This is an architypal Scarpetta novel, so there's really no need for me to go in to details of the characters and the plot, is there?  They're really all the same, but that doesn't make them any the less readable.
   I was struck by two things as I read Predator.  Firstly, it got into its stride astonishingly quickly.  By about page three all the main characters and most of the main plot strands had been set out.  It really zipped along.  That was good, but the second thing I noticed was the circular nature of the dialogue.  No, 'circular' isn't quite right.  It's more that the forces of good, who are all conflicted with each other in one way or another, kept almost reaching some conclusion or finding out a glaring fact, only for their conversation to dance off into irrelevancy or tail off altogether.  All right, this can happen.  But I noticed it happening a lot, so it spoiled the story for me.
  I thought the ending crammed in rather a lot within the space of a few pages, so the book seemed to end rather abruptly.  Or maybe that was just me, reading the concluding pages in the air en route from Stansted to Prestwick.  Do I recommend Predator?  On balance, yes.  I confess to liking the Scarpetta novels, even allowing for their formulaic content.  So sue me.