Originally published as a 15-part serial in the New York Times Magazine, this short novel stars Winston Garano, a Massachusetts forensic investigator who is assigned to crack a case that has been cold for two decades. While Win tries to figure out why his talents are being squandered on this lame-duck investigation, his boss, ambitious D.A. Monique Lamont, is almost rubbing her hands in anticipation of the launch of her new anti-crime program, dubbed At Risk. But will Win's investigation into the cold case further her agenda, or blow her plans? There are those who say Cornwell is only good when she's writing about Kay Scarpetta, and this relatively lifeless novel gives them plenty more ammunition. There is nothing interesting about the two leads, Garano and Lamont, and this makes it pretty hard to care about the story. The prose is flat, and even Cornwell herself seems uninterested in the proceedings. Devout fans, of whom there are many, will want to read everything by their favorite author, but everyone else would be well advised to stay away from this distinctly lesser offering from the best-selling Cornwell."--"Pitt, David" Copyright 2007 Booklist

Cornwell's latest-a stand-alone thriller that was originally serialized in the New York Times Magazine-is likely to disappoint even diehard fans of her bestselling Kay Scarpetta novels (The Body Farm, etc.). This time, the action is set in Boston, where an attractive and ambitious DA, Monique Lamont, seeks to use a new anticrime initiative to propel herself into the governor's mansion. Lamont plucks her top investigator, Winston Garano, from a special forensics course to probe an obscure cold case, but the detective's inquiries suggest that his boss may be playing a duplicitous game. The writing, pacing, characterizations and plot are far from Cornwell's best work, and the solution to the old murder mystery is anticlimactic. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Cornwell tries a new cast of characters in this brief mystery whereby a 20-year-old cold case in Tennessee catches the interest of an ambitious female Massachusetts D.A., who assigns it to her most trusted investigator. At times a political novel more than a forensic tale, this book has secrets and manipulations that cause intrigue in three states. Not as fully realized as the tired Scarpetta series, this new cast can offer Cornwell a new direction while still highlighting her familiar expertise. Although very well read by Kate Reading, the story feels a bit as if it were abridged. Recommended for mystery collections that like to mix the tried-and-true with the new.-Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.