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Patricia Cornwell
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Postmortem (Dr Kay Scarpetta) by Patricia Cornwell (2000-04-13) Paperback – January 1, 1898

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 13,967 ratings
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  1. Anthony AwardWinner, 1991
  2. Edgar AwardWinner, 1991
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Four women with nothing in common, united only in death. Four brutalized victims of a brilliant monster - a "Mr. Nobody", moving undetected through a paralyzed city, leaving behind a gruesome trail of carnage . . . but few clues. With skilled hands, an unerring eye, and the latest advances in forensic research, an unrelenting female medical examiner - Kay Scarpetta - is determined to unmask a maniac. But someone is trying to sabotage Kay's investigation from the inside. And worse yet, someone wants her dead . . .
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  1. Book 1 of 28
    Kay Scarpetta
  2. Publisher
    Sphere
  3. Publication date
    January 1, 1898
  4. See all details
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  1. The guy’s only advantage in life is he’s big and white, so he makes himself bigger and whiter by carrying a gun and a badge.
    Highlighted by 226 Kindle readers
  2. Isolation is the cruelest of punishments, and it had never occurred to me that I was something less than human because I wasn’t a man. One of my female classmates eventually quit, another suffered a complete nervous breakdown. Survival was my only hope, success my only revenge.
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  3. But caffeine, cigarettes and cholesterol, the grim reapers of the common man—God forbid I should give them up.
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N1EUA1W
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sphere (January 1, 1898)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 13,967 ratings

About the author

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Patricia Cornwell

Patricia Cornwell

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In 1990, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.

Today, Cornwell’s novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper’s identity, cookbooks, a children’s book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and two other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano and Andy Brazil. While writing Quantum, Cornwell spent two years researching space, technology, and robotics at Captain Calli Chase’s home base, NASA’s Langley Research Center, and studied cutting-edge law enforcement and security techniques with the Secret Service, the US Air Force, NASA Protective Services, Scotland Yard, and Interpol.

Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston and Los Angeles.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
13,967 global ratings
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5 Stars
Love it!
So excited to read this! My mom used to read them and suggested the series for me. The book itself is great quality. About the size of my hand, so very convenient to throw in a purse and read at doctor's appointments and such. Good quality paper, and has good binding, so it's not too tight that you have to break the spine to read.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great mystery
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
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I love Dr. Scarpetta novels. So interesting as the mystery unfolds. Patricia Corn well is such a f
Great author.
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Frank Donnelly
4.0 out of 5 stars A Pretty Good Debut Mystery Novel, At Times A Page Turner
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2023
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“Postmortem” is a pretty good debut novel authored by Patricia Cornwell. It is a crime mystery novel written and set in 1990s Richmond, Virginia. The protagonist is a female medical examiner. The story is clearly written and makes a good candidate for an audiobook. I read and listened simultaneously. I liked the novel and intend to read another by this author.

There were times the novel seemed to proceed somewhat slowly. However it picked up momentum and by the end I was very interested and it became a page turner. I did not “solve” this mystery as I read it, however some of the storyline was predictable. I still liked the novel.

In that this is a debut mystery novel with a female medical examiner as a protagonist, this novel called to mind “Deja Dead” by Kathy Reichs. I feel these two novels present an interesting opportunity to compare and contrast two debut mystery novels by modern American female authors with some similar story structure. If it matters, I liked both novels approximately the same.

In summary I liked this novel and felt it was definitely above average. I fully intend to read more novels by this author. It is relatively easily followed and as such is a candidate for a good audiobook. Thank You for taking the time to read this review.
15 people found this helpful
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Vica
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book!
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024
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Despite its age and the evolution of techniques since its publication, the book remains captivating for readers.
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Tina Torres
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally -a smart character with a personality!
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2024
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Well spun and told cleverly. The narration was spot on. So relieved to have stumbled on this series. Thank you, Patricia Cornwell.
One person found this helpful
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A lover of books
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2024
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I liked the story, but only thing I have to complain about, is the technical jargon , it slowed the story down
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Rileybug
4.0 out of 5 stars Great first novel!
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2023
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Postmortem is a slow burn, but a real page turner form the start! A serial killer on the loose who never leaves any evidence behind...but the killer has never crossed paths with Kay Scarpetta, the county medical examiner. The suspense builds until the story finally explodes with action! If you're a fan of mystery thrillers, you can't go wrong with this great read!
5 people found this helpful
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MysticRose
5.0 out of 5 stars Nail Biting
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024
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Such a great book! Definitely a page turner and you want to find out what is next and who did it! Dr Scarpetta is such a wonderful character!
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Megan
5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2024
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Filled with suspense and got me hooked from the very beginning. Started reading the rest of the series.
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Top reviews from other countries

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donna lidstone
5.0 out of 5 stars Postmordem
Reviewed in Canada on August 2, 2023
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Loved the writing ...the story was well developed..all in all a great read...plan to read more of this author
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Abhishek Kumar
5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing.
Reviewed in India on October 17, 2022
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This is the first book that I have read a long time ago by the author and it still remains the best one till now. The plot of the book was good and the pace never slow down.
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Stephen Clynes
5.0 out of 5 stars The writing was first class.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2022
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Okay folks, Stephen is very, very late to the party. Time and time again I overtake a Tesco lorry along the motorway and advertised along the side is their click & collect service with an image of a shopping basket containing some items including a paperback by Patricia Cornwell. I have not read any of her books but her name has been subliminally planted in my brain. So when her books were offered cheap as part of the Kindle Daily Deal, I snapped some of them up!

Postmortem was written in 1990 but don’t let that put you off. Okay, so it features some generic double density IBM compatible diskettes (floppies) and operating a computer from the C: Prompt with typed commands! But back in 1990 that is how things were.

The Kay Scarpetta series now runs to 25 novels and I thought I would start at the beginning. And boy, what a start it was! Oh, the old adage of write about what you know. Patricia Cornwell’s day job is a forensic pathologist, so yes, you’ve guessed it Kay Scarpetta is a female medical examiner in Virginia!

Kay Scarpetta has to help catch the serial killer of 4 women who have nothing in common. Will her forensic pathology skills bring justice to the victims?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Postmortem and simply loved the forensic detail that was explained to the reader. Character development was spot on and this was not just solve the crimes but the daily lives of everyone involved. Postmortem is a fully fleshed novel with lots of interesting content thrown into the mix. Even British readers were included when Patricia writes…

I couldn’t stand it, not tonight. I could be Maggie Thatcher and my mother would persist in treating me like a five-year-old who doesn’t have sense enough to come out of the rain.

… I loved how Kay Scarpetta kept an open mind and considered all forensic possibilities. This made a thrilling read as you wondered if each new discovery would solve the 4 murders.

I thought the writing was first class and I could find nothing wrong with this book. I am glad I took advantage of the cut-price deal and bought other books in this series. Her writing is very similar to books written by Kathy Reich that I have enjoyed in the past.

I found Postmortem an OUTSTANDING 5 star read and look forward to reading other books in this series.
10 people found this helpful
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Cliente de Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Buena
Reviewed in Spain on August 10, 2021
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Primera novela de la colección. Muy entretenida, como también lo son las siguientes que tienen como protagonista a la forense. Empiezan a perfilarse los personajes fijos que luego aparecen en el resto de novelas que son todas buenísimas, aunque quizás las últimas un poco menos buenas.
Recomendable
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Arthur
5.0 out of 5 stars Adorei o livro e quero os outros da série agora!
Reviewed in Brazil on October 24, 2019
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Apesar de ser novo lendo ficção, já li alguns livros desse gênero. Postmortem é muito bem escrito, desenvolve bem a trama e os personagens. Com a experiência da autora no ramo, ela consegue trazer detalhes técnicos que dão vida ao livro, parecendo quase documental! É possível ler somente 1, mas duvido que queira parar por ai.
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