Trace by Patricia Cornwell

I've read multiple Scarpetta novels, but not all of them, and not in any particular order.  I generally like them just fine-but this one, not so much.  With the major players in 4 different places (Scarpetta and Marino back in Richmond working a case, Lucy dealing with her own issues in Florida and Benton locked in his Aspen condo with a mental patient) the rhythm of the team seemed way, way off.  The underlying plot was a stretch and the tenuous ties that were supposed to hold the story together did not really work for me.  Also, there were too many unresolved issues at the end-did Dr. Touchy-feely ever get his comeuppance?  Did Mrs. Wacky Sex Life ever face reality?  How did Mr. Horrible New Chief really get the job in the face of his incompetence and did his own ghosts ever come home to roost?  I suppose resolution to some (though not all) of the drifting story lines could come in another book, but why do that?  If I were not already a fan, I'm not sure I'd dive right into another book just to see if maybe Cornwell ties up some loose ends.  Also, I recommended this to my daughter who likes this genre thinking it would be a good series for her to get into-big mistake, I should have suggested one I had actually read, but I figured the series was an overall safe bet.  At the end of the day, I thought it was just barely ok if there is nothing else in the hopper but not up to my expected Kay Scarpetta standard.

Rating:  #6 Bearable, Just Barely.