BOOK OF THE DEAD

Actress Mary Stuart Masterson renders the latest adventure of forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta quite perfectly. What Masterson cant do is save the novel, a pale imitation of a once robust franchise. Masterson breathes life into the colorful cast of characters that inhabit the Scarpetta world, giving each one a distinct personality. Ostensibly the book is about the murder of a 16-year-old tennis star by The Sandman. After a maddening series of subplots, hes captured in a couple sentences. It happens so fast this listener thought hed missed something. Either this is a terrible abridgment, or this series is dead.