The nineteenth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.

'America's most chilling writer of crime fiction' The Times

Kay Scarpetta has arranged to meet an inmate at the high-security Georgia Prison for Women. The prisoner is a convicted sex offender and the mother of a vicious and diabolically brilliant killer.

Against advice, Scarpetta is determined to hear this woman out - she believes she may hold some answers to the murder of her former deputy. But soon she finds connections to a string of grisly killings.

As she learns more, Scarpetta is compelled to conclude that this is only the beginning of a terrifying terrain of conspiracy on an international scale. And she is the only one who can stop it . . .

Praise for the groundbreaking series:

'One of the best crime writers writing today' Guardian

'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

The 19th Kay Scarpetta thriller is a terrifying portrait of a killer like no other.

About the Author
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 Callie 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.

Reviews
Praise for Patricia Cornwell * - *
One of the best crime writers writing today * Guardian *
Devilishly clever * Sunday Times *
The top gun in this field * Daily Telegraph *
A pioneer of the genre of forensic psychological thriller -- BBC
Cornwell's books run on a cocktail of adrenaline and fear * The Times *
When it comes to forensic sciences, nobody can touch Cornwell * New York Times Book Review *
Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns * Mirror *
A knife-edged thriller based on the exploits of the toughest female pathologist ever to conduct an autopsy...If you like your fiction fast-paced with a scientific twist, Cornwell delivers once again, and if you are new to Scarpetta, you are sure to be hooked by the end of the first chapter * Irish Examiner *
The iconic forensic consultant is as brittle as ever, and the body count is as high as Cornwell fans have come to expect. Cornwell hasn't sold 100 million novels for no good reason * Independent on Sunday *



Book Information
ISBN 9780751543971
Author Patricia Cornwell
Format Paperback
Page Count 512
Imprint Sphere
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 350g
Dimensions(mm) 127mm * 195mm * 32mm