Postmortem
The first in the ground-breaking, globally bestselling Kay Scarpetta series
Published on 26. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
432 pages
978-1-4087-3666-1 (ISBN)
Description
The first book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell - now an original series on Prime Video.
A serial killer is on the loose in Richmond, Virginia. Three women have died, brutalised and strangled in their own bedroom. There is no pattern: the killer appears to strike at random - but always early on Saturday mornings.
So when Dr Kay Scarpetta, chief medical officer, is awakened at 2.33 am, she knows the news is bad: there is a fourth victim. And she fears now for those that will follow unless she can dig up new forensic evidence to aid the police.
But not everyone is pleased to see a woman in this powerful job. Someone may even want to ruin her career and reputation . . .
The next book in the Scarpetta series is Body of Evidence. And don't miss True Crime, Patricia Cornwell's jaw-dropping memoir - available now.
'Devilishly clever' SUNDAY TIMES
'The top gun in this field' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns' MIRROR
'The Agatha Christie of the DNA age' EXPRESS
A serial killer is on the loose in Richmond, Virginia. Three women have died, brutalised and strangled in their own bedroom. There is no pattern: the killer appears to strike at random - but always early on Saturday mornings.
So when Dr Kay Scarpetta, chief medical officer, is awakened at 2.33 am, she knows the news is bad: there is a fourth victim. And she fears now for those that will follow unless she can dig up new forensic evidence to aid the police.
But not everyone is pleased to see a woman in this powerful job. Someone may even want to ruin her career and reputation . . .
The next book in the Scarpetta series is Body of Evidence. And don't miss True Crime, Patricia Cornwell's jaw-dropping memoir - available now.
'Devilishly clever' SUNDAY TIMES
'The top gun in this field' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns' MIRROR
'The Agatha Christie of the DNA age' EXPRESS
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 39 mm
Weight
296 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4087-3666-1 (9781408736661)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Patricia Cornwell
Postmortem
The first in the ground-breaking, globally bestselling Kay Scarpetta series
E-Book
09/2008
Sphere
€5.49
Available for download
Person
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'Aventures - 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 three other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano, Andy Brazil, and Captain Calli Chase. Cornwell continues exploring the latest space-age technologies and threats relevant to contemporary life. Her interests range from the morgue to artificial intelligence and include visits to Interpol, the Pentagon, the U.S. Secret Service and NASA.
Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.
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 three other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano, Andy Brazil, and Captain Calli Chase. Cornwell continues exploring the latest space-age technologies and threats relevant to contemporary life. Her interests range from the morgue to artificial intelligence and include visits to Interpol, the Pentagon, the U.S. Secret Service and NASA.
Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.