriptions that made it hard to listen to would sooner of had shorter book

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Dire, excruciatingly boring

The story just keeps veering off the point by the continual addition of excruciatingly detailed unnecessary addition of trivial detail. just when you think (HOPE) that the story is going to move on we are provided with background information relating to people, past situations, etc etc. It's frustrating and painful to listen to. I couldn't finish the story.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Hard to listen to the uninspiring narrator

Average story, not sure I’ll bother with this author any more. Sad because I’ve always loved her books

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

That’s 13 hours of my life I’m not getting back

I have listened to many Kay Scarpetta books and really enjoyed them .. this is by far the worst book I’ve ever had the displeasure of listening to. Zero happened, I mean nothing ... I felt compelled to listen to the end to make sure I wasn’t missing some marvellously clever twist etc .. alas there was nothing. Patricia Cornwell you have written a complete turkey and you’ve taken my money and more importantly 13 hours of my life under false pretences .. I suspect this book will spell the end of Kay Scarpetta which is a pity .. I never write reviews of anything but feel so strongly this time that I felt obliged to warn others how completely rubbish this book is.. sit in a room and watch paint dry .. talk to your spouse .. count grains of sand .. all soooo much more fun than this ...

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Very disappointing – even for the most avid and tolerant Scarpetta fan

Whilst recent Scarpetta books have tested the bounds of reality, this one has finally fallen off a cliff edge in terms of credibility. She has finally morphed from a insightful and interesting forensic investigator into a smug, unlikable "know all".
In terms of story and narrative, this is as derivative a book as I have ever read simply rehashing old stories and old ideas in order to fill pages. I recently read a review where Patricia Cornwell said that she was even busier know that she has reached 60: I Soum the time has been spent reading her old books so that she can regurgitate the same characters and stories into this final "completion" narrative. Even more disappointing, given that I have been Reading the Scarpetta books from the very start, is the fact that the story and the forensics have more holes in them than a Swiss cheese.
The narration is painfully laboured and slow, to the point that I check that I wasn't listening to it at .7 5X! The voices of the characters were cliched and exaggerated. Very disappointing!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Boring

I have read all her books but this one is soooo boring! There is no action and I am getting really bored with the same menace time after time. I am very disappointed. The narrator does not help with her harsh voice and nobody seems to be able to talk to each other in a normal manner. Far too many descriptions. The last book was also a bit like this and it will put me off reading any next one.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
  • AB
  • 16-01-17

Don't bother!

I can't believe they even bothered publishing this, Patricia Cromwell has truly lost the plot

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Time to kill off Kay Scarpetta... Dull Book.

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I don't know who would enjoy this book. Patricia Cornwell's books used to be gripping and just so hard to put down.

Would you ever listen to anything by Patricia Cornwell again?

I am losing interest in Patricia Cornwall's books as the Kay Scarpitta series that I was addicted to for many years has become so dull. Overly detailed and really not worth the effort of listening to.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Chaos?

Most of them!

Any additional comments?

Time to kill off / retire Kay Scarpitta as it is always the same type of ending. The books are too hung up on intricate details that are unnecessary and it just drags on and on!

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3 people found this helpful