AT RISK
by Patricia Cornwell
G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin
www.penguin.com
ISBN: 0399153624
224 pages, Hardback, $26.95 US
Genre: Mystery

Massachusetts District Attorney Monique Lamont, in an effort to validate her plans to run for governor, has developed a program called At Risk, which will incorporate advanced DNA technology in solving crimes. The first case she wants to headline is an unsolved 20-year-old murder that occurred in Knoxville, TN, where State Investigator Winston "Geronimo" Garano has been attending the National Forensic Academy.

Garano is biracial and dresses in designer clothes, which he purchases at second-hand stores. His respect for Lamont is nil and he is frustrated she's called him back to Boston to lay a cold-case on him that occurred in the city he just left. When he spontaneously decides to visit Lamont at her home to voice his displeasure, he interrupts a man who has tied Lamont to her bed, raped her, and intends to kill her. Instead of being grateful for her rescue, Lamont puts Garano in the hot seat. While Garano deals with the investigation following Lamont's rape, his good friend TBI special agent Delma Sykes begins to reinvestigate the cold-case in Knoxville, which leads to a suspected suicide in North Carolina.

Patricia Cornwell is best known for the Kay Scarpetta series, which is meticulous in forensic detail and very well-received. At Risk is a short novel sans in-depth characterization and the usual twists and turns readers expect from Cornwell. Lamont isn't a character the reader will feel empathy for and Garano comes across as a man with a chip on his shoulders who cannot seem to get out from under Lamont's control. A somewhat disappointing read compared to other books from Cornwell.