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Depraved Heart

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Depraved Heart

By: Patricia Cornwell
Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
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About this listen

The No. 1 bestselling series starring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

Dr. Kay Scarpetta is working a suspicious death scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts when an emergency alert sounds on her phone. A video link lands in her text messages and seems to be from her computer genius niece Lucy. But how can it be? It’s clearly a surveillance film of Lucy taken almost twenty years ago.

As Scarpetta watches she begins to learn frightening secrets about her niece, whom she has loved and raised like a daughter. That film clip and then others sent soon after raise dangerous legal implications that increasingly isolate Scarpetta and leave her confused, worried, and not knowing where to turn. She doesn’t know whom she can tell – not her FBI husband Benton Wesley or her investigative partner Pete Marino. Not even Lucy.

In this new novel, Cornwell launches these unforgettable characters on an intensely psychological odyssey that includes the mysterious death of a Hollywood mogul’s daughter, aircraft wreckage on the bottom of the sea in the Bermuda Triangle, a grisly gift left in the back of a crime scene truck, and videos from the past that threaten to destroy Scarpetta’s entire world and everyone she loves. The diabolical presence behind what unfolds seems obvious – but strangely, not to the FBI. Certainly that’s the message they send when they raid Lucy’s estate and begin building a case that could send her to prison for the rest of her life.

In the latest novel in her bestselling series featuring chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Cornwell will captivate readers with the shocking twists, high-wire tension, and cutting-edge forensic detail that she is famous for, proving yet again why she’s the world’s #1 bestselling crime writer.

Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Genre Fiction Medical Mystery Police Procedural Psychological Thriller Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Crime Suspense

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Critic reviews

Praise for Patricia Cornwell & 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 Book Review

All stars
Most relevant

Would you listen to Depraved Heart again? Why?

I probably won't listen to this book again. The Scarpetta stories are always good, but this one isn't quite as great as the others.

What does Susan Ericksen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I was a little worried that Lorelei King wasn't reading this, as usual, but Susan Ericksen is actually really good and after a few minutes, i didn't really notice it was a different reader.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The Scarpetta stories are getting a little samey these days. they're still great, but I don't find myself being as excited by them as much as I used to

Still Scarpetta, but not much changes...

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Not a bad story but having read many Dr Scarpetta novels over the years it was a bit predictable

If you like Kay Scarpetta you'll enjoy this.

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What made the experience of listening to Depraved Heart the most enjoyable?

The tension of this fast paced book is Scarpetta at her best. The story runs fluidly leaving you begging for more in the next chapter. The story keeps you so enthralled that you can't stop listening.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It has to be a close call between Scarpetta and Marino who is still bitter , hurt and ashamed of his feelings for Kay. Marino 's feelings for Scarpetta run deep and he doesn't know how to deal with them other than striking out at Benton. As brusque as he is, he is actually a complex character who's feelings run deep and confused.

Which character – as performed by Susan Ericksen – was your favourite?

Susan Ericsson played Scarpetta extremely well and convincing and sounds like how I feel Scarpetta sounds. Even reading the male characters she still gets the subtle nuances of them

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It is very difficult to pick one particular moment in the book as it is so complex and surprising, it is almost impossible to pick one moment. The whole book is one of Patricia Cornwell best books.

Scarpertta at her best.

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same old same old, but if you like that then you like reading the same story over and over again you'll love this

what you expect

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I love Patricia Cornwell Scarpetta book and I have read them all. This book I found the storyline confusing and not all questions surrounding the plot regarding Lucy and Janet and videos were answered. I feel left up in the air with this book and the whole storyline concerning the FBI and Lucy was disjointed and not explained. It was a big chunk of the book but it wasn't fully explained at the end. Also, if my husband kept such important information from me like Benton did with Kay, I would have divorced him. I hope the next book, which I am about to start is a lot better plot-wise than this one. I am left disappointed and confused.

Confusing story

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