Patricia Cornwell is considered one of the world's bestselling crime writers. Her intrepid medical examiner Kay Scarpetta first appeared on the scene in 1990 with Postmortem--the only novel to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards and the French Prix du Roman d'Aventure in a single year--and Cruel and Unusual, which won Britain's prestigious Gold Dagger Award for the best crime novel of 1993. Dr. Kay Scarpetta herself won the 1999 Sherlock Award for the best detective created by an American author. Ms. Cornwell's work is translated into 36 languages across more than 120 countries.

Praise 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

Publisher: Berkley Books

Pub date: 2008-01-02

Length: 352 pages