Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta)

ONE OF TIME'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME

The inspiration for the hit Amazon Prime Video series Scarpetta—starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis!

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of forensic fiction” (Los Angeles Times) 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 forensic investigation that blends high-stakes forensics with nerve-shattering suspense. 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 thriller 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.

Patricia Cornwell is recognized as one of the world’s top bestselling crime authors with novels translated into thirty-six languages in more than 120 countries. Her novels have won numerous prestigious awards including the Edgar, the Creasey, the Anthony, the Macavity, and the Prix du Roman d’Aventure. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper, a biography, and two more fiction series, among others. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the cutting-edge forensic technologies that inform her work. She was born in Miami, grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston. Find out more at PatriciaCornwell.com, at Facebook.com/Patricia.Cornwell, on X: @1PCornwell, and on Instagram: @1PCornwell.