Identity Unknown: A Kay Scarpetta Novel

In Cornwell’s diverting if overstuffed latest mystery for Kay Scarpetta (after Unnatural Death), Virginia’s chief medical examiner investigates two bizarre, potentially linked crimes. First, Kay is called to examine the body of seven-year-old Luna Briley, daughter of billionaire Ryder and his wife, Piper, who claim Luna accidentally shot herself. After conducting an autopsy, however, Kay comes to believe the Brileys are guilty of child abuse—and likely murder. Meanwhile, Kay gets word that her former lover, Nobel-winning physicist Sal Giordano, has been killed and left on the grounds of Oz, an abandoned theme park founded by none other than Ryder Briley. When Kay and her friend, former detective Pete Marino, helicopter to Oz to recover Sal’s remains, they find strange crop circles surrounding his corpse. Questions abound, including what Sal was working on at the time of his death, whether UFOs might be involved, and the uncomfortable possibility that his murder is linked to Luna Briley’s untimely death. Cornwell gives each one their due, but an excess of subplots stifles the plot’s momentum. This one’s best-suited for devoted series fans. Agent: Esther Newberg, CAA. (Oct.)