The Last Precinct (novel)

Infobox Book |
name = The Last Precinct
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Patricia Cornwell
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States of America
language = English
series = Kay Scarpetta
genre = Crime fiction
publisher = Scribner
release_date = 2000
media_type = Print (hardcover, paperback)
pages =
isbn = ISBN 0-399-14625-3
preceded_by = Black Notice
followed_by = Blow Fly

"The Last Precinct" is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell.

Plot introduction

"The Last Precinct" is the eleventh book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series by author Patricia Cornwell.

Plot summary

Following the death of Diane Bray in Black Notice, Kay finds herself the target of a corrupt police investigation that will dredge her darkest secrets from the deepest corners of her past. Torn between a desire to clear her name and the instinct of a wounded animal to turn against even its would-be rescuers, Kay sifts through the forensic evidence that seems to link Chandonne to other horrific events in her past, up to and including the murder of her lover, Benton Wesley. Physical analysis, however, will not be enough to right her up-ended world. Instead, Kay must rely on the strategic support of her niece, cofounder of the Last Precinct, and on her willingness to examine her own fears, misconceptions, and anything-but-altruistic motives.

Characters in "The Last Precinct"

* Kay Scarpetta - Chief Medical Examiner
* Anna Zenner - Psychiatrist
* Jaime Berger - Prosecutor
* Lucy Farinelli - Kay's niece and co-founder of the Last Precinct
* Pete Marino - Captain in the Richmond Police Department

Major themes

* The police investigation into Kay's secrets
* Kay's own investigation into the so-called Werewolf murderer, Jean-Baptiste Chandonne

Litigation surrounding "The Last Precinct"

Dr. Leslie Sachs, author of "The Virginia Ghost Murders" (1998), claimed to see similarities between his novel and Cornwell's novel "The Last Precinct". In 2000 he sent letters to Cornwell's publisher, started a page on the World Wide Web, and placed stickers on his novel in order to claim that Cornwell was committing plagiarism. Cornwell successfully obtained a preliminary injunction against Sachs. The court ruled that his claims were baseless, and he was prevented from placing the stickers on his book. The court also shut his website down for false advertising and required booksellers to remove the stickers that were already on books. [ [http://www.prenhall.com/girasa/updates/ch10.html Cyberlaw Chapter 10. Privacy Rights and Security Issues] ]

Sachs left the country so that he could escape the injunction. He continues to charge that Cornwell plagiarized his work and used her influence to subvert justice.

References

External links

[http://www.patriciacornwell.com/ Author's Official Website]