Postmortem
A Scarpetta Novel
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4.2 • 862 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The inspiration for the Prime Video series Scarpetta—starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis!
Discover the “dazzling...fascinating” (Los Angeles Times) novel that launched the popular Kay Scarpetta series, from the New York Times #1 bestselling crime writer Patricia Cornwell.
Patricia Cornwell’s debut novel Postmortem introduces one of crime fiction’s most compelling characters: gutsy medical examiner Kay Scarpetta. Cornwell’s gift for combining cutting-edge criminology with nerve-shattering suspense makes this book a true modern classic.
Under cover of night in Richmond, Virginia, a monster strikes, leaving a gruesome trail of stranglings that has paralyzed the city. Kay Scarpetta suspects the worst: a deliberate campaign by a brilliant serial killer whose signature offers precious few clues. With an unerring eye, she calls on the latest advances in forensic research to unmask the madman. But this investigation will test Kay like no other, because it’s being sabotaged from within—and someone wants her dead.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Cornwell, a former reporter who has worked in a medical examiner's office, sets her first mystery in Richmond, Va. Chief medical officer for the commonwealth of Virginia, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the narrator, dwells on her efforts to identify ``Mr. Nobody,'' the strangler of young women. The doctor devotes days and nights to gathering computer data and forensic clues to the killer, although she's hampered by male officials anxious to prove themselves superior to a woman. Predictably, Scarpetta's toil pays off, but not before the strangler attacks her; a reformed male chauvinist, conveniently nearby, saves her. Although readers may be naturally disposed to admire Scarpetta and find the novel's scientific aspect interesting, they are likely to be put off by her self-aggrandizement and interminable complaints, annoying flaws in an otherwise promising debut.
Customer Reviews
Good read
Ready for the next book in this series.
Needed more development,
Belabored points that did not matter, then suddenly all the pieces that were recently introduced magically fell into place with a big white bow.
Heart pounding!
Kept me on my toes and literally had me shaking! Very intense read, loved it!