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Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta Book 1) by [Patricia Cornwell]

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Patricia Cornwell

Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Patricia Cornwell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

6,083 ratings

Book 1 of 26: Kay Scarpetta

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Discover the “dazzling…fascinating” (Los Angeles Times) forensic thriller that launched the New York Times bestselling Kay Scarpetta series from #1 bestselling crime writer Patricia Cornwell.

Under cover of night in Richmond, Virginia, a monster strikes, leaving a gruesome trail of stranglings that has paralyzed the city. Medical examiner Kay Scarpetta suspects the worst: a deliberate campaign by a brilliant serial killer whose signature offers precious few clues. With an unerring eye, she calls on the latest advances in forensic research to unmask the madman. But this investigation will test Kay like no other, because it’s being sabotaged from within—and someone wants her dead.

Print length

449 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Scribner
Publication date

November 26, 2009
File size

2585 KB
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Isolation is the cruelest of punishments, and it had never occurred to me that I was something less than human because I wasn’t a man. One of my female classmates eventually quit, another suffered a complete nervous breakdown. Survival was my only hope, success my only revenge.
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The guy’s only advantage in life is he’s big and white, so he makes himself bigger and whiter by carrying a gun and a badge.
Highlighted by 132 Kindle readers
But caffeine, cigarettes and cholesterol, the grim reapers of the common man—God forbid I should give them up.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Newsday Excellent...well-paced, well-written...beautifully done.

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, 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, NC, and now lives and works in Boston. Find out more at PatriciaCornwell.com, at Facebook.com/Patricia.Cornwell, on Twitter: @1pcornwell, and on Instagram: @1pcornwell.

From Publishers Weekly

Cornwell, a former reporter who has worked in a medical examiner's office, sets her first mystery in Richmond, Va. Chief medical officer for the commonwealth of Virginia, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the narrator, dwells on her efforts to identify "Mr. Nobody," the strangler of young women. The doctor devotes days and nights to gathering computer data and forensic clues to the killer, although she's hampered by male officials anxious to prove themselves superior to a woman. Predictably, Scarpetta's toil pays off, but not before the strangler attacks her; a reformed male chauvinist, conveniently nearby, saves her. Although readers may be naturally disposed to admire Scarpetta and find the novel's scientific aspect interesting, they are likely to be put off by her self-aggrandizement and interminable complaints, annoying flaws in an otherwise promising debut.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Publisher

7 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Library Journal

This award-winning novel based on Richmond's real-life "South Side Strangler" case introduced Virginia's chief medical examiner, Kay Scarpetta, and launched Cornwell's career. Narrator Lorelei King generally has a pleasant reading voice and uses good pacing to build suspense. However, this is not a successful merger of book and reader for American ears. Listeners may be confused to hear that Kay wears "cocky" (khaki), for instance, and accenting the second syllable of such words as modem and condom distract the listener from the story. Furthermore, the voices of supporting characters (such as Marino, a "stoopid" New Jersey cop, and Lucy, a fussy Southern child) are stereotypical. Fortunately, an unabridged version of Postmortem is available from several other producers, including Recorded Books (Audio Reviews, LJ 2/15/94). Not recommended.?Juleigh Muirhead Clark, Williamsburg, Va.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Postmortem

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

The Bookcassette® format is a special recording technique developed as a means of condensing the full, unabridged audio text of a book to record it on fewer tapes. In order to listen to these tapes, you will need a cassette player with balance control to adjust left/right speaker output. Special adaptors to allow these tapes to be played on any cassette player are available through the publisher or some US retail electronics stores. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002YPORR6
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; Reprint edition (November 26, 2009)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 26, 2009
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2585 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 449 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #22,295 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #23 in Medical Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #25 in Medical Thrillers (Books)
- #737 in Women Sleuths (Books)

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6,083 ratings

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Patricia Cornwell

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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.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

6,083 global ratings

5 star		66%
4 star		22%
3 star		9%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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A Pretty Good Debut Mystery Novel, At Times A Page Turner

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 20, 2023

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“Postmortem” is a pretty good debut novel authored by Patricia Cornwell. It is a crime mystery novel written and set in 1990s Richmond, Virginia. The protagonist is a female medical examiner. The story is clearly written and makes a good candidate for an audiobook. I read and listened simultaneously. I liked the novel and intend to read another by this author.

There were times the novel seemed to proceed somewhat slowly. However it picked up momentum and by the end I was very interested and it became a page turner. I did not “solve” this mystery as I read it, however some of the storyline was predictable. I still liked the novel.

In that this is a debut mystery novel with a female medical examiner as a protagonist, this novel called to mind “Deja Dead” by Kathy Reichs. I feel these two novels present an interesting opportunity to compare and contrast two debut mystery novels by modern American female authors with some similar story structure. If it matters, I liked both novels approximately the same.

In summary I liked this novel and felt it was definitely above average. I fully intend to read more novels by this author. It is relatively easily followed and as such is a candidate for a good audiobook. Thank You for taking the time to read this review.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 21, 2022

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It’s definitely suspenseful and a nailbitter. The plot twist is nerve-racking but I’d rate it overall an 8/10. Definitely a good-read and would recommend to anyone.

One person found this helpful

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Mary-Marg

Postmortem

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 2, 2022

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I enjoyed the book. I’m looking forward to reading more in the series. The only problem I had was trying to follow all the detailed descriptions of the lab work.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 21, 2022

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Her i’s are always dotted and her t’s crossed!

The killer is never exposed until at least the last quarter of the book. She shows us all the possible suspects and why they’re not viable.

In this story one of the ‘good’ guys turns out to be a really ‘bad’ guy. This book is really a 4.5.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 19, 2022

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Can't tell you the book was boring because it was not. It was long and slow to get into the gist of the story. Maybe it's because as a medical Examiner and a cop the plot had to thicken slowly. It has taken me two months to read this because I just got bored with the writing!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 20, 2022

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This book kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters were so real. The killer so scary. Loved it.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 1, 2022

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My first Scarpetta book, but it won't be the last. Tight suspense and clever plot. The characters are well-rounded and the lead is smart.

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Mike

Post Mortem by Kay Scarpetta

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 13, 2022

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i have enjoyed Kay's other books that she has written. I will suggest that the seller use a photo of the actual book. The front jacket image differs from from the actual product received

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Stephen Clynes

The writing was first class.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 11, 2022

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Okay folks, Stephen is very, very late to the party. Time and time again I overtake a Tesco lorry along the motorway and advertised along the side is their click & collect service with an image of a shopping basket containing some items including a paperback by Patricia Cornwell. I have not read any of her books but her name has been subliminally planted in my brain. So when her books were offered cheap as part of the Kindle Daily Deal, I snapped some of them up!

Postmortem was written in 1990 but don’t let that put you off. Okay, so it features some generic double density IBM compatible diskettes (floppies) and operating a computer from the C: Prompt with typed commands! But back in 1990 that is how things were.

The Kay Scarpetta series now runs to 25 novels and I thought I would start at the beginning. And boy, what a start it was! Oh, the old adage of write about what you know. Patricia Cornwell’s day job is a forensic pathologist, so yes, you’ve guessed it Kay Scarpetta is a female medical examiner in Virginia!

Kay Scarpetta has to help catch the serial killer of 4 women who have nothing in common. Will her forensic pathology skills bring justice to the victims?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Postmortem and simply loved the forensic detail that was explained to the reader. Character development was spot on and this was not just solve the crimes but the daily lives of everyone involved. Postmortem is a fully fleshed novel with lots of interesting content thrown into the mix. Even British readers were included when Patricia writes…

I couldn’t stand it, not tonight. I could be Maggie Thatcher and my mother would persist in treating me like a five-year-old who doesn’t have sense enough to come out of the rain.

… I loved how Kay Scarpetta kept an open mind and considered all forensic possibilities. This made a thrilling read as you wondered if each new discovery would solve the 4 murders.

I thought the writing was first class and I could find nothing wrong with this book. I am glad I took advantage of the cut-price deal and bought other books in this series. Her writing is very similar to books written by Kathy Reich that I have enjoyed in the past.

I found Postmortem an OUTSTANDING 5 star read and look forward to reading other books in this series.

5 people found this helpful

Jim Bowen

An okay read I guess

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 19, 2021

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I read somewhere that the author Karin Slaughter recommended reading this book. Following this advice I've decided to start at the beginning of the Kay Scarpetta series.

I'm not sure it's going to be worth the effort.

In this book, we see the introduction of all the Scarpetta regulars (FBI analyst Benton Wesley, redneck cop Pete Marino, and, in this book, child genius Lucy Farinelli), as Scarpetta investigates a Richmond VA serial killer.

The book is... of its time. Everyone smokes in the offices (including Scarpetta, who berates an uncomfortably described technician about the idea that smokers will soon have to go outside to smoke). The offices are 1980s governmental/industrial concrete (it's set in 1991). The minorities talk different. Gay men are effeminate, lesbians are overly envious of their ex's who have moved on, and cross-dressers are... not fully understood. Oh, and the basis of Scarpetta's holier than thou attitude is there (despite the smoking inside, the assumptions above race, and the dubious views on the LGBT community).

In short, this book IS moderately different to the later books, but not in a wholly positive way.

The one problem is you'll struggle to work out whodunit, as this book is more of a character study of the future Cornwell leads, who are introduced here. The one thing I HAD forgotten was how competent a detective Pete Marino was. He still rednecks, but does investigations well enough for me to wonder why Scarpetta dislikes him so much.

3 people found this helpful

BookishWoo

A step back in time!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 7, 2020

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I 1st read this back in the 90’s and was bowled over by it then! On picking this up again I enjoyed it for different reasons. Firstly because it was like taking a step back in time.

If you are a 1st time reader you have to remember that this was 1st published 29/30 years ago. The forensics, a far cry from what we are used to reading and watching today were true for the time and very well described.

I was also taken aback by the misogynistic undertones from colleagues that Kay Scarpetta has to battle against yet deals with in her stride. Something some of us will remember having to deal with back in the day!

Patricia certainly had me wrapped up in the storyline once more, I loved every page.

She certainly set the standard for female protagonists in this genre. We have a lot to thank her for!

8 people found this helpful

Niall

Not a great start

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 14, 2018

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To be honest, two stars is being a little generous; I have a lot of trouble actually coming up with something I like about this book. It's quite possible that the later books in the series are better, and it's quite possible that the problem here is that this one has dated badly.
Ultimately, however, Scarpetta is not an especially likeable character here and she's basically impotent. I could see exactly which cliché ending was coming from about the first page. That would not be so bad if various plot threads dangled the possibility that I was wrong. But no. Maybe the trope wasn't so common back when this book was written, but now just about every book or TV series with a female lead has done this to death. Like I said, it's aged badly.

6 people found this helpful

T H

Showing its age

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 4, 2022

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As a huge fan of BBC’s Silent Witness, I was on the lookout for novels to read with similar story lines. I was assured (by MIL) that this was it…. So far I’m finding it quite tedious which I put down to the very old fashioned ‘technology’ I’m sure in 1990 this book was groundbreaking but reading it in 2022 means technology in forensic pathology etc…has moved on in leaps and bounds.
However, I will continue to slog on because I’m curious enough to know who did it. I don’t think I’ll get any more in this series.

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