content: A new book starring Kay Scarpetta is guaranteed to cause me to pull out my checkbook immediately. Unfortunately, like many of the other reviewers, I found Black Notice a disappointment for a number of reasons. Wesley Benton was a moderating influence in previous stories, and I miss him greatly in the current book. Kay Scarpetta seems less organized, more bitter, and her angst colors the entire story. Lucy has become a distraction, rather than a contributor to the storyline, perhaps she should have been the one killed off! I would also agree with one of the other reviews that the ending of this book was hurried, poorly crafted and undeserving of the hundreds of pages of buildup.