Postmortem / Body of Evidence / All That Remains (Kay Scarpetta) [Hardcover]

Patricia Cornwell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Patricia Cornwell has said that if she hadn't written her Kay Scarpetta thrillers--the classic first three are collected in this volume--she might find them too scary to read. After all, she is the rare crime writer who knows what she's talking about: she worked on the newspaper crime beat and at the Scotland Yard-like medical examiner's office in Richmond, Virginia, at a time when a serial killer was murdering women just like her. (Cornwell sleeps with a .38 within reach.)

Postmortem introduces Dr. Scarpetta, who knows the smell of bone dust from a skullcap saw and how to read a body for clues via lasers, DNA, and computers. As Scarpetta slowly closes in on a killer known as Mr. Nobody, she gets the creepy, well-informed feeling that the killer is closing in on her. Cornwell's debut swept the mystery-writing awards and made her somebody.

In Body of Evidence, Scarpetta investigates the murder of a Southern writer who mysteriously opened the door for her killer. In All That Remains, she hunts a serial killer of young lovers--including the daughter of the president's drug czar, which complicates the forensic chase with political intrigue.

Besides suspenseful cat-and-mouse games between sleuth and killer (and writer and reader), Cornwell creates a rich cast of screwed-up characters, chiefly Scarpetta's scruffy confrere, Detective Pete Marino. Scarpetta's character is a magnetic combination of pride, drive, brains, extreme skill at cooking, and a pervasive sadness expressed with tightly wound eloquence. With these books, Cornwell (a descendant of Harriet Beecher Stowe) increased her book deal from $6,000 to $24 million. She earned it.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 832 pages
• Publisher: Smithmark Pub (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765191121
• ISBN-13: 978-0765191120
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #195,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to Cornwell at a great price!, November 18, 1999

By 

"julies_27" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Postmortem / Body of Evidence / All That Remains (Kay Scarpetta) (Hardcover)

I bought this book not having read any of Patricia Cornwell's books and it was a great introduction. I went on to read everything else she has written. All the three novels were great and I was sorry to have them end so quickly.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awed and Inspired, April 13, 2000

By 

Heather (Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Postmortem / Body of Evidence / All That Remains (Kay Scarpetta) (Hardcover)

I have read hundreds of mysteries and none could hold a candleto any book by Patricia Cornwell. Her understanding of PoliceProcedures and Forensic Science not only intrigued me and kept me up many nights reading, but inspired me to go back to school and get my degree in Forensic Science. (I plan to be a Forensic Pathologist!) Every one of her books are not some fifty page, light reading "who-done-it," but a believable, sink-your-teeth-into mystery with a great story line. Go out and get one of her books today. You won't be dissapointed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ah, Scarpetta... truly the best., December 8, 2001

By 

Kathryn Kerr (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Postmortem / Body of Evidence / All That Remains (Kay Scarpetta) (Hardcover)

I'd have to admit I'm one of those people who buys each new Patricia Cornwell as soon as it comes out, and here are three of the best. If you've read any crime novel featuring a female detective written in the last ten years, you've read a novel that's been influenced by the fabulous Scarpetta. Kay Scarpetta is a forensic pathologist with a genius for solving crime, and Patricia Cornwell is a writer with a genius for bringing the morgue to life. Cornwell's writing is superb when it comes to gory and technical forensic details, and her enviable skill with suspense will leave you checking that you've locked your doors and seriously considering purchasing some kind of semi-automatic weapon.

Scarpetta purists may hold that Postmortem is the best of the bunch, but there's plenty in each of these novels to keep crime fans happy for some time to come. I don't know anyone who's read a Scarpetta novel and hasn't been converted. Postmortem features a seriously scary serial killer and rapist, who's tracked down by a mixture of forensic work, medical knowledge and psychology; in Body of Evidence, Scarpetta is forced to retrace the final days of a murdered writer in the hope of uncovering the truth about her death; and in All That Remains Scarpetta has to deal with political pressure as she attempts to discover the identity of a serial killer who stalks and murders courting couples.

Scarpetta is certainly flawed - difficult, demanding and with an unfortunate proclivity for men who treat her badly, or die horribly, or sometimes both - but this is precisely why she is so endearing. If you're after a great thriller with plenty of forensic detail, go no further than Patricia Cornwell.