The 2024 release in Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series, Identity Unknown brings the series cast together to solve two murders linked together even though different individuals are responsible. Throw in a UAP/UFO at one of the murder scenes and fiction takes on a modern twist. Drones and secret military sites also play a role. The question of beings from other planets already on Earth is not new. But Cornwell does a good job exploring the plausibility.

The series is known for the intense autopsy scenes and Identity Unknown is no different in that aspect. But the scenes that stand out in my mind were of an abandoned amusement park and two harrowing flights where a helicopter took on Mother Nature.

Cornwell’s prose brings scenes to life. Whether protagonist Kay Scarpetta is performing an autopsy in the lab or on site, the reader is a part of the action. The same holds true when she encounters dangers during her investigation. The scenes with the caves and mines of West Virginia make you feel transported to that location.

The first murder is solved in a traditional way. But catching the second murderer involves the use of AI. And secret military autopsy rooms. A stretch of the imagination leads to the possibility that these secret rooms examine beings other than humans. But in the end it is simple greed and vengeance, not “Others”, responsible for the death of Kay’s old friend and lover.

As the plot unravels, the author suggests a plausible explanation for the increase in UAP/UFO sightings. High tech secret flying machines produced by various countries, both friend and foe. To bring a touch of reality, the infamous Chinese weather balloon gets a mention in the story.

Identity unknown has multiple meanings in the novel. Both victim and villain need identification with respect to the second murder. Plus, what kind of unidentified flying machine left a circle of flower blossoms around the body? Finally, a decades long mystery kept by Kay of the mystery lover from Italy.

This last brings out a myriad of emotions during an interview by top military authorities. The attempt at discernment on Kay’s relationship with the victim stirs a wide range of emotions with respect to Kay, Benton and Marino. Thus, the examination of their feelings becomes a main thread in the story. For this reader, the approach is preferable to the suspenseful gore of earlier novels. The lack of intense violence makes the book more palatable.

The last two books of Cornwell’s have softened in tone. The graphic descriptions are there but fortunately the terror is gone. I enjoy suspense, but not violent terror. I am glad I checked this out at the library. See if your local library has a copy or find it on Libby.