Post by Charlynn on Dec 21, 2011 12:52:21 GMT -5
All That Remains by Patricia Cornwell
I am of two mindsets when it comes to this novel. The mystery itself was compelling, gripping. It possessed the capability of staying with the reader far longer than the reader was immersed in the book. As couples are being murdered – stopped in their vehicles, terrorized, and then their bodies dumped to decompose to the point of little to no physical evidence, the serial killer remains at large and the police baffled. The most terrifying aspect to the cases is the means by which the killer approaches his victims. He lures them into a false sense of security by posing as a cop, or an emergency worker, or a stranded and desperate traveler. Appearing friendly and in need of help or willing to offer it, his prey purposely grant him access, never once suspecting... until it's too late... that they're about to die.
Once Cornwell has her solid groundwork put in place, she must then provide the audience with closure, with a resolution, and this is where the book falters slightly. In the vein of Bundy and Son of Sam, the murderer in this story is apprehended because of a stroke of luck, and then he isn't even prosecuted. Rather, he himself is murdered by one of the victim's parents. Although the cases are posthumously closed, and despite the fact that the killings stop, the payoff is rather anti-climatic. While on one hand I appreciate the unconventional conclusion – rather than tying up the story in a neat, pretty bow, Cornwell elected to show that not every murder case is neatly wrapped up with a conviction, another part of me felt cheated by the ending, felt that it was rushed and did not pay due respect to the weight of the mystery. In addition, it seemed odd that for three years the murderer killed routinely, but then, once the story itself started with his eventually revealed to be sixth case, the murders stopped without provocation. It would have made more sense if another set of remains were discovered before the crimes were solved. Despite these complaints, though, All That Remains is a strong crime thriller, perhaps the most riveting that I have read from Cornwell yet.
Four out of Five Stars
I am of two mindsets when it comes to this novel. The mystery itself was compelling, gripping. It possessed the capability of staying with the reader far longer than the reader was immersed in the book. As couples are being murdered – stopped in their vehicles, terrorized, and then their bodies dumped to decompose to the point of little to no physical evidence, the serial killer remains at large and the police baffled. The most terrifying aspect to the cases is the means by which the killer approaches his victims. He lures them into a false sense of security by posing as a cop, or an emergency worker, or a stranded and desperate traveler. Appearing friendly and in need of help or willing to offer it, his prey purposely grant him access, never once suspecting... until it's too late... that they're about to die.
Once Cornwell has her solid groundwork put in place, she must then provide the audience with closure, with a resolution, and this is where the book falters slightly. In the vein of Bundy and Son of Sam, the murderer in this story is apprehended because of a stroke of luck, and then he isn't even prosecuted. Rather, he himself is murdered by one of the victim's parents. Although the cases are posthumously closed, and despite the fact that the killings stop, the payoff is rather anti-climatic. While on one hand I appreciate the unconventional conclusion – rather than tying up the story in a neat, pretty bow, Cornwell elected to show that not every murder case is neatly wrapped up with a conviction, another part of me felt cheated by the ending, felt that it was rushed and did not pay due respect to the weight of the mystery. In addition, it seemed odd that for three years the murderer killed routinely, but then, once the story itself started with his eventually revealed to be sixth case, the murders stopped without provocation. It would have made more sense if another set of remains were discovered before the crimes were solved. Despite these complaints, though, All That Remains is a strong crime thriller, perhaps the most riveting that I have read from Cornwell yet.
Four out of Five Stars