It's been a long, long time since I've read a Kay Scarpetta mystery by Patricia Cornwell. In fact, it's been so long that I don't remember exactly why I stopped reading the author's books.
What I do know is that when I came across the US and UK covers of All That Remains, I thought it would make an interesting comparison post.
Do I intend to pick up where I left off in the series? Not at all. But those covers certainly made the little grey cells do a little work. Let's take a look!
To be perfectly honest, neither cover really makes me go into raptures over its beauty. It's almost as if (let me sink further down into my hidey hole here) the publishers thought Cornwell's name is what sells the books, so they didn't need to expend a lot of effort in coming up with jazzy covers.
Both covers have a woodsy look to them, and the US cover's skull matches up fairly well with the UK's folded and bloodied playing card in letting people know that all is not well. The light seen at the farthest edge of the woods gives a glimmer of hope, but where that playing card is, there is absolutely no hope to be found. The UK cover does win when it comes to conveying a sense of menace, don't you think?
When it comes to two covers, neither one of which warms the cockles of my heart, how am I going to go about choosing one over the other? The old "pretend I'm walking past them in a bookshop" ploy. Which cover has the best chance of catching my eye?
In this case, the US cover catches mine. That bright red, the skull and the leaf are certainly eye-catching, and the author's name and the book title stand out well against it.
What say all of you? Which cover tickles your fancy? US? UK? Too close to call? Neither one? Inquiring minds would love to know!
