Postmortem
A Scarpetta Novel
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4.2 • 85 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The inspiration for the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series Scarpetta—starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis!
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell comes Postmortem, the groundbreaking thriller that introduced Dr. Kay Scarpetta and redefined the crime genre.
A killer is stalking the streets of Richmond, Virginia. When the bodies begin to mount, Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta is pulled into a chilling investigation that blends high-stakes forensics with psychological warfare. Armed with cutting-edge science and unflinching resolve, Scarpetta must navigate hostile forces both inside and outside the investigation—because someone isn’t just trying to hide the truth. They’re trying to kill her.
Cornwell’s gift for combining expert-level criminology with bone-chilling suspense makes this book a true modern classic. Relentlessly paced and shockingly prescient, Postmortem is the electrifying first chapter in the Scarpetta series—still as razor-sharp and relevant as ever.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The thriller that launched a thousand forensic procedurals is just as gripping today as it was in 1990. In Richmond, Virginia, a serial killer is targeting women who live alone, strangling them in their beds. No-nonsense Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, who has a meticulous gift for reading crime scenes, is determined to stop him. But as she digs deeper, she realizes someone is sabotaging her investigation from the inside, and the danger is closer than she thought. Patricia Cornwell essentially invented the forensic thriller with this debut, and it’s easy to see why it swept every major mystery award that year. The procedural details are fascinating, Scarpetta is a compelling protagonist, and the tension ratchets up relentlessly. If you’ve never met Kay Scarpetta, Postmortem is the place to start—and you’ll want to have the follow-ups ready when you’re finished.
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.
