Patricia Cornwell‘s latest novel, Scarpetta has found its place on the bestseller lists. The book is the 16th featuring the popular character, Kay Scarpetta, a forensic pathologist first created by Cornwell 20 years ago.

Scarpetta was first introduced to the world in Cornwell’s first crime novel, Postmortem, published in 1990. Originally turned down by seven publishers, Postmortem became the first novel to win the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure along with the  Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards all in one year. In 1999, the Sherlock Award for the best detective created by an American author was awarded to Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Patricia Cornwell spoke with Reuters about writing and Kay Scarpetta. Read the interview.