Writing.Com: The Dead Zone.

A few years ago I discovered Patricia Cornwall’s brilliant books about Dr Kay Scarpetta. There are about 15 books featuring the good doctor, who is a medical examiner. Despite my fear of needles

and scalpels

forensic science has always fascinated me. I was, however, a terrible science student – I opted for history as an O-level subject rather than physics and chemistry. I couldn’t get out of biology, unfortunately, and although I passed the subject it was my lowest grade on my school certificate!

Patricia Cornwall’s first eight or nine books were excellent. I loved the fact that Dr Scarpetta was a professional woman who was very good at her job. I enjoyed reading about Scarpetta’s home life – her love for red wine and pasta dishes, her cat and her home were very well described. The supporting characters – niece Lucy, police chief Pete Marino and FBI heavy Benton Wesley – were so vivid they added a sense of familiarity to the books that made me feel as though I was actually sharing the story with them. This, combined with the brilliant forensic detail (so visual the reader feels as though he/she’s actually at the autopsy

) made Patricia Cornwall one of my favourite authors.

Each book follows its predecessor, so it’s a good idea to read them in order. Which I did, faithfully. I was heartbroken when Wesley, the love of Kay’s life, was killed very savagely in one of the later books. I felt really sorry for Kay, despite the fact that she’s only a fictional character – that’s how good these books are!

My feelings began to change, however, when the next book came out. And when Wesley came back from the dead (he’d never died at all – just had to go undercover) then my enthusiasm began to wane. It was almost like a bad story from a soap opera! Still I was prepared to give Ms Cornwall one last chance, and bought her book Blow Fly. Big mistake – it was dreadful. And it was written in present tense, a style of writing I absolutely hate

. I struggled through the book, loathing every sentence. I was relieved to finish it and put it away, thinking Ms Cornwall had somehow lost the plot and that Dr Kay should retire.

Last night I discovered there’s a new book out, Predator. Hope flared! I checked some online reviews. Hope died, because the reviews for this are even worse than for Blow Fly. AND it’s written in the present tense… does this woman not pay attention to her fans and critics??? As my enthusiasm for Ms Cornwall began to wane – just before I moved to Greece - I discovered Kathy Reichs, who is actually a forensic anthropologist as well as a writer. She’s given evidence at the Rwandan genocide trials… oh dear, I digress! She has created a character called Dr Temperance Brennan, and has written seven books featuring this character. So far I’ve enjoyed then all, despite the parallels with Ms Cornwall’s work. There’s an eighth one being published in June – I hope it doesn’t go the same way as Patricia Cornwall’s series!

There a new TV series starting on Sky tomorrow night called Bones and it features Dr Brennan. I wonder if it’ll be as good as CSI, or perhaps another spin-off of a popular genre. Checking on user comments on the IMDB website (brilliant site BTW) it’s had good write up from viewers, so I’ll be taping it – it’s on at midnight here!

But forensic medicine isn’t just about carving up dead people and establishing where the killer was standing. The definition in my dictionary states: the application of medical knowledge to the investigation of crime, particularly in establishing the causes of injury or death. So herewith some “interesting” facts that forensics has apparently helped us establish – and Scarlett , please note my tribute to your favourite number:

A human head remains conscious for about 15 to 20 seconds after it is been decapitated.

I have absolutely no idea how they arrived at this horrible statistic… the mind boggles!

When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense is usually sight, followed by taste, smell, and touch.

Again, I shudder to think about the methods carried out to arrive at this conclusion!

On average right handed people live nine years longer than left handed people

And the reason? Read on:

Every year more than 2,500 people are killed as a result of using products made for right handed people only

Now I know why my husband is so insistent on those right handed fishing reels!

On average, people fear spiders more than death. However, statistically you are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by the bite of a poisonous spider.

Well that’s reassuring, but it does nothing to ease my arachnophobia!

I just had to use this quote today - don't know which way to take it...

Sleep... Oh! how I loathe those little slices of death.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet. 1807 to 1882

Content Rating Notice: Recommended for Readers 18 Years and Older Only