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About the Author

Patricia Cornwell's first novel, POSTMORTEM, was published in 1990 and won five international awards. Her Scarpetta novels have since become Number One bestsellers throughout the world.

Reviews

Verdict: Cornwell fans will find this reminiscent of the Scarpetta novels that hooked them years ago, and new readers will race to read the previous 15. Like a fine wine, Scarpetta has aged well. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/08.] Background: After 20 years, Cornwell still keeps us feverishly reading into the wee hours of the night. This 16th novel (after Book of the Dead) chronicling the career and personal life of Dr. Kay Scarpetta is another nail-biting thriller. Newly married and serving as chief medical examiner in Massachusetts, visiting lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and consultant to the NYPD, Scarpetta is summoned to New York to examine a psychiatric patient linked to a brutal homicide. She finds herself ensnared in a series of murders, forced to prove whether her patient is a victim or a killer. As the story unfolds, husband Benton, estranged colleague Marino, and niece Lucy all play a role in the case that endangers Scarpetta's life and career.-Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Book of the Dead was well worth the two year wait - Sunday AgeIf you've ever read Cornwell's previous Kay Scarpetta novels you'll love this... It's the first Scarpetta novel to leave me with a smile on my face. - Adelaide AdvertiserCornwell still does it better than anyone else - Daily MailCornwell's books run on high octane fuel, a cocktail of adrenalin and fear - The Times

At the start of bestseller Cornwell's plodding 16th thriller to feature Dr. Kay Scarpetta (after Book of the Dead), the forensic pathologist--who recently relocated to Belmont, Mass., with her forensic psychologist husband--is called to Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital for reasons that don't become clear until she gets there. Oscar Bane, who voluntarily committed himself to Bellevue while denying he brutally murdered his girlfriend, refuses to speak to anyone except the high-profile Scarpetta. Bane, Scarpetta discovers, is obsessed with her. Meanwhile, someone masquerading as Scarpetta is lurking in cyberspace and supplying an online gossip site with dirty secrets about the doctor. For help on the murder case, Scarpetta turns to her computer whiz niece and a macho former colleague whose shocking actions in Book of the Dead severely damaged his relationship with Scarpetta. With a plot full of holes and frustrating red herrings, this entry falls short of the high standard set by earlier volumes in this iconic series. (Dec.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.