Depraved Heart

The No. 1 bestselling series starring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

You are being watched

The death of a Hollywood mogul’s daughter has the police convinced it’s an accident. But Dr. Kay Scarpetta knows better. It’s almost as if someone is leaving evidence only she would spot.

They are always three steps ahead

Scarpetta is sidetracked when she receives a video clip revealing disturbing secrets about her niece, Lucy. But before she can react, the FBI raid Lucy’s estate.

Time is running out

Scarpetta suspects one person is behind it all: the murder, the videos, the FBI. She needs to stop them before it's too late – and everyone she loves is destroyed.

Reviews

PRAISE FOR PATRICIA CORNWELL & THE KAY SCARPETTA NOVELS:

‘Cutting-edge’ Sun

‘A pioneer of the genre of forensic psychological thriller’ BBC

‘With plenty of the forensic detail that Cornwell fans have come to expect from her works this is a fast-paced and exciting read. Cornwell certainly lives up to her title of America's most chilling modern writer' Express and Star

‘She is a brilliant writer and I was absolutely gripped’ Mail on Sunday

‘Cornwell’s books run on high octane fuel, a cocktail of adrenalin and fear’ The Times

‘Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns’ Mirror

‘Few writers match Patricia Cornwell when it comes to writing crime and her latest Scarpetta novel is one of her best’ Daily Express

‘When it comes to the forensic sciences, nobody can touch Cornwell’ New York Times Book Review

‘Cornwell has created a character so real, so compelling, so driven that this reader has to remind herself regularly that Scarpetta is just a product of an author’s imagination’ USA Today

‘Dazzling… After reading Cornwell’s thriller, most others will pale in comparison’ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

‘Magnificent plotting, masterful writing, and marvelous suspense’ Booklist

‘Cornwell’s instincts are dead-on.’ Chicago Sun-Times

‘Cornwell remains a master of the genre, instilling in readers an appetite that only she can satisfy’ Publishers Weekly

About the author

Patricia Cornwell is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Kay Scarpetta series. Her bestsellers include Dust, The Bone Bed, Red Mist, and Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper-Case Closed. Her earlier works include Postmortem—the only novel to win five major crime awards in a single year—and Cruel and Unusual, which won Britain’s prestigious Gold Dagger Award for the best crime novel. Dr. Kay Scarpetta was awarded the 1999 Sherlock Award for the best detective created by an American author. Patricia Cornwell lives in Boston, Massachusetts.