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Autopsy: A Scarpetta Novel (Kay Scarpetta Book 25) Kindle Edition
New York Times Bestseller
In this relaunch of the electrifying, landmark #1 bestselling thriller series, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta hunts those responsible for two wildly divergent and chilling murders.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta has come almost full circle, returning to Virginia, the state where she launched her storied career, as the chief medical examiner. Finding herself the new girl in town once again after being away for many years, she’s inherited both an overbearing secretary and a legacy of neglect and potential corruption.
She and her husband, Benton Wesley, now a forensic psychologist with the U.S. Secret Service, have relocated to Old Town Alexandria, where she’s headquartered five miles from the Pentagon in a post-pandemic world that’s been torn apart by civil and political unrest. After just weeks on the job, she’s called to a scene by railroad tracks—a woman’s body has been shockingly displayed, her throat cut down to the spine—and as Scarpetta begins to follow the trail, it leads unnervingly close to her own historic neighborhood.
At the same time, a catastrophe occurs in a top secret laboratory in outer space, endangering at least two scientists aboard. Appointed to the highly classified Doomsday Commission that specializes in sensitive national security cases, Scarpetta is summoned to the White House and tasked with finding out exactly what happened. But even as she remotely works the first potential crime scene in space, an apparent serial killer strikes again very close to home.
This latest novel in the groundbreaking Kay Scarpetta series captivates readers with the shocking twists, high-wire tension, and forensic detail that Patricia Cornwell is famous for, proving once again why she’s the world’s #1 bestselling crime writer.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWilliam Morrow
- Publication dateNovember 30, 2021
- File size3769 KB
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From the Publisher
Flesh and Blood | Depraved Heart | Chaos | |
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4.1 out of 5 stars
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Price | $13.78$13.78 | $9.99$9.99 | $8.49$8.49 |
Editorial Reviews
Review
“With a sophisticated narrative, an outstanding company of characters, a horrific crime, and a surprising ending [Cornwell] proves you can go home again… Scarpetta is brilliant, compassionate and humble, excelling in her profession and in diplomacy while trying to solve a heinous crime… Longtime fans will cheer Scarpetta’s return.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Scarpetta is back at her former job as chief medical examiner for the state of Virginia. She has a lot of cleaning up to do… [Cornwell] pulls it off nicely. In fact, she pulls off the whole book nicely. Scarpetta's return to her Virginia roots feels just right.” — Booklist
“The autopsy, remotely controlled by Scarpetta—and physically carried out by two astronauts—is an astonishing, groundbreaking sequence… Patricia Cornwell’s terse, evocative style adds to the creeping sense of unease… Thirty years on, there’s still no other crime writer like her.” — The Sunday Times (UK)
“To have Scarpetta return—and engaged in a hunt for a possible serial killer—is simply terrific… The dead woman’s trail seems to be leading to a dangerous serial killer but Scarpetta isn’t convinced. The science, as readers know, will tell… [This is] gold-star Scarpetta at work… I loved it.” — Globe and Mail (Toronto)
“Autopsy revitalizes this venerable series and its beloved cast of characters... As always, forensics is at the forefront—but it is balanced by the themes of family, friendship, and food... Whether you’re revisiting the indomitable Scarpetta or meeting her for the very first time, this is an ideal (re)entry point.” — Criminal Element
"Propulsive...the tension is sustained to the last page...Dr. Kay Scarpetta is back and with her is a cast of well-drawn characters and intersecting plot lines...Thriller lovers and Cornwell’s many fans will enjoy riding along with Scarpetta as she navigates dark waters on a personal and professional level, on Earth and in space." — Jacksonville Times-Union
“Thank you, Patricia Cornwell: Dr. Kay Scarpetta is back!... [Cornwell’s] stories feature taut, complex, and well-wrought plots full of tension, suspense, unexpected twists, and a mood of danger and foreboding, all centered around an admirable central character… A solid entry in a memorable crime series.” — The American Spectator
"[Scarpetta] slips easily and naturally into past tense when filling us in on background details—all of which seems to give her slightly sharper edges; her doubts and also her impatience are especially vivid and warm in that mode." — Sullivan County Democrat
"Autopsy strides comfortably back into the dark and dangerous work of the complicated medical examiner. Long-time readers of this series will enjoy the gritty crime details, puzzling clues, and familiar characters." — Manhattan Book Review
“Autopsy is… the best book Cornwell has written in years, a tale penned from the heart as well as the mind. A seminal forensics thriller that reminds us that this is a sub-genre she basically invented. The last must-read book of 2021 is not to be missed.” — Booktrib.com
“Dr. Kay Scarpetta… [is] an awesome force in the field of forensic science.” — New York Times Book Review on Flesh and Blood
“In this tense forensic thriller, an ingenious killer threatens to destroy that which Kay Scarpetta loves most—her family.” — Daily News on Flesh and Blood
“Everyone knows Scarpetta; she has the wit, intelligence, and strength that any forensic sleuth should own. This never-stop action plot is yet another gift to readers from Patricia Cornwell-a literary artist that is never going to stop writing some of the best and most memorable thrillers out there.” — Suspense Magazine on Flesh and Blood
“In Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell has a character as strong as any in popular fiction.” — Wall Street Journal
“When it comes to the forensic sciences, nobody can touch Cornwell.” — New York Times Book Review
“Patricia Cornwell has created characters with real emotions and life experiences, and she provides them with more than enough danger to make things interesting. Dr. Scarpetta has become a good friend.” — MysteryPlayground.net on Chaos
“Lots of cutting-edge forensic detail and some revelatory character moments.” — Publishers Weekly on Chaos
“While Scarpetta’s character has flaws, she is still a powerful female protagonist and she offers the reader an amazing calculating approach to investigation. I am always amazed at the passion that she has for her position. . . . A fast engaging read.” — Dad of Divas Reviews on Chaos
“There is a quiet intensity to Ms. Cornwell’s writing that compels you to read, then the eeriness sets in. . . . With Chaos, once again Patricia Cornwell mesmerizes with her astounding scientific knowledge, her keen ear for dialogue and the human psyche, all woven together flawlessly.” — FreshFiction.com on Chaos
“Thrilling…. Readers new to Cornwell will find themselves involved from the very first page, as will the veterans. Chaos is one book you should not miss.” — Bookreporter.com
“Cornwell is still the ace of forensic science mysteries. Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her family and friends just keep growing as characters, and Cornwell’s plots are still taut and tangled enough to make readers afraid to miss even a bit of minutiae. With Flesh and Blood, Cornwell is at the top of her game.” — RT Book Reviews
“Stir phony IRS agents and wisecracking Boston cops and a few red herrings into the mix, and you’ve got the makings of a real puzzler. . . . A trademark Cornwell mystery: terse and tangled, messy and body-fluidy, and altogether satisfying.” — Kirkus Reviews on Depraved Heart
“Dark and cleverly plotted.” — Booklist on Depraved Heart
“Scarpetta is one of the most believable characters in crime fiction.” — Vancouver Sun
“Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns.” — Mirror (London)
“Cornwell’s books run on high octane fuel, a cocktail of adrenalin and fear” — The Times (London)
About the Author
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, Patricia has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper, a biography, and three more fiction series among others. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the forensic technologies that inform her work. She was born in Miami, grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.
Product details
- ASIN : B08XQQY33Y
- Publisher : William Morrow (November 30, 2021)
- Publication date : November 30, 2021
- Language : English
- File size : 3769 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 408 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1460760352
- Best Sellers Rank: #24,889 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #38 in Medical Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #151 in Terrorism Thrillers (Books)
- #421 in Political Thrillers (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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.
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The book started of typical of what you would expect from a Scarpetta novel – feet first in at the deep and at that constant pace. Kay has returned to her old post at Chief Medial Examiner for the State of Virginia replacing of all things a former trainee that she never liked/respected. From him she has inherited a failing/ inept department including an overbearing secretary who thinks she runs the office and staff including Scarpetta.
We find Scarpetta puzzling over the identity of a murder victim who was found displayed naked by the train tracks minus her hands. She gets a call to view a house which is suspected to be rented by her unidentified victim, which leads to a tentative name. She eventually heads home with plans to celebrate niece Lucy’s birthday with a late dinner, and she gets a special bottle of wine to have. Turns out the wine has been poisoned, fortunately only Scarpetta has had a tasting sip when the effects kick in and if not for Benton’s quick reactions it would have been a very short story.
Next morning, she and Benton are summoned to a meeting at the White House where we learn there has been a suspicious incident a top-secret space lab where some scientists may be critically wounded possibly dead and surprise!! there are links from this event to Scarpetta’s newly identified victim! So now I’m thinking the book is called Autopsy – we’re going to have an autopsy conducted in space and…. I would think the possibilities from there are endless.
I can see why there were so many disappointed readers for this book. You have the mystery of the science lab – what happened and why? The dead victim from the start – is her death a link to what happened at the Space Lab or is it a totally separate case, could it be linked to an earlier death that occurred in the same vicinity that was eventually ruled accidental by ME office and if it is does that mean there is another serial killer roaming nearby? Who poisoned Scarpetta’s wine and when? And you just know that somehow that missing cat collar is going to be important, but how could it link to any of the above questions?
I realized I was coming in hot at 90+% and to my recollection, none of the above questions have a definite conclusion, did I zone out whilst reading and missed some information, or maybe there’s a chapter or two missing?
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The epilogue chapter tries to tie all the threads up, I’m reminded of Hercule Poirot explaining to Hastings how all the clues lead to the guilty person. If you also like to be an armchair detective and see if you can gather all the clues to guess the culprit before the big reveal, then you definitely will be disappointed as other than a couple extremely vague titbits that only make sense with the reveal there was no clues to the killer. Even more disappointing the space lab situation turned out to be just a tangent with no real connection to the story other than to help make the victim’s character unlikeable.
Overall, I did enjoy the book. It had a good pace, lots of mysterious threads and familiar characters, I would rather have had an extra couple chapters to tie up each thread rather than be spoon-fed the information in an epilogue chapter. I would still recommend the book but would say once you read up to Scarpetta being called into the Health minister (Reddy’s) office you can jump to the epilogue chapter and would miss very little (if anything) interesting.
Cornwell incorporates a wealth of near-future cutting-edge technology into the story so that the story remains as fresh as possible. Free traffic by the shuttle in outer space, regenerated body organs using 3D printer, avatars by AI, those makes us think that they have already been put into practical use without our knowledge. Scarpetta who drank the wine brought back from Europe becomes a prey to the poison contained in it. Did the criminal aim at Scarpetta? Who on earth and where did the poison get mixed in? The story is extremely confused as a number of incidents are intricately intertwined. Cornwell lets Scarpetta continue her steady verification. As if Cornwell forced herself to return to the origin of the Scarpetta series! Isn’t this also the reason why she chose “Autopsy” as the title of this book? Taking advantage of the five-year hiatus, Cornwell organized the main characters surrounding Scarpetta. Lucy’s partner Janet and their adopted child Desi had became victims of a pandemic during their stay in London. It was revealed in the final chapter of “Chaos” that Desi was a child of Carrie Grethen and Temple Gault. Cornwell may have thought that this continuation was sufficient. Scarpetta’s mother was no longer in the world, and most surprisingly Dorothy and Marino were married. Although only Benton suggested their relationship in the previous work.
The truth of these cases, unveiled in the last few pages, is not intimidating in itself, but convincing. The serial killer was lurking around Scarpetta. The first victim happened to be sacrificed by his poisonous fangs, and her accomplice staying in outer space who learned of her disaster were trying to escape from outer space for fear of exposing their espionage. The poison in the wine was indiscriminately mixed by a competitor to damage the wine’s reputation. Readers who lament that Scarpetta’s appeal has been halved in “Chaos” will be satisfied with “Autopsy.” The plot drawn by Cornwell is natural without any unreasonable strain. By continuing relentless verification, the thread of the intricately intertwined cases is unraveled and the truth emerges. Welcome back Scarpetta. I’m looking forward to your next autopsy.
Top reviews from other countries
I must have read some of her stuff in the past and probably enjoyed it, but after looking for something to put in my Kindle after finishing a good book late one evening and finding this, I have to say that I found it very disappointing. So much writing about...well, not very much: it takes several chapters to go from A to B, in a tooled up SUV with enough equipment on board to never need to go shopping again and with so much detail including the makes and models of all the weaponry she and others are toting with them, pointless intrigue and office politics, everything she, her husband and anyone else around eats, everybody's related to someone else in the book, autopsies by proxy in what seems a totally irrelevant murder case, the same style trick being used over and over (direct speech dialogue interlarded with comments starting with 'and', such as ..and I know how she must be feeling... or ...and her attitude tells me otherwise). I only finished it because I rarely drop a book midway.
Double plus ungood, I'm afraid.