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Postmortem
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Kay Scarpetta: Book 1

Postmortem (1990) (edit title/settings)

by Patricia Cornwell (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Under cover of night in Richmond, Virginia, a human monster strikes, leaving a gruesome trail of stranglings that has paralyzed the city. Medical examiner Kay Scarpetta suspects the worst: a deliberate campaign by a brilliant serial killer whose signature offers precious few clues. With an... read more

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Summary edit see section history

Kay Scarpetta, now freelancing with the National Forensic Academy in Florida, digs into a case more bizarre than any she has ever faced, one that has produced not only unusual physical evidence, but also tantalizing clues about the inner workings of an extremely cunning and criminal... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Kay Scarpetta, now freelancing with the National Forensic Academy in Florida, digs into a case more bizarre than any she has ever faced, one that has produced not only unusual physical evidence, but also tantalizing clues about the inner workings of an extremely cunning and criminal mind.
She and her team - Pete Marino, Benton Wesley, and her niece Lucy - track the odd connections between several horrific crimes and the people who are the likely suspects. In Florida, Scarpetta is investigating the puzzling disappearance of four people who have been abducted from their quiet home, leaving their car parked haphazardly in the driveway and a stove burner on low. Then Marino finds something in a nearby house that stops him cold: a woman who has complained of harassment from a citrus canker inspector has been viciously murdered in her bed.
As one psychopath, safely behind bars and the subject of a classified scientific study at a Harvard-affiliated psychiatric hospital, teases Scarpetta with tips that could be fact - or fantasy - the number of killers on the loose seems to multiply. Are these events related or merely random? And what can the study of one man's brain tell them about the methods of a psychopath still lurking in the shadows?

Characters edit see section history

  • Dr. Kay Scarpetta: aka Auntie Kay, doc. A strong independent woman. Who has to make her place as the Chief Medical Examiner of Richmond, VA. She has to overcome the ghost of the past Chief as well as the prejudices of other who want to see her fail. Kay is a great example of a woman who knows how to play the game and win.
  • Pete Marino: Sergeant Richmond P.D.
  • Lucy Farinelli: The young and smart niece of Kay. She is a genius, whose own mother doesn't seem to care about her daughter. She is currently living with Kay while her mother is touring the country.
  • Agent Benton Wesley: An FBI profiler. He cares about Kay and we hope that they get together.
  • Detective Pete Marino: A veteran cop. He says things to Kay that could demean a woman who is not as strong as she is. Marino is a good cop, but has his own issues.
  • Abby Turnbull: Infamous and prizewinning Police Reporter
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First Sentence edit see section history

It was raining in Richmond on Friday, June 6.

Glossary edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 19 in Kay Scarpetta. (standard series)

Followed by Body of Evidence.

This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Patricia Cornwell (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons
Country: United States
Publication Date: 1990
ISBN: 0684191415
Page Count: 304

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Scarpetta
  • The Scarpetta Factor
  • Book of the Dead
  • All That Remains
  • Body of Evidence
  • Predator
  • Blow Fly
  • Black Notice
  • Port Mortuary
  • From Potter's Field
  • Cruel and Unusual
  • Unnatural Exposure
  • The Last Precinct
  • The Body Farm
  • Trace

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