Isle of Dogs by Patricia Cornwell makes a stab at black humor but in this writer’s opinion, at least, begs her to return to her psychological thrillers, such as Predator, which featured Kay Scarpetta as the main character.
While this book is as well-written as any other that Ms. Cornwell has presented to the public the way that the characters are depicted, appears to this reader to be a character assassination of people in power.
The plot centers around a proclamation by the governor of Virginia (Governor Crimm) that is so asinine that I found it to be totally ludicrous . The only saving grace was that she did include at least one semi-intelligent character, Andy Brazil (a Virginia state trooper). The mystery itself has really nothing to do with this proclamation, however, but is centered around a group of psychopathic murderers who preform random acts of violence and have kidnapped Popeye, a dog belonging to Judy Hammer (Superintendent of the Virginia State Police) who will do anything to get it back.
Overall while I admire Ms Cornwell’s gift for detail and her ability to put it into print, this book is not on a par with her previous mysteries and should be given a pass for those who seek believable characters and plots.
[tags]book, review, Isle of Dogs, Patricia Cornwell, black humor, mystery[/tags]