Kay Scarpetta Books in Order
Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta is a forensic pathologist whose medical expertise and dogged investigation style make her a formidable detective. The series grounds crime fiction in autopsy details and lab work, with Scarpetta's personal life constantly threatened by the cases she pursues.
Postmortem
A serial killer is stalking women in Richmond, Virginia, entering their homes in the dead of night and leaving no witnesses. As Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Kay Scarpetta must use every tool of modern forensic science to unmask this sadistic murderer before he strikes again. But the killer seems to know her every move, and someone is leaking information from her own office.
With the police skeptical of her methods and the press circling like vultures, Scarpetta must race against time to find the one clue that will expose the killer's identity. The Edgar Award-winning debut that launched one of crime fiction's most beloved series.
Published: 1990
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Body of Evidence
Bestselling author Beryl Madison was brutally murdered in her own home, and the manuscript she was working on—a tell-all autobiography—has vanished. Kay Scarpetta is called to examine the body and soon realizes that Beryl's death is connected to someone she knew and trusted.
As Scarpetta delves into Beryl's past, she uncovers a web of obsession, literary jealousy, and dark secrets that someone will kill to protect. The investigation takes her from the Key West literary scene to the halls of power in Virginia, where the truth may be more dangerous than the lies.
Published: 1991
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All That Remains
Young couples have been disappearing in Virginia, their decomposed bodies later found in remote wooded areas. When the daughter of the Drug Enforcement Administration's director goes missing with her boyfriend, Kay Scarpetta faces her most politically charged case yet.
The FBI and CIA close ranks as Scarpetta struggles to find answers among skeletal remains and fragmentary evidence. With powerful forces working against her and a killer growing bolder, she must piece together the truth before more innocent lives are claimed.
Published: 1992
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Cruel and Unusual
On the night that convicted murderer Ronnie Joe Waddell is executed in Virginia's electric chair, a young boy is found brutally murdered—killed in a manner that perfectly matches Waddell's M.O. The forensic evidence is impossible: Waddell's fingerprints are at the crime scene, but he's dead.
Kay Scarpetta faces a chilling puzzle that defies all logic. Someone is playing a deadly game with the justice system, and Scarpetta herself may be the ultimate target. Winner of the Gold Dagger Award.
Published: 1993
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The Body Farm
Eleven-year-old Emily Steiner is missing from her small North Carolina mountain town. When her nude body is discovered by a lake, Kay Scarpetta is called in to investigate what appears to be the work of a cunning serial killer who has struck before.
Scarpetta travels to the University of Tennessee's legendary "Body Farm"—a research facility where human decomposition is studied—to unlock the secrets the corpse might hold. But as she gets closer to the truth, she realizes the killer may be much closer than anyone suspects.
Published: 1994
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From Potter's Field
Christmas Eve in New York City, and a homeless woman is brutally murdered in Central Park. Kay Scarpetta recognizes the signature of Temple Gault, a brilliant psychopath she has pursued before. Now Gault is taunting her, leaving clues designed specifically for Scarpetta to find.
The hunt leads Scarpetta into the underground world of Manhattan's homeless as Gault plays a deadly game of cat and mouse. With each killing, he gets closer to Scarpetta herself, forcing her to confront her deepest fears.
Published: 1995
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Cause of Death
On New Year's Eve, a diver is found dead in the murky waters of an abandoned naval shipyard. The investigation leads Kay Scarpetta into a conspiracy involving a dangerous militia group, nuclear weapons, and a twisted plot that threatens national security.
As Scarpetta works to uncover the truth, she finds herself targeted by extremists who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Her niece Lucy, now an FBI agent, becomes drawn into the danger.
Published: 1996
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Unnatural Exposure
A dismembered body is discovered at a landfill, and Kay Scarpetta soon realizes it may be connected to a series of mutilation murders. But before she can investigate further, she receives a mysterious email: the killer is reaching out to her directly.
When a deadly virus outbreak hits the Dublin, Ireland area, Scarpetta suspects it may be connected to her killer. Racing against time and a biological threat, she must stop a murderer who may be planning mass destruction.
Published: 1997
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Point of Origin
A fire has destroyed a horse farm in Virginia, leaving a woman dead. Kay Scarpetta suspects arson and murder, but her investigation takes a shocking turn when she discovers the fire was meant to cover up something far more sinister.
The trail leads back to a maximum-security psychiatric facility and a brilliant psychopath Scarpetta thought she had left behind. Now her past is catching up with her in the most terrifying way possible.
Published: 1998
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Black Notice
A cargo container at a Richmond port yields a gruesome discovery: a badly decomposed body packed among goods from Belgium. Kay Scarpetta identifies the victim as a stowaway, but the condition of the remains suggests something far more disturbing than simple death.
Her investigation leads her to an international criminal cartel and a killer known only as "The Werewolf." As Scarpetta grieves the recent death of her lover Benton Wesley, she must find the strength to face evil once again.
Published: 1999
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The Last Precinct
Kay Scarpetta's life is in ruins. The home invasion that nearly killed her has left her traumatized, and now she's a suspect in the death of her attacker. With the police and prosecutors questioning her every move, Scarpetta must prove her innocence while hunting the real killer.
As evidence mounts against her, Scarpetta discovers that she has been set up by someone who knows her intimately. With her career and freedom at stake, she must unravel a conspiracy that reaches into the highest levels of power.
Published: 2000
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Blow Fly
Kay Scarpetta has left her position as Chief Medical Examiner and is now working as a private forensic consultant in Florida. But her past catches up with her when she learns that Jean-Baptiste Chandonne, the murderer she helped capture, is manipulating events from death row.
Someone is killing again, and the evidence points to Chandonne's twisted family. Scarpetta must confront her darkest fears as she discovers that Benton Wesley's death may not have been what it seemed.
Published: 2003
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Trace
Kay Scarpetta returns to Richmond at the request of the current Chief Medical Examiner, who suspects a death may have been mishandled. But returning to her old territory means confronting painful memories and dangerous enemies.
A young girl has died under suspicious circumstances, and the evidence suggests she may have been tortured before her death. As Scarpetta investigates, she uncovers a trail of abuse that leads to some of Virginia's most powerful families.
Published: 2004
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Predator
At the National Forensic Academy in Florida, Kay Scarpetta encounters a case that will test everything she knows. A woman has been found murdered in a bizarre tableau, her death staged with theatrical precision. The killer has left no useful evidence—except for a message.
Meanwhile, a dangerous psychopath is being held at a nearby psychiatric hospital, and Lucy Farinelli has become dangerously obsessed with him. As Scarpetta races to solve the murder, she must also save her niece from destruction.
Published: 2005
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Book of the Dead
Kay Scarpetta has established a new life in Charleston, South Carolina, running a private forensic pathology practice. But when a young tennis star is found murdered in her home, Scarpetta is drawn into a case that connects to crimes in other cities.
A killer is stalking victims across the country, leaving behind calling cards that taunt the investigators. With Benton Wesley, Lucy, and investigator Pete Marino, Scarpetta must piece together a pattern that reveals a terrifying truth.
Published: 2007
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Scarpetta
Kay Scarpetta has accepted a position in New York City as a forensic pathologist, working with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. When a woman is found murdered in Central Park, the case has disturbing connections to an old psychiatric patient and a series of threatening emails.
The investigation grows more complex as Scarpetta realizes someone is stalking her, documenting her every move. With Benton and Lucy, she must uncover a conspiracy that threatens not just her life, but her sanity.
Published: 2008
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The Scarpetta Factor
Kay Scarpetta is now a CNN contributor, bringing forensic expertise to a national audience. But her public profile makes her a target when a seemingly accidental death leads to disturbing revelations about a powerful criminal network.
From New York to London, Scarpetta follows a trail of corruption and violence that connects to her own past. Someone wants to destroy everything she has built, and they are willing to kill anyone who gets in the way.
Published: 2009
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Port Mortuary
Kay Scarpetta has been appointed Chief of the new Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts. But her first case back in the field is unlike anything she has encountered: a young man found dead outside her own building, with no apparent cause of death.
As Scarpetta investigates, she uncovers a military conspiracy involving experimental technology and classified weapons. The truth will force her to question everything she thought she knew about science and death.
Published: 2010
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Red Mist
Kay Scarpetta travels to Georgia to interview a convicted killer on death row. The woman is connected to a murder case from Scarpetta's past, and she claims to have information that could exonerate herself and implicate others.
As Scarpetta digs into the old case, she discovers a web of lies, corruption, and biological terrorism. The truth behind a family massacre may be far more terrifying than anyone imagined.
Published: 2011
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The Bone Bed
A paleontologist has vanished from a dinosaur dig in Canada, and Kay Scarpetta is asked to examine remains that may belong to her. But the investigation leads to Massachusetts, where a body has washed up with disturbing similarities.
Someone is killing again, and the evidence suggests connections to a powerful criminal enterprise. As threats mount against Scarpetta and her family, she must race to stop a killer before it's too late.
Published: 2012
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Dust
A body is discovered on the MIT campus, and Kay Scarpetta is called to investigate what appears to be a serial killing. The victim's wounds are precise, almost surgical, and the killer has left behind a signature that connects to other unsolved murders.
As a massive storm approaches Cambridge, Scarpetta must work against time to identify the killer. But the investigation hits too close to home when evidence points to someone within her own circle.
Published: 2013
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Flesh and Blood
Kay Scarpetta witnesses a high school student's murder from her Cambridge home—shot by an unseen sniper with incredible precision. The crime seems random, but Scarpetta knows that nothing is ever as simple as it appears.
A killer is targeting victims across the Eastern seaboard, using advanced weaponry and leaving behind copper pennies. As Scarpetta hunts this skilled assassin, she realizes the shooter may be hunting her as well.
Published: 2014
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Depraved Heart
Kay Scarpetta is working a suspicious death scene in Cambridge when she receives a link to a video that shakes her to her core. The footage shows events from two decades ago—events that suggest her niece Lucy may have committed murder.
As Scarpetta processes the shocking evidence, she realizes someone is manipulating events from the shadows. The conspiracy runs deep, involving powerful figures and dark secrets that could destroy everyone Scarpetta loves.
Published: 2015
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Chaos
On a hot September day in Cambridge, a young woman is found dead, electrocuted in bizarre circumstances. Kay Scarpetta investigates what appears to be a freak accident, but the evidence suggests something far more sinister.
A killer is using cutting-edge technology to commit untraceable murders, and Scarpetta herself may be the ultimate target. As chaos erupts around her, she must stop a brilliant psychopath before he strikes again.
Published: 2016
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Autopsy
Kay Scarpetta has returned to Virginia as Chief Medical Examiner, but the world has changed in her absence. A young woman has been found murdered, and the crime scene suggests a killer of extraordinary sophistication.
Meanwhile, two scientists have gone missing from a secret government lab, and a cargo ship has been discovered in Virginia's waters with everyone aboard dead. As these cases converge, Scarpetta realizes she's facing a threat unlike any before.
Published: 2021
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Livid
Kay Scarpetta is summoned to a patrician Virginia estate where a philanthropist has been found dead during a thunderstorm. The cause of death is unclear, and the victim's powerful family is demanding answers.
As Scarpetta investigates, she uncovers dark secrets about the victim's past and discovers connections to a serial killer who has been operating for years. The case becomes personal when evidence links to Scarpetta's own life.
Published: 2022
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Unnatural Death
Kay Scarpetta is at the scene of a catastrophic train derailment when she discovers evidence of a shocking crime. Among the victims is someone who shouldn't have been on the train—and who was already dead before the crash.
The investigation leads Scarpetta into a world of privilege and corruption, where powerful people will do anything to protect their secrets. With old enemies resurfacing, Scarpetta must navigate deadly waters.
Published: 2023
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Identity Unknown
A body has been discovered in Virginia with no identification and no apparent cause of death. Kay Scarpetta must use all her forensic expertise to uncover who this person was and how they died.
The investigation takes unexpected turns as Scarpetta realizes the victim may be connected to a case from her past. With enemies closing in, she must solve the mystery before becoming a victim herself.
Published: 2024
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Sharp Force
Kay Scarpetta faces her most challenging case yet when a series of brutal killings rocks Virginia. The victims have been killed with surgical precision, and the evidence points to a killer with intimate knowledge of forensic science.
As Scarpetta races to identify the murderer, she discovers disturbing connections to her own past. The killer knows her secrets—and is determined to make her the final victim.
Published: 2025
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