Preview
  • Cause of Death

  • Kay Scarpetta Series, Book 7
  • By: Patricia Cornwell
  • Narrated by: C. J. Critt
  • Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (588 ratings)

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Cause of Death

By: Patricia Cornwell
Narrated by: C. J. Critt
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Publisher's summary

It's New Year's Eve, the final night of Virginia's bloodiest year since the Civil War, and another poor soul has turned up dead. Ted Eddings, a scuba diver and investigative reporter who was a favorite at the medical examiner's office, is found 30 feet below the Elizabeth River's icy surface. Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner for the state of Virginia, can't help but wonder why she received a phone call from someone reporting the death before the police were notified. Was Eddings probing the frigid depths of the Inactive Ship Yard for a story or simply diving for sunken trinkets? With the advent of a second murder - this one hitting even closer to home - the case envelops Scarpetta, her niece Lucy, and Police Captain Pete Marino in a world where both cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned detective work are critical offensive weapons. Together, they follow the trail of violence to its forbidding and unexpected source.

©1996 Cornwell Entertainment (P)2002, 2017 New Millennium Entertainment / Phoenix Books
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What listeners say about Cause of Death

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

ahhh! over too soon!

i love thia series, but wasn't prepared for the quick ending! Guess I have to the next one!

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting story not as good as other Cornwall

interesting plot but not as engaging as other Scarpetta books. Narratator was excellent. Recommend for Scarpetta fans.

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

Another Great Cromwell Dr Scarpetta Book!

Very much enjoyed & live all Cromwell’s Dr Scarpetta Series books. Always great listening. Trying another now.

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

Great book

Well read and very well written. i greatly enjoyed it, Patricia Cornwell never disappoints. Loved it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

PC can really build tension. Before cell phones.

Nice character involvement. Brilliant teamwork.
Dr. Kay shows us how to use patience and knowledge, teamwork and planning to create a clever ending.

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

Great read

Patricia Cornwell, C.J. Critt, and Kay Scarpetta, in all the world, are three 3 better people?

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2 people found this helpful

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

I love The Scarpetta series

I love the Scarpetta series but I did not like the speaker for this book. It was hard to determine what character was talking. The story line was ok but not her best.

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

Not Her Best

I found this book to be wordy, long and boring. I do like many of her other books, but this one I just skimmed through.

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

Plot belongs in an 80s movie

Good grief. Cults and terrorists and nuclear reactors. These twists would be right at home in the 80s.
And maybe I'm wrong, but hasn’t every book in the series featured the culprit attempting to take Scarpetta out? Who knew being a medical examiner was so dangerous?

The motivations behind the crimes, including attempting to take out the M.E., make little sense. At least this was the abridged version, because the pacing worked better (still on the slow side, but better).
My favorite parts of this book were the Scarpetta-Merino scenes.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Love it.

I absolute love it!! Go Doctor Kay! A little different than the rest of the books. But it was so good!

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1 person found this helpful