At Risk

At Risk is a unique offering by bestselling author Patricia Cornwell. Originally published in serial form for "The New York Times Magazine," this book reads very differently from her other crime novels.

The main character, handsome Massachusetts investigator Winston Garano, is asked by his boss -- a beautiful but hard-shelled district attorney -- to investigate the twenty-year old murder of a Tennessee woman. However, Garano soon finds himself under investigation after saving his boss from a dangerous attacker.

Although the main character, Garano, is very likeable (I especially enjoyed his talent for secondhand shopping), the story seemed a bit disjointed. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it was originally published as a 15-part serial. It is also quite a short book and lacks the meatiness of Cornwell's other stories.

While this quick read was not my favorite Cornwell book, I do hope she will invite Winston Garano to star in a future, more full-length novel. He is a breath of fresh air and a very welcome counterpart to her extremely popular Kay Scarpetta character.