Imagine finding something that leads you to a path in which you thought you would know where it would lead you, but instead, you end up going on a hunt with dead ends and new discoveries. In the Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell, you can actually get a feel of that because she goes into detail that can make you picture it as if you were there. The Black Notice was constantly keeping me on my feet with new things added to the equation. The book is about a cargo that carried a decomposed stowaway, and the police, one named Pete Marino, and their medical examiner, Kay Scarpetta, were in charge of this case. What’s unusual about the body is that there is no cause of death nor identification on the person, except personal belongings and an odd tattoo that will eventually lead Scarpetta and Marino on a hunt. Eventually, they end up at the headquarters of INTERPOL in Lyon, France and are given more instructions, but this time it’s to receive secret evidence that can’t get into a certain party’s hands. Scarpetta and Marino, also, get the answer they have been looking for, which is who the body was. The body was a member apart of one of the rich families, the Chandonnes. Within this family, there is a lot that goes on and Scarpetta and Marino learn this through an INTERPOL agent. One of the sons the family is rumored to be a killer that the family is keeping hidden. With all that is thrown at Scarpetta, she finds out that her niece is somehow involved in the case that she is working on, so she must be careful when talking about the case. She realizes that she is putting her own job at risk because if it gets out what she is doing, she could potentially lose her job, lose her medical license, and receive harsh punishment. As I read through the book, I got to see Kay Scarpetta’s character change because, in the beginning, she was all sad and lonely due to losing her husband, but now she has a spark in her that craves for adventure and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Instead of living in a world with regulations and rules, she’s getting a taste of what it’s like to break those norms and to follow her curiosity. This may lead her to be cautious, but her determination is overpowering her to figure out the back story behind the body, and when she’s well dedicated to something, she isn’t just going to stop and leave it be. She wants to get to the bottom in order to find closure on the case. While Pete Marino is mentioned in the book, his character stayed the same, stubborn, throughout the book. He did play a major role in working with Scarpetta because as a cop he had more access to certain databases than she might since she is only a medical examiner. In the book, he also helped her create theories and different perspectives that eventually led to new discoveries. Together as a team, they were able to figure out more with the body, and found new evidence on the body. In reading this book, there was a lot going on, but in a good way because there was so much suspense, and Patricia Cornwell gave it to you a little bit at a time. I think she did this because it would allow the reader to be able to process what was going on while keeping the reader hooked onto more suspense. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy thrillers, suspense, and crime because the author did an amazing job of tying all three of those categories.
I have recently started watching a tv series on Netflix called Criminal Minds. I started to watch this TV show because I love to watch crime shows, and one of my good friends told me about this show. I am only several episodes into this series, so I am still unsure on whether or not I like it. For me, it takes a few seasons to know if I want to continue the series because typically the first two to three seasons are the determining factors. The reason being is because typically the first two to three seasons are known to be the best seasons, and if I don’t like those seasons, then I feel like the rest of the series is going to be just as boring and lacking as the beginning ones. Even though some may hate repetition when watching a tv show, especially when talking about crime shows, it’s a little bit different than the other shows because it’s a different department in the justice department with different techniques. Criminal Minds characters are apart of the BAU, Behavioral Analysis Unit, which means when there is a crime they use psychology and sociology to help figure out the suspect. They ask the questions “why or what” more often because they are trying to figure out how the person works mentally. They try to break apart one’s life to understand the motive and who the killer might be. I thought that was pretty unique because it’s interesting to see how people can take apart a person’s life by just looking at the crime scene. I had never realized that a crime scene could tell someone so much about another person. The way a person kills can help give an idea of what their past is because the crime scene is broken down into several different parts. It just amazes me that people are able to get inside the mind of how a killer might feel or act. Now talking a little bit on the main characters. Currently there is a group of main characters; these FBI agents are Aaron Hotchner, Jason Gideon, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau, and a technical analyst named Penelope Garcia. Jason Gideon is a retired agent, but he was recently asked to come back to the BAU to help Aaron Hotchner and his team. Spencer Reid is extremely smart in the sense that he can read faster than most people, has great memory, and thinks at a faster rate than most. Another character that I haven’t mentioned yet is Derek Morgan who has been apart of Aaron Hotchner’s team the longest and works side by side with Aaron Hotcher. Jennifer Jareau is in charge of talking to the public on what is going on whenever there is press at the crime scene. And lastly, Penelope Garcia is their technical analyst, which basically means she does everything and anything when it comes to computers. She tracks down money, background checks on people, and locations when she is needed. Within the show, the FBI agents work more together on coming up with ideas about the suspect, while Penelope Garcia, as mentioned before, works on the personal backgrounds to target certain people that fit the category given to her by the agents. As I start to get deeper within the other seasons, I am hoping that it will keep me entertained with good storylines and new scenarios.