This was the first book I read in the series. I bought this on my lunch break at work, because I forgot the book I was reading at home. I do not generally read novels and series books, but there are a few that I read. I thought this would be interesting, as I was reading a lot of true crime at the time. I really enjoyed this book, and went to a local used book store and bought at the ones before this to read in order. This book has a lot of negative reviews, and there was even a point when Patricia Cornwell herself said this was the worst one in the series. It did get me into the series though, so there must have been something interesting in it at the time. In this book, Scarpetta leaves Florida for Charleston, South Carolina. (I love the city of Charleston, and was pleased to be reading about it in this book.) She opens an office there, which offers her unique blend of forensic services with the help of her colleagues- Marino, Benton, and Lucy. There are several murders in this book, and they seem thrown in all willy nilly, without much of a point. Lucy is absolutely intolerable, but there is nothing new about that. I did not like Dr. Self at all, possibly less than I like Lucy. It ended on a cliffhanger involving Marino, and I really dislike cliffhangers. I would not suggest reading this one first, certainly, but I would read it again in the order it was meant to be in, as there are a few events that happen that are needed for later on down the line.