Crime Series #12

 Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell 

Oh, this pissed me off! This was intense and much darker than the previous books. It was a continuation of the previous two and while there was some science, it was more focused on the escalation and fall out from the previous novels. Lucy and her partner kill Merino's son, who is the attorney for the French crime family. Kay is living in Florida, working as a consultant. She meets a detective from Louisiana who is being kept out of serial killings because 1) there aren't any bodies and 2) most aren't in her Parrish. We are led to believe the detective becomes one of the victims, but luckily she isn't and she and Kay work a case together. We also find out that Benton is alive. That he faked his death and that BOTH Merino and Lucy have known the whole time. Also, he has been orchestrating for everyone to end up in Texas where Werewolf is on death row. But, the coroner calls both Merino and Kay about an 8 year old case that Werewolf sends him a letter about; turns out it's one of his.. Well, really it's one of Jay's. Kay ends up talking to Werewolf in prison and then he breaks out. She flies to Louisiana and ends up taking care of an unaccompanied minor, the son of Jay Talley. This was all a set up to get her there to try to kill her, but she doesn't go to the basement like the mother of the kid wants, so she lives another day. Benton shows up and kills Jay, the mother, and the state prosecutor, who were all in on Jay's little rampage. But, we don't know what happens to the kid and the Werewolf is still out there. And Kay and Benton reunite. This kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time!