Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell                                                                                    ***

I started reading Cornwell several years ago with The Body Farm, a fascinating look inside the gritty aspects of forensic investigation.  Having spent four years in Knoxville, it was especially interesting to me.  Like I do with a lot of fiction writers, I got hooked and read several of her books as soon as they hit the shelves only to get tired of the series.  Though I strongly suspect this is a personal, internal flaw,  I felt that with Cornwell I had valid reasons.  First, her personal life became a public story.  I'm not sure of the details anymore, just that it seemed her books might mirror her real life a little too closely.  Secondly, I thought her books got too personal.  Obviously this is just a matter of taste.  I like my crime novels to be like the TV show Law & Order.  I don't really care about the characters lives away from work and this is what I mean about Cornwell.  As she began to flesh out the characters' inner feelings I just felt like it took away from the story. 
That being said, this is a pretty good book.  It has Kay and Lucy and Benton and Marino, all familiar faces even if you have taken a few books off, and they work an interesting case that deals with murdered 'little people', bizarre internet gossip sites, scary pet stores and corruption.  If you want to know how everyone feels, deep inside, you get that too.  Or you can just quickly scan those pages and get back to the story.
What is really amazing about Cornwell is that none of her stories have been made into movies.  This one in particular is perfect for the big screen and I can think of several others.  Considering some of the drivel that is made into police stories it would be nice to see a little competition for the latest James Patterson adaptation.  In the case of this series you have a ready-made star as every description I've read of Kay Scarpetta describes Joan Allen to a T.