Body of Evidence | 
so-so(1991) Second in Cornwell's series featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta. The mystery is okay, but Kay's police partner is a homophobic bigot with a heart of gold, which I guess you could get away with in 1991 but is now just .... no. I understand the author herself came out in the 2000s, so I'm curious about her motivation for writing such a character as a hero, but not curious enough to read another.
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm As someone with a brother that could be described as “a homophobic bigot with a heart of gold”, I can‘t say I understand her choosing that person as a hero, but I can understand how it could seem to her like she was writing a real person. I wonder if she was using the character to work through her own inner turmoil of how to view someone in her real life that held the same attitude? 8mo
swynn @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Good question. Maybe ... or maybe she's using the detective as a voice for Scarpetta to react to, expressing a more inclusive point of view. Or maybe she has a redemption arc in mind for the character. I'd be interested to know how the character changes (or doesn't) as the series progresses -- and presumably its audience's expectations change. 8mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm That would definitely be an interesting character arc if that‘s what she does. I‘ve never read this series, so I have no idea whether it‘s worth it to read more. 😅 8mo
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