About The Book

The inspiration for Season 2 of the Amazon Prime Video series Scarpetta—starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis!

“A knockout” (People) of a thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta.

Dr. Kay Scarpetta isn’t used to planning autopsies on men who are still alive, but that’s exactly what she’s tasked with when serial killer Ronnie Joe Waddell is set for execution. His last words? “Killing me won’t kill the beast.” Enigmatic as they are, they soon prove prophetic: days after his execution, another body is found—with Waddell’s fingerprints at the crime scene.

How did a dead man commit a murder? Did Scarpetta autopsy the wrong man? And why can’t she shake the feeling that she might be next?

About The Author

Photograph by Tony Luong

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, Cornwell has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper, a biography, and two more fiction series, among others. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the cutting-edge forensic technologies that inform her work. She was born in Miami, grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston. Find out more at PatriciaCornwell.com, at Facebook.com/Patricia.Cornwell, on X: @1PCornwell, and on Instagram: @1PCornwell.
 

Product Details

  • Publisher: Scribner (December 1, 2009)
  • Length: 416 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781439187531

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Raves and Reviews

"A knockout."
-- People

"Ingenious...a first-rate storyteller."
-- Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Engrossing...an extremely effective novel of suspense, in all its varieties...Corwell's sleuth is the best in the business."
-- Entertainment Weekly

"Classic Cornwell...chilling...riveting...utterly convincing."
-- Richmond Times-Dispatch

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More books from this author: Patricia Cornwell

More books in this series: The Scarpetta Series

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