Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell
This is one of 18 Kay Scarpetta thriller/ whodunits in which a chief medical examiner helps solve a crime and battles political foes. I enjoyed the tension between her FBI husband and Scarpetta, but the rest of the book left me like one of Scarpetta's stiffs: unmoved. Cornwell's Scarpetta is as arrogant as Cornwell's writing. Lost among the designed-to-shock criminal elements and autopsies and descriptions of high-tech DARPA projects, Scarpetta's vulnerability isn't credible. We never believe she's in danger from any political opponent or a psycho. Non-spoilery example: while hugging her niece, Scarpetta "detects" the scent of her shampoo-- she doesn't smell it. Why? Because she's a robot. The guy who was wearing a spy camera until he was killed is the most sympathetic character in the book and he's wrapped in plastic. Blah! I used to like these.