Books by Patricia Cornwell

Book SynopsisThe first book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell. Scarpetta is coming to the screen soon, starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis.''America''s most chilling writer of crime fiction'' The TimesA serial killer is on the loose in Richmond, Virginia. Three women have died, brutalised and strangled in their own bedroom. There is no pattern: the killer appears to strike at random - but always early on Saturday mornings. So when Dr Kay Scarpetta, chief medical officer, is awakened at 2.33 am, she knows the news is bad: there is a fourth victim. And she fears now for those that will follow unless she can dig up new forensic evidence to aid the police.But not everyone is pleased to see a woman in this powerful job. Someone may even want to ruin her career and reputation . . .If you''re a fan of Patricia Cornwell''s ground-breaking Kay Scarpetta series, don''t forget to order he

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Book SynopsisThe seventh book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell. ''America''s most chilling writer of crime fiction'' The TimesAn investigative reporter is found dead in Virginia''s icy waters . . .New Year''s Eve and the final murder scene of Virginia''s bloodiest year takes Scarpetta thirty feet below the Elizabeth River''s icy surface. A diver, Ted Eddings, is dead, an investigative reporter who was a favourite at the Medical Examiner''s office. Was Eddings probing the frigid depths of the Inactive Shipyard for a story, or simply diving for sunken trinkets? And why did Scarpetta receive a phone call from someone reporting the death before the police were notified?The case envelops Scarpetta, her niece Lucy, and police captain Pete Marino in a world where both cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned detective work are critical offensive weapons. Together they follow the trail of death to a well of violence as dark and forbidding as water that swirled over Ted Eddings.The next book in the Scarpetta series is Unnatural Exposure. And the brand-new instalment, Identity Unknown, is available now!DISCOVER THE SERIES THAT SHAPED THE WORLD OF CRIME FICTION''One of the best crime writers writing today'' Guardian ''Devilishly clever'' Sunday Times ''The top gun in this field'' Daily Telegraph ''Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns'' Mirror ''The Agatha Christie of the DNA age'' Express

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Book SynopsisTHE THRILLING NEW KAY SCARPETTA MYSTERY FROM THE #1 GLOBAL BESTSELLER''I''M STILL SEEING STARS . . . KAY SCARPETTA IS THE SAME GRUMPY, WONDERFUL, RIVETING PERSONALITY SHE''S ALWAYS BEEN AND SHE''S ONLY GETTING BETTER WITH TIME'' JAMES PATTERSONMurder and mayhem. Scarpetta is back, and she''s racing against the clock . . .Chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is the reluctant star witness in a sensational murder trial when she receives shocking news. The judge''s sister has been found dead. At first glance, it appears to be a home invasion, but then why was nothing stolen, and why is the garden strewn with dead plants and insects?Although there is no apparent cause of death, Scarpetta recognizes tell-tale signs of the unthinkable, and she knows the worst is yet to come. The forensic pathologist finds herself pitted against a powerful force that returns her to the past, and her time to catch the killer is running out . . .Trade ReviewI'm still seeing stars. A great thriller. One of the hardest things as a series writer is keeping your famous heroes fresh year after year. Kay Scarpetta is not only still fresh, she's the same grumpy, wonderful, riveting personality she's always been - a full-on human being - and she's only getting better with time. I love catching up with her every year -- JAMES PATTERSONCornwell's on blistering form and this absorbing thriller will keep you hooked * SUN *Riveting * THE TIMES *Cornwell knows how to craft a mean page-turner and Livid is no exception * TELEGRAPH *More than thirty years and twenty-six Scarpetta books later, Cornwell is still knocking it out of the park * LOVEREADING *Gripping . . . Sound the klaxon, Patricia Cornwell's brilliant chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta is back * HEAT *Post-mortem scenes that [will] make fans of this long-running series salivate . . . Something to look forward to * KIRKUS *This is Scarpetta's 26th outing and the plotting remains every bit as fresh as when we were introduced to her * BELFAST TELEGRAPH *PRAISE FOR PATRICIA CORNWELL * - *One of the best crime writers writing today * GUARDIAN *Astonishing . . . Thirty years on, there's still no other crime writer like her * SUNDAY TIMES *The top gun in this field * DAILY TELEGRAPH *America's most stimulating and chilling writer of crime fiction * THE TIMES *Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns * MIRROR *A pioneer of the genre of forensic psychological thriller -- BBCThe Agatha Christie of the DNA age * EXPRESS *The queen of the forensic thriller * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Cutting-edge * SUN *When it comes to forensic sciences, nobody can touch Cornwell * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *Slick, fast-paced and brilliant * HEAT *

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Book SynopsisTHE THRILLING NEW KAY SCARPETTA MYSTERY FROM THE #1 GLOBAL BESTSELLER. SCARPETTA IS COMING TO THE SCREEN SOON, STARRING NICOLE KIDMAN AND JAMIE LEE CURTIS''I''M STILL SEEING STARS . . . KAY SCARPETTA IS THE SAME GRUMPY, WONDERFUL, RIVETING PERSONALITY SHE''S ALWAYS BEEN AND SHE''S ONLY GETTING BETTER WITH TIME'' JAMES PATTERSONMurder and mayhem. Scarpetta is back, and she''s racing against the clock . . .Chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is the reluctant star witness in a sensational murder trial when she receives shocking news. The judge''s sister has been found dead. At first glance, it appears to be a home invasion, but then why was nothing stolen, and why is the garden strewn with dead plants and insects?Although there is no apparent cause of death, Scarpetta recognizes tell-tale signs of the unthinkable, and she knows the worst is yet to come. The forensic pathologist finds herself pitted against a powerful forTrade ReviewI'm still seeing stars. A great thriller. One of the hardest things as a series writer is keeping your famous heroes fresh year after year. Kay Scarpetta is not only still fresh, she's the same grumpy, wonderful, riveting personality she's always been - a full-on human being - and she's only getting better with time. I love catching up with her every year -- JAMES PATTERSONCornwell's on blistering form and this absorbing thriller will keep you hooked * SUN *Riveting * THE TIMES *Cornwell knows how to craft a mean page-turner and Livid is no exception * TELEGRAPH *More than thirty years and twenty-six Scarpetta books later, Cornwell is still knocking it out of the park * LOVEREADING *Gripping . . . Sound the klaxon, Patricia Cornwell's brilliant chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta is back * HEAT *Post-mortem scenes that [will] make fans of this long-running series salivate . . . Something to look forward to * KIRKUS *This is Scarpetta's 26th outing and the plotting remains every bit as fresh as when we were introduced to her * BELFAST TELEGRAPH *PRAISE FOR PATRICIA CORNWELL * - *One of the best crime writers writing today * GUARDIAN *Astonishing . . . Thirty years on, there's still no other crime writer like her * SUNDAY TIMES *The top gun in this field * DAILY TELEGRAPH *America's most stimulating and chilling writer of crime fiction * THE TIMES *Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns * MIRROR *A pioneer of the genre of forensic psychological thriller -- BBCThe Agatha Christie of the DNA age * EXPRESS *The queen of the forensic thriller * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Cutting-edge * SUN *When it comes to forensic sciences, nobody can touch Cornwell * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *Slick, fast-paced and brilliant * HEAT *

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Book SynopsisTHE THRILLING NEW KAY SCARPETTA MYSTERY FROM THE WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER''Iconic. Bold. Brilliant. Identity Unknown is hauntingly original, impossibly clever and devilishly daring. Scalpel-sharp storytelling, trademark twists and characters that feel like family, this series is one of the all-time greats'' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of Sunday Times bestseller All the Colours of the DarkSummoned to an unnerving, abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, Dr Kay Scarpetta is devastated to learn that the victim is a man she once loved. While teaching in Rome during the early days of her career, Scarpetta had a love affair with acclaimed astrophysicist Sal Giordano that led to a lifelong friendship.The murder scene is bizarre, with a crop circle of petals around the body, and Giordano''s skin is strangely red. Scarpetta''s niece Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows an autopsy can reveal the

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Book SynopsisTHE BREATHTAKING NEW KAY SCARPETTA THRILLER FROM THE 120-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLERTwo mauled bodies in the woods. Two top secret autopsies. The most chilling case of Scarpetta''s career . . .In this thrilling new instalment of the #1 bestselling series, chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement.The victims have been savaged beyond recognition, and other evidence is terrifying and baffling, including a larger-than-life footprint.After one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta must discover who would commit murders this brutal, and why.''A sinister mystery from one of the all-time greats of the genre''SUN''A chilling, thrilling, macabre masterpiece. Unnatural Death is Patricia Cornwell at her mesmerising finest. The best just got better'' CHRTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR UNNATURAL DEATH * - *This case is one of her most striking . . . an edge-of-the-seat mystery, packed with twists * DAILY MAIL *A chilling, thrilling, macabre masterpiece. Unnatural Death is Patricia Cornwell at her mesmerising finest. The best just got better -- CHRIS WHITAKERA sinister mystery from one of the all-time greats of this genre * SUN *Sinister, surprising and utterly unputdownable. Cornwell at her brilliant best -- M. J. ARLIDGEClassic Cornwell with an up-to-the-minute twenty-first-century plot - an intoxicating blend that proves Scarpetta is still queen of the autopsy and Cornwell is still queen of crime fiction. An utterly thrilling roller coaster ride -- ANDREA MARACornwell really is in a league of her own -- BOOK OF THE WEEK * HEAT *In this macabre and consuming novel, Cornwell proves once again why she is a crime writer still at the top of her game * WOMAN'S WEEKLY *An especially good entry in the series * BOOKLIST *A gripping crime thriller with delightfully unexpected twists . . . Both fans of the Scarpetta novels and newcomers to the series alike will find much to enjoy * HOT PRESS *With plot twists you won't see coming, this is a frightening, timely thriller * FABULOUS *Another clever-crafted chiller from the queen of the forensic thriller * BEST *Thrilling * TAKE A BREAK *Terrifying * CRIME MONTHLY *A tale so terrifying you'll be afraid to go into the woods this Hallowe'en * SUNDAY POST DUNDEE *PRAISE FOR PATRICIA CORNWELL * - *One of the best crime writers writing today * GUARDIAN *Astonishing . . . Thirty years on, there's still no other crime writer like her * SUNDAY TIMES *The top gun in this field * DAILY TELEGRAPH *America's most stimulating and chilling writer of crime fiction * THE TIMES *Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns * MIRROR *A pioneer of the genre of forensic psychological thriller * BBC *The Agatha Christie of the DNA age * EXPRESS *The queen of the forensic thriller * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Cutting-edge * SUN *When it comes to forensic sciences, nobody can touch Cornwell * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *Slick, fast-paced and brilliant * HEAT *

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Book SynopsisTHE THRILLING NEW KAY SCARPETTA MYSTERY FROM THE WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER ''Iconic. Bold. Brilliant. Identity Unknown is hauntingly original, impossibly clever and devilishly daring. Scalpel-sharp storytelling, trademark twists and characters that feel like family, this series is one of the all-time greats'' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of Sunday Times bestseller All the Colours of the DarkSummoned to an unnerving, abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, Dr Kay Scarpetta is devastated to learn that the victim is a man she once loved. While teaching in Rome during the early days of her career, Scarpetta had a love affair with acclaimed astrophysicist Sal Giordano that led to a lifelong friendship.The murder scene is bizarre, with a crop circle of petals around the body, and Giordano''s skin is strangely red. Scarpetta''s niece Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows an autopsy can reveal the dead''

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Book SynopsisThe sixteenth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell. ''America''s most chilling writer of crime fiction'' The TimesLeaving behind her forensic pathology practice in South Carolina, Kay Scarpetta takes up an assignment in New York City, where the NYPD has asked her to examine an injured patient in a psychiatric ward.The handcuffed and chained patient, Oscar Bane, has specifically asked for her, and when she literally has her gloved hands on him, he begins to talk - and the story he has to tell turns out to be one of the most bizarre she has ever heard.He says his injuries were sustained in the course of a murder . . . that he did not commit. Is Bane a criminally insane stalker who has fixed on Scarpetta? Or is his paranoid tale true, and it is he who is being spied on, followed and stalked by the actual killer? The only thing Scarpetta knows for certain is that a wom

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Book SynopsisThe tenth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell. ''America''s most chilling writer of crime fiction'' The TimesAn intriguing Dr Kay Scarpetta novel which will take Kay an ocean''s breadth away from home. The case begins when a cargo ship arriving at Richmond, Virginia''s Deep Water Terminal from Belgium is discovered to be transporting a locked, sealed container holding the decomposed remains of a stowaway. The post mortem performed by the Chief Medical Examiner, Kay Scarpetta, initially reveals neither a cause of death nor an identification. But the victim''s personal effects and an odd tattoo take Scarpetta on a hunt for information that leads to Interpol''s headquarters in Lyon, where she receives critical instructions: go to the Paris morgue to receive secret evidence and then return to Virginia to carry out a mission. It is a mission that could ruin her career.I

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Book SynopsisThe seventeenth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from the No. 1 bestselling author''America''s most chilling writer of crime fiction'' The TimesIt is the week before Christmas. The effects of the credit crunch have prompted Dr Kay Scarpetta to offer her services pro bono to New York City''s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. But in no time at all, her increased visibility seems to precipitate a string of dramatic and unsettling events. She is asked live on the air about the sensational case of Hannah Starr, who has vanished and is presumed dead. Moments later during the same broadcast, she receives a startling call-in from a former psychiatric patient of Benton Wesley''s. When she returns after the show to the apartment where she and Benton live, she finds a suspicious package - possibly a bomb - waiting for her at the front desk. Soon the apparent threat on Scarpetta''s life finds her embroiled in a deadly plot that includes a fTrade ReviewCornwell has never written better Evening Standard The Scarpetta Factor is a novel that has clearly engaged Cornwell in the same fashion as her vintage work Independent The Cornwell phenomenon goes on Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisThe ninth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.''America''s most chilling writer of crime fiction'' The TimesA farmhouse destroyed by fire. A body amongst the ruins.Dr Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner and consulting pathologist for the federal law enforcement agency ATF, is called out to a farmhouse in Virginia which has been destroyed by fire. In the ruins of the house she finds a body which tells a story of a violent and grisly murder. The fire has come at the same time as another, even more incendiary horror: Carrie Grethen, a killer who nearly destroyed the lives of Scarpetta and those closest to her, has escaped from a forensic psychiatric hospital. Her whereabouts is unknown, but her ultimate destination is not, for Carrie has begun to communicate with Scarpetta, conveying her deadly - if cryptic - plans for revenge. Chillingly mesmeric in tone, labyrinthine in structure, Point of Origin is Patricia Cornwell at her most dazzling.The next book in the Scarpetta series is Black Notice. And the brand-new instalment, Identity Unknown, is available now!DISCOVER THE SERIES THAT SHAPED THE WORLD OF CRIME FICTION''One of the best crime writers writing today'' Guardian ''Devilishly clever'' Sunday Times ''The top gun in this field'' Daily Telegraph ''Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns'' Mirror ''The Agatha Christie of the DNA age'' Express

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Book SynopsisThe fourteenth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.''America''s most chilling writer of crime fiction'' The TimesFlorida is full of human predators, and they all give Dr Kay Scarpetta the opportunity and the means to do what she does best - persuading the dead to speak to her. And in Boston, Benton Wesley is working on a secret case involving convicted killers. It is a project which gives Scarpetta deep disquiet, as does the behaviour of her niece, Lucy, who is spending too much time in cheap bars looking for casual pick-ups. The Academy is called when a woman''s body is found in Boston. She has been tortured, sexually abused, her body tattooed with handprints. The same sort of handprints Lucy had seen on the flesh of her latest pick-up.Meanwhile, Scarpetta and Marino are investigating the disappearance of a family in Florida, called in by a concerned neighbour, but as they search and find the tell-tale signs of abduction rather than disappearance, they also discover that someone had assumed the identity of the caller, and she is now dead. They''ve been set up, and it becomes clear that someone is tracking their every move.The next book in the Scarpetta series is Book of the Dead. And the brand-new instalment, Identity Unknown, is available now!DISCOVER THE SERIES THAT SHAPED THE WORLD OF CRIME FICTION''One of the best crime writers writing today'' Guardian ''Devilishly clever'' Sunday Times ''The top gun in this field'' Daily Telegraph ''Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns'' Mirror ''The Agatha Christie of the DNA age'' Express

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Book SynopsisThe fifteenth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell. ''America''s most chilling writer of crime fiction'' The TimesThe ''book of the dead'' is the morgue log, the ledger in which all cases are entered by hand. For Kay Scarpetta, however, it is about to have a new meaning. Fresh from her bruising battle with a psychopath in Florida, Scarpetta decides it''s time for a change of pace. Moving to the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina, she opens a unique private forensic pathology practice, one in which she and her colleagues offer expert crime scene investigation and autopsies to communities lacking local access to competent death investigation and modern technology. It seems like an ideal situation, until the murders and other violent deaths begin. A woman is ritualistically murdered in her multi-million-dollar beach home. The body of an abused young boy is fTrade ReviewClassic Cornwell territory with...a sharp political element that will ensure the book isn't on George Bush's bedside table Daily Express Serving up an Ace...Cornwell is firmly back on the money here. Daily Mirror Patricia Cornwell is the queen of gritty, grisly, crime fiction writing and her latest offering doesn't disappoint. Book of the Dead will keep you gripped throughout Heat "The reason we read novels about the forensic investigation of crime is not artistic decorum but a fascination with how things work. This is what Cornwell has always provided, and it is an area in which she does not disappoint." Times Literary Supplement 'Hannibal Lecter, eat your liver out. Tersely written, elaborately plotted and crammed with research, Cornwell's writing has always been hard-boiled - but this one would crack a paving stone if dropped.'

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Book SynopsisThe twelfth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell. ''America''s most chilling writer of crime fiction'' The TimesAfter her resignation as Virginia''s Chief Medical Examiner and the horrifying events which threatened her life in The Last Precinct, Kay Scarpetta has abandoned her elegant home in Richmond and is quietly living in Florida, beginning to get some balance back in her life and slowly establishing herself as a private forensic consultant. But her past won''t let her rest, and her grief for Benton Wesley continues to grow, not diminish, as does the rage within Lucy, her niece. Then the architect of her changed fortunes contacts her from his cell on death row: deformed, blinded by Scarpetta''s own actions, incarcerated in Texas strongest prison, Jean-Baptiste Chardonne still has the ability to terrify. But, unknown to Scarpetta, there are other forces behind

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Book SynopsisTHE BREATHTAKING NEW KAY SCARPETTA THRILLER FROM THE 120-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLERTwo mauled bodies in the woods. Two top secret autopsies. The most chilling case of Scarpetta''s career . . .In this thrilling new instalment of the #1 bestselling series, chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement.The victims have been savaged beyond recognition, and other evidence is terrifying and baffling, including a larger-than-life footprint.After one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta must discover who would commit murders this brutal, and why.''A chilling, thrilling, macabre masterpiece. Unnatural Death is Patricia Cornwell at her mesmerising finest. The best just got better''CHRIS WHITAKER, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END''Sinister, surprising and utterly unTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR UNNATURAL DEATH * - *This case is one of her most striking . . . an edge-of-the-seat mystery, packed with twists * DAILY MAIL *A chilling, thrilling, macabre masterpiece. Unnatural Death is Patricia Cornwell at her mesmerising finest. The best just got better -- CHRIS WHITAKERA sinister mystery from one of the all-time greats of this genre * SUN *Sinister, surprising and utterly unputdownable. Cornwell at her brilliant best -- M. J. ARLIDGEClassic Cornwell with an up-to-the-minute twenty-first-century plot - an intoxicating blend that proves Scarpetta is still queen of the autopsy and Cornwell is still queen of crime fiction. An utterly thrilling roller coaster ride -- ANDREA MARACornwell really is in a league of her own -- BOOK OF THE WEEK * HEAT *In this macabre and consuming novel, Cornwell proves once again why she is a crime writer still at the top of her game * WOMAN'S WEEKLY *An especially good entry in the series * BOOKLIST *A gripping crime thriller with delightfully unexpected twists . . . Both fans of the Scarpetta novels and newcomers to the series alike will find much to enjoy * HOT PRESS *With plot twists you won't see coming, this is a frightening, timely thriller * FABULOUS *Another clever-crafted chiller from the queen of the forensic thriller * BEST *Thrilling * TAKE A BREAK *Terrifying * CRIME MONTHLY *A tale so terrifying you'll be afraid to go into the woods this Hallowe'en * SUNDAY POST DUNDEE *PRAISE FOR PATRICIA CORNWELL * - *One of the best crime writers writing today * GUARDIAN *Astonishing . . . Thirty years on, there's still no other crime writer like her * SUNDAY TIMES *The top gun in this field * DAILY TELEGRAPH *America's most stimulating and chilling writer of crime fiction * THE TIMES *Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns * MIRROR *A pioneer of the genre of forensic psychological thriller * BBC *The Agatha Christie of the DNA age * EXPRESS *The queen of the forensic thriller * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Cutting-edge * SUN *When it comes to forensic sciences, nobody can touch Cornwell * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *Slick, fast-paced and brilliant * HEAT *

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Book SynopsisThe legendary, No. 1 bestelling series following Dr. Kay ScarpettaSnapThe sound of a bullet hitting fleshDr. Kay Scarpetta is in pursuit of a sniper who leaves no trace except copper fragments. The impossible shots cause instant death.SnapThe target is closer than you thinkThe victims have nothing in common, and there is no indication where the killer will strike next.SnapYou won't hear it you're already deadScarpetta tracks the sniper across the country to the Florida coast. Here she uncovers shocking evidence implicating her niece, Lucy Scarpetta's very own flesh and blood.Trade Review‘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 PRAISE FOR PATRICIA CORNWELL & THE KAY SCARPETTA NOVELS: ‘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

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Book SynopsisThe No. 1 bestselling series starring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta.You are being watchedThe 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 aheadScarpetta 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 outScarpetta 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.Trade ReviewPraise for Patricia Cornwell & the Kay Scarpetta Novels: ‘Cutting-edge’ Sun ‘A pioneer of the genre of forensic psychological thriller’ BBC ‘America’s most stimulating and chilling writer of crime fiction’ The Times ‘Devilishly clever’ Sunday Times ‘She is a brilliant writer and I was absolutely gripped’ Mail on Sunday ‘The top gun in this field’ Daily Telegraph ‘Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns’ Mirror ‘The Agatha Christie of the DNA age’ Express ‘One of the best crime writers writing today’ Guardian ‘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

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Book SynopsisNo. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell delivers the twenty-fourth engrossing thriller in her high-stakes series starring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta.Someone is following youOne summer evening in New England, two young girls stumble upon a body. Forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta arrives at the scene to find a young woman has been attacked with almost superhuman force.Someone is taunting youMeanwhile, people close to Scarpetta start receiving suspicious calls. Could they be linked to Scarpetta's anonymous cyber stalker, Tailend Charlie?Someone wants to destroy youA second death shocks Scarpetta to her core. Because analysis of the body shows a material that doesn't exist on earth. And it's clear that someone, or something, is coming for her, and is hell-bent on creating chaosTrade ReviewPraise for Chaos: ‘Slick, fast-paced and brilliant’ Heat Praise for Patricia Cornwell & the Kay Scarpetta novels: ‘Cutting-edge’ Sun ‘A pioneer of the genre of forensic psychological thriller’ BBC ‘America’s most stimulating and chilling writer of crime fiction’ The Times ‘Devilishly clever’ Sunday Times ‘She is a brilliant writer and I was absolutely gripped’ Mail on Sunday ‘The top gun in this field’ Daily Telegraph ‘Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns’ Mirror ‘The Agatha Christie of the DNA age’ Express ‘One of the best crime writers writing today’ Guardian ‘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 ‘Dazzling… After reading Cornwell’s thriller, most others will pale in comparison’ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Book SynopsisThe legendary Patricia Cornwell is back with her No.1 bestselling, groundbreaking series following Kay ScarpettaKay Scarpetta is back, and this time she's right in the path of dangerWorld-renowned forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta and her husband Benton, a psychologist with the US Secret Service, have returned to Virginia. They are headquartered five miles from the Pentagon in a post-pandemic world that's been torn by civil and political unrest.Just weeks into the job, Scarpetta is called to a railway track where a woman's body has been shockingly displayed, her throat cut down to the spine. But the trail of clues will lead Scarpetta back to her own neighbourhood.At the same time, a catastrophe occurs in a top-secret lab in outer space, endangering the scientists aboard. Scarpetta is summoned to the White House to find out what happened. As she starts the new investigation, an apparent serial killer strikes again, this time dangerously close to home.Praise for Patricia CornwellA pioneTrade Review‘Astonishing…there’s no other crime writer like her’ The Times ‘Accomplished’ Financial Times, Books of the Year Praise for Patricia Cornwell & the Kay Scarpetta novels: ‘Slick, fast-paced and brilliant’ Heat ‘Cutting-edge’ Sun ‘A pioneer of the genre of forensic psychological thriller’ BBC ‘America’s most stimulating and chilling writer of crime fiction’ The Times ‘Devilishly clever’ Sunday Times ‘She is a brilliant writer and I was absolutely gripped’ Mail on Sunday ‘The top gun in this field’ Daily Telegraph ‘Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns’ Mirror ‘The Agatha Christie of the DNA age’ Express ‘One of the best crime writers writing today’ Guardian ‘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

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Book SynopsisBody of evidenceAfter months of menacing phone calls and feeling that her every move is being watched, successful writer Beryl Madison flees Key West when a terrifying message is scratched on her car. But the very night she returns to Richmond, she deactivates her burglar alarm and opens her door to someone who nearly decapitates her. Why did she let him in, wonders Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta? And why is Beryl''s latest manuscript missing? Pursuing the answers involves Scarpetta in the murder of another writer -- Beryl''s jealous mentor. While she copes with a variety of personal and professional problems, Scarpetta''s high-tech forensic skills enable her to collect a body of evidence -- clues that would mean little without her intelligence, compassion, and imagination -- that leads her directly into a nightmare all her own.PostmortemFour women with nothing in common, united only in death. Four brutalized victims of a brilliant monster -- a Mr. Nobody, moving undetected through a paralyzed city, leaving behind a gruesome trail of carnage...but few clues. With skilled hands, an unerring eye, and the latest advances in forensic research, an unrelenting female medical examiner -- Kay Scarpetta -- is determined to unmask a maniac. But someone is trying to sabotage Kay''s investigation from the inside. And worse yet, someone wants her dead...

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Book Synopsis#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell delivers another enthralling thriller in her high-stakes forensic series starring Kay Scarpetta. It's Dr. Kay Scarpetta's birthday and she's about to head to Miami for a vacation with her FBI profiler husband Benton Wesley when she notices seven pennies on a wall behind their Cambridge house. Is this a kids' game? If so, why are all of the coins dated 1981 and so shiny it's as if they're newly minted? Then her cellphone rings, and Detective Pete Marino tells her there's been a homicide five minutes away. A high school music teacher has been shot with shocking precision as he unloaded groceries from his car. No one heard or saw a thing. It's as if God did it.In this 22nd Scarpetta novel, the master forensic sleuth finds herself in the middle of a nightmarish pursuit of a serial sniper who seems to leave no evidence except fragments of copper. The shots are so perfect, they cause instant death and seem impo

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Book SynopsisIt’s Dr. Kay Scarpetta’s birthday, and she’s about to head to Miami for a vacation with Benton Wesley, her FBI profiler husband, when she notices seven pennies on a wall behind their Cambridge house. Is this a kids’ game? If so, why are all of the coins dated 1981 and so shiny they could be newly minted? Her cellphone rings, and Detective Pete Marino tells her there’s been a homicide five minutes away. A high school music teacher has been shot with uncanny precision as he unloaded groceries from his car. No one has heard or seen a thing.In this 22nd Scarpetta novel, the master forensic sleuth finds herself in the unsettling pursuit of a serial sniper who leaves no incriminating evidence except fragments of copper. The shots seem impossible, yet they are so perfect they cause instant death. The victims appear to have had nothing in common, and there is no pattern to indicate where the killer will strike next. First New Jersey, then Massachusetts, and then the murky depths off the coast of South Florida, where Scarpetta investigates a shipwreck, looking for answers that only she can discover and analyze. And it is there that she comes face to face with shocking evidence that implicates her techno genius niece, Lucy, Scarpetta’s own flesh and blood.Includes an exclusive excerpt from the riveting next novel in the Kay Scarpetta series, DEPRAVED HEART.

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Book Synopsis#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell delivers another enthralling thriller in her high-stakes forensic series starring Kay Scarpetta. It's Dr. Kay Scarpetta's birthday and she's about to head to Miami for a vacation with her FBI profiler husband Benton Wesley when she notices seven pennies on a wall behind their Cambridge house. Is this a kids' game? If so, why are all of the coins dated 1981 and so shiny it's as if they're newly minted? Then her cellphone rings, and Detective Pete Marino tells her there's been a homicide five minutes away. A high school music teacher has been shot with shocking precision as he unloaded groceries from his car. No one heard or saw a thing. It's as if God did it.In this 22nd Scarpetta novel, the master forensic sleuth finds herself in the middle of a nightmarish pursuit of a serial sniper who seems to leave no evidence except fragments of copper. The shots are so perfect, they cause instant death and seem impossible, and the death scenes aren't crime scenes because the killer was never within hundreds of yards of the victims. The victims seem to have nothing in common, and there is no pattern that might indicate where the Copperhead will strike next. First New Jersey, then Massachusetts, and then into the murky depths off the coast of South Florida, where Scarpetta dives a shipwreck, looking for answers that only she can discover and analyze. There she must face an unthinkable truth that points in the direction of her techno genius niece, Lucy, Scarpetta's own flesh and blood.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Perhaps the best entry in the Scarpetta series yet."—New York Daily News"Cornwell's galloping plot lines, technical expertise, and strong sense of atmosphere keep matters zinging along."—San Francisco Chronicle

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPraise for Book of the Dead“Cornwell overhauls key elements of this successful series...she has shaken things up a bit and produced one terrific new character.”—The New York Times Book Review “Ms. Cornwell admits to being proud of Book of the Dead and she should be.”—Midwest Book Review“Compelling.”—Richmond Times Dispatch “What a walloping, riveting mix of...adventure and psychology. Author Cornwell certainly is skilled at dissecting the not always attractive innards of human nature.”—Forbes

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPraise for Patricia Cornwell and the Scarpetta Novels“When it comes to the forensic sciences, nobody can touch Cornwell.”—The New York Times Book Review“Cornwell certainly is skilled at dissecting the not always attractive innards of human nature.”—Forbes“Cornwell gets her Hitchcock on...[She] can generate willies with subtle poetic turns.”—People “[A] grisly fast-paced thriller...utterly chilling.”—Entertainment Weekly“A story so compelling that even longtime readers will be stunned by its twists and turns.”—Chicago Tribune

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Fans will rejoice: It’s classic Patricia Cornwell.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Gripping…Her hottest adventure in years.”—People“Patricia Cornwell retains that finer Dickensian indignation with the ways of the world that has been neglected by the small landscapes of much so-called serious writing.”—The Washington Post “Her most engrossing effort in years…By the time you get to the gruesome denouement, you’re emotionally spent, but satisfied.”—Los Angeles Times “Fans…will welcome this tale of twisted minds and the gory havoc they cause…chilling.”—Publishers Weekly “Creepy doings …The technical material…continues to fascinate.”—The Wall Street Journal “Cornwell’s best in a long time…a fiery climax.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPraise for Black Notice“Brainteasing…[a] hair-raising tale with a French twist.”—People “The author’s darkest and perhaps best.”—San Francisco Examiner “When [Scarpetta’s] in one of her cut-’em-up moods, you want to follow her anywhere…a series that keeps picking up velocity.”—The New York Times “The forensic sequences boom with authority; the brief action sequences explode on the page…A thunderhead of disquietude hangs over this compulsively readable novel, sometimes loosing storms of suspense; but to Cornwell’s considerable credit, the unease arises ultimately not from the steady potential for violence, but from a more profound horror: the vulnerability of a good woman like Kay to a world beset by the corrupt, the cruel, the demonic.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Cornwell’s latest villain is a wonderful creation…[Her] detail-laden descriptions of autopsies, gleaned from her work experience on the staff of a Virginia chief medical examiner, offers the same kind of unique insight Tom Clancy provides concerning high-tech weaponry…Black Notice is a pleasant step forward…the villain is cracker-jack, the chase is exciting…Good for Patricia Cornwell, and even better for her many fans.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram “It is fascinating to watch Scarpetta and her supporting cast…become more and more themselves…especially in such a brilliantly paced adventure as this one.”—Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPraise for The Scarpetta Factor“[An] insistent and gripping thriller.”—The Star-Ledger“A finely crafted, pulse-racing thriller that readers won’t wantto put down.”—Library Journal

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Book SynopsisFrom one of the world’s number top selling crime writers comes the extraordinary twentieth Kay Scarpetta novel.A woman has vanished while digging a dinosaur bone bed in the remote wilderness of Canada. Somehow, the only evidence has made its way to the inbox of Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, over two thousand miles away in Boston. She has no idea why.   But as events unfold with alarming speed, Scarpetta begins to suspect that the paleontologist’s disappearance is connected to a series of crimes much closer to home: a gruesome murder, inexplicable tortures, and trace evidence from the last living creatures of the dinosaur age.   When she turns to those around her, Scarpetta finds that the danger and suspicion have penetrated even her closest circles. Her niece Lucy speaks in riddles. Her lead investigator, Pete Marino, and FBI forensic psychologist and husband, Benton Wesley, have secrets of their own. Feeling alone and betray

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Book SynopsisWith unparalleled high-tension suspense and the latest in forensic technology, Patricia Cornwell once again proves her exceptional ability to surprise—and to thrill—in this electrifying Kay Scarpetta novel.A body, oddly draped in an unusual cloth, has just been discovered inside the sheltered gates of MIT, and it’s suspected the identity is that of missing computer engineering grad student Gail Shipton, last seen the night before at a trendy Cambridge bar. It appears she’s been murdered, mere weeks before the trial in her $100 million lawsuit against her former financial manager, and Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta doubts it’s a coincidence. She also fears the case may have a connection with her computer genius niece, Lucy.In Dust, Scarpetta and her colleagues are up against a force far more sinister than a sexual predator who fits the criminal classification of a “spectacle killer.” The murder o

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Book SynopsisJudy Hammer has accepted the challenge of Richmond, Virginia''s police department to try and reverse the escalating crime statistics in the city. She brings with her Deputy Chief Virginia West and Andy Brazil, now a full-time police officer. They find a lot of things they are all too familiar with - teenage gangs, a rash of robberies at cash dispensers, street corner drug-dealing, racial tensions, too many people with too many guns and a cardiac inducing lack of parking spaces. They also meet resentment from the established police force and over-high expectations from the city''s institutions. Then a computer virus crashes the police computer, freezing their screens with a design of blue fish, and the same blue fish appears on the statue of Jefferson Davis, which a graffiti artist has turned into a black basketball player and a gang called the Pikes claim it is their symbol, which also has links to the robberies. In an incredibly fast-moving police procedural Patricia Cornwell taTrade ReviewCornwell peels off every layer of this taut society in a careering crime drama that is full of suspense and excitement and has a shaft of humanity beneath the tough talk and the wisecracks. * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *some very fine comic scenes. * DAILY TELEGRAPH *this highly entertaining confection shows Cornwell clearly has more than one string to her bow. * IRELAND ON SUNDAY *Always a winner. * NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE CHRONICLE *

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Book SynopsisIsle of Dogs is the final book in the Andy Brazil series, following the success of Hornet''s Nest and Southern Cross, from bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.Chaos breaks loose when the Governor of Virginia orders that speed traps be installed on all streets and highways, and warns that motorists will be caught by monitoring aircraft flying overhead. But the eccentric inhabitants of Tangier, fourteen miles off the coast of Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay, respond by threatening to secede and set up an independent state, claiming that their independence lies in the history of America''s first settlers, those who set sail from London''s Isle of Dogs in 1607. Judy Hammer, newly installed as the superintendent of Virginia State Police, and Andy Brazil, state trooper and Hammer''s right hand confidant, find themselves at their wit''s end as they try to protect the public from the politician''s and vice versa in this pitch-perfect, darkly comiTrade ReviewCornwell's humour is as unexpected as it is wicked. * DAILY MIRROR *an irreverant and strikingly characterised portrait of law enforcement at the mercy of politics. * CRIME TIME *A unique, often hilarious experience. * IRISH TATLER *Be aware: this is not your typical Cornwell novel. Not only is there no Kay Scarpetta, but Isle of Dogs is a comic romp, a real departure for this author. It centres around a couple of characters from past books--police chief Judy Hammer and reporter-turn * Nicholas H Allison, Amazon.com *

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Book SynopsisA ''one-off'' from the best-selling creator of the Dr Kay Scarpetta series, based on the serialisation in the New York Times.Moving between the chill of Cambridge, Massachusetts and the sultry humidity of Knoxville, Tennessee, Winston Garano, a police investigator, is instructed to look into a twenty-year-old murder case. Although Win reckons there are many more pressing current cases which should have higher priority, he gets on with the task, unaware of the can of worms he will prise open. With her hallmark qualities of deft characterisation, perfect research and tense story-telling, Patricia Cornwell has created a novel which entertains, intrigues and satisfies.Trade ReviewThis sparky novella-length work... is read with aplomb by Kate Reading. There are two great characters, crackling with suppressed chemistry * Sunday Times *Kate Reading's telling of AT RISK keeps the listener hooked from the start * Waterstone’s Books Quarterly *The pace is cracking. * DAILY MIRROR *This book is just as exciting as one of the author's Scarpetta thrillers and is thrilling from start to finish. * THE LADY *

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Book SynopsisThe Front is the second book in the Winston Garano series, from bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.Massachusetts State Investigator Win Garano is given one of his most challenging cases yet when he is asked to investigate the death of a young British woman murdered more than forty years ago. Assumed to be a victim of the Boston Strangler, blind Janie Brolin was raped and left for dead in 1962. With no DNA and sketchy police records, this is a case that will test Garano to his limits. It will take him on a journey through the archives, into the latest innovations in forensic technology, and into partnership with senior officers at London''s New Scotland Yard.And as Garano unearths deadly secrets from the past, his hard-nosed boss Monique Lamont is putting both their lives in jeopardy with her lust for power and success. With past and present colliding, the tension mounts with every page...Trade ReviewOffers a diverting blend of psychological suspense and the spiky politics of law enforcement. - The Age In her latest thriller, At Risk, [Cornwell] has returned to what she does best... - Independent Few...can compare to Patricia Cornwell' - Sunday Business PostFor Book of the Dead: 'Patricia Cornwell is the queen of gritty, grisly, crime fiction writing' - Heat

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Book SynopsisThe eighteenth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell. ''America''s most chilling writer of crime fiction'' The TimesKay Scarpetta has been training at the Dover Port Mortuary, mastering the art of ''virtual autopsy'' - a groundbreaking procedure that could soon revolutionise forensic science. And it is not too long before these new skills urgently need to be put into practice. A young man drops dead, apparently from a heart condition, eerily close to Scarpetta''s home. But when his body is examined the next morning, there are stunning indications that he may have been alive when he was zipped inside a pouch and locked in the cooler.When the revolutionary 3D radiology scans reveal more shocking details about internal injuries unlike any Scarpetta has ever seen, she realizes that this is a case of murder - and that she is fighting a cunning and uniquely cruel enemy. Now it isTrade Review'A thrilling read * Best *Long, terse and brilliant...Cornwell, who has already won more prizes than you can shake a stick at, seems to be getting better and better * City AM *A gripping read made more chilling by Cornwell's note that the sci-fi technology she's describing actually exists * Metro *A bountiful offering from one of crime fiction's most celebrated authors...arguably her most accessible book in more than a decade * Hartford Books Examiner *

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