Negative Positive
Title: Not worth your time!
Review: I am usually a big fan of Cornwell's; I have read all her Scarpetta novels and was looking forward to seeing the same page-turner writing applied to a real, historical case. I was sorely disappointed. _Portrait of a Killer_ was 400 pages of asides, with occasional installments of an interesting story that could have been told in 100. Perhaps a reader truly obsessed with the Ripper case would appreciate the extensive biographical information about Sickert's father-in-law and other quasi-relatives and the historical details about art exhibits, etc, during the time period of the killings. For most, it is too much detail and not relevant enough to hold a reader's attention. I finished the book, hoping for some suspense, but there was no climax. It seems that Cornwell was simply told that 400 pages was enough, so she stopped there. Thank goodness.
Is the review positive or negative? 