Kay Scarpetta
Encyclopedia
Kay Scarpetta is a fictional character and protagonist in a series of crime
novels written by Patricia Cornwell
. The character is based on former Virginia
Chief Medical Examiner
Marcella Fierro, MD. The series is noted for the use of recent forensic technology in Scarpetta's investigations.
, in 1954. She is of Italian descent on both sides of her family, with the Scarpettas emigrating from Verona, Italy. She is blonde, and a sharp dresser, although always professional. As a young girl, she watched her father die slowly from leukemia
, and the experience remained with her ever since, translating into her everyday work life, where she is surrounded by death. She is a perfectionist, an incredibly hard worker completely immersed in her work. Scarpetta loves to cook, particularly Italian food. She makes everything from scratch, including pasta and bread, and has a beautiful, custom-built restaurant kitchen in her home.
She was married once, to Tony Benedetti; they divorced about 6 years before the beginning of the first novel set in 1986, Postmortem
. Since then she had a serious relationship with Mark James, who died in a bombing in a London Tube
station (in the novel Cruel and Unusual
) and later Benton Wesley, who was supposedly killed in Point of Origin
but later reappeared. In 2007's The Book of the Dead
, Scarpetta and Wesley become engaged. By the beginning of 2008's Scarpetta
, Benton and Kay are married.
In addition to a large custom-built house that includes a restaurant kitchen, a great room
, and a mud room, Scarpetta also drives a new Mercedes
, which she replaces often: in one case, after Lucy wrecks it, and in another after it is involved in the murder of her morgue assistant. (He is not killed in it but near it.) She can't bear to drive it after his death, so she trades it in for a nearly identical car.
In the early novels Scarpetta is the Chief Medical Examiner
for the Commonwealth
of Virginia
and works in Richmond
. She resigns after the events of The Last Precinct
and relocates to Florida to become a private forensic consultant. Scarpetta returns to Virginia in Trace
, convincing herself that she was fired from her position, at the request of her replacement, Dr. Joel Marcus. In Predator
, Scarpetta becomes the head of the National Forensic Academy in Hollywood, Florida
, a private institution founded by her wealthy niece Lucy. In The Book of the Dead, Scarpetta has relocated as a freelance forensic examiner/expert to Charleston, South Carolina
. In Scarpetta(2008), she has relocated to Massachusetts
, where she is an M.E.
, but she and Benton also share an apartment in New York City
. In The Scarpetta Factor (2009), she is working full-time and Wesley is working part-time in New York.
The name Scarpetta is a diminutive, meaning "Little Shoe", as revealed in the 2009 novel The Scarpetta Factor. This novel points out that the underlying pun
is similar to the name of Caligula. whose name means "Little Boots" in Latin. The novel features a website named Caligula, which is involved indirectly in the murder of a young woman.
as a precocious 10–year–old, the only child of Kay's sister who is presented as flighty, irresponsible, narcissistic, the last of which is common to Scarpetta. She has a natural aptitude for computer
s and easily learns UNIX
, which she later uses while working for the FBI. She looks to her Aunt Kay for stability and understanding, and although she is frequently sulky in her adolescence, she shapes herself into a very strong woman with Kay's model to follow. She enters the FBI
at 18 (apparently despite the age requirement of 21), but is not well accepted due to her sexual orientation (she is an open lesbian
) and her genius IQ. Lucy has a habit of establishing long-term romantic relationships which last a few books and are then ended with little explanation. For example, Jo is last seen taken home (in The Last Precinct) by her parents following an underground operation that went bad during which Lucy shot her. She also has several one-night stands—even a few with men—and engages in other risky behaviors with firearms and various high-speed vehicles. At one point, she gets drunk and wrecks Kay's new Mercedes-Benz
. She also gets into a firefight between two helicopter
s, using handheld firearms.
Early in her FBI career, Lucy is seduced by Carrie Grethen, a sociopathic coworker who is in cahoots with Temple Gault, a cold-blooded murderer who had crossed Kay's path a few years before. The relationship haunts Lucy and those who are close to her in several books. Lucy becomes a self-made millionaire by the age of 25 by building and selling internet search engines
. She invests some of her earnings in her own private investigating firm, The Last Precinct, located in NYC, and later in a forensic training center, The National Forensic Academy, in Hollywood, Florida, which employs her Aunt Kay and Pete Marino. She has a penchant for buying expensive machines like helicopters
, Ferraris
, and motorcycles
. She also purchases a private jet, for which she earns a private pilot license
.
In Predator, Lucy is diagnosed with a benign brain tumor that alters her physical appearance and seems also to modify her personality. In The Book of the Dead she is undergoing treatment; in later books the disease is not mentioned. In 2007's The Book of the Dead she almost kills Pete Marino when she discovers he has attacked and almost raped her Aunt Kay. In the latest two novels, Scarpetta and The Scarpetta Factor, Lucy is back in New York running her own company again and is in a relationship with the New York DA Jaime Berger.
According to the timeline presented below, Lucy's chronological age does not correspond with the time between the publication of each book. (Other characters' ages are similarly mixed up; e.g., Kay Scarpetta is supposed to be around 40 at the beginning of the series, meaning she is 30 years older than Lucy. However, by the time of the novel Blow Fly
, Lucy is almost 30, while Scarpetta is still 46 rather than a more realistic 60.
. Marino seems to have problems with women through the whole Scarpetta series stemming from a prior marriage which resulted in a son who dabbles in criminal activity. Throughout the series Marino plays a great part in the upbringing of Lucy, although it seems that he has issues with her sexuality.
Pete Marino grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey
.
In Book of the Dead, Marino's not so secret crush on Scarpetta comes to a head. He reacts badly to news of Scarpetta's engagement to Benton Wesley, and after getting drunk and under the influence of a testosterone drug, he attacks Kay and almost rapes her. His actions lead to a confrontation with Lucy and her almost shooting him, after which Marino disappears. It is unknown if he has killed himself or just runs away as the book ends. Marino reappears in Scarpetta.
. He and Scarpetta work together on many cases, at first on a strictly professional level. As their relationship progresses, they end up having an affair, which goes on for years. Once Benton is no longer with his wife he wishes to marry Kay, but she resists because she is too independent. In Point of Origin Benton disappears; a body is found at the scene of a fire, badly burned and showing signs of having been tortured extensively. Kay identifies the body as Benton's by the Breitling
watch she had given him. In Blow Fly it is later revealed that he is not dead, but had been hiding for years in a witness protection program. In Book of the Dead Kay and Benton become engaged; they are married by the beginning of Scarpetta. In the early books Benton is described as the unit chief of the FBI profilers with a master's degree
in psychology, working out of Quantico
. In Point of Origin he has supposedly retired from the FBI and is working as a private consultant, though in The Scarpetta Factor it is implied that he was still under the FBI's control and was forced into the witness program, then into a retirement that he still resents. In the books following his return, he is a forensic psychologist on staff at McLean
in Massachusetts, then also at Bellevue
in NYC, while still consulting for the FBI.
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
novels written by Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell is a contemporary American crime writer. She is widely known for writing a popular series of novels featuring the heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner.-Early life:...
. The character is based on former Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
Chief Medical Examiner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
Marcella Fierro, MD. The series is noted for the use of recent forensic technology in Scarpetta's investigations.
Fictional character biography
Dr. Kay Scarpetta was born in Miami, FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, in 1954. She is of Italian descent on both sides of her family, with the Scarpettas emigrating from Verona, Italy. She is blonde, and a sharp dresser, although always professional. As a young girl, she watched her father die slowly from leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
, and the experience remained with her ever since, translating into her everyday work life, where she is surrounded by death. She is a perfectionist, an incredibly hard worker completely immersed in her work. Scarpetta loves to cook, particularly Italian food. She makes everything from scratch, including pasta and bread, and has a beautiful, custom-built restaurant kitchen in her home.
She was married once, to Tony Benedetti; they divorced about 6 years before the beginning of the first novel set in 1986, Postmortem
Postmortem (novel)
Postmortem is a crime fiction novel by author Patricia Cornwell. The first book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series, it received the 1991 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.-Plot summary:The novel opens as Dr...
. Since then she had a serious relationship with Mark James, who died in a bombing in a London Tube
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
station (in the novel Cruel and Unusual
Cruel and Unusual (novel)
Cruel and Unusual is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the fourth book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta is called in to autopsy the body of convicted murderer Ronnie Waddell after his execution...
) and later Benton Wesley, who was supposedly killed in Point of Origin
Point of Origin (novel)
Point of Origin is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the ninth book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:Dr Kay Scarpetta, Virginia Chief Medical Examiner and consulting pathologist for the federal law enforcement agency ATF, is called out to a farmhouse in Virginia that...
but later reappeared. In 2007's The Book of the Dead
Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell is a contemporary American crime writer. She is widely known for writing a popular series of novels featuring the heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner.-Early life:...
, Scarpetta and Wesley become engaged. By the beginning of 2008's Scarpetta
Scarpetta (novel)
Scarpetta is a novel by Patricia Cornwell. It was published in 2008 by Putnam. The book is a continuation of Cornwell's popular Kay Scarpetta series.-Synopsis:Dr. Kay Scarpetta is called in to examine a Bellevue Hospital patient in New York City...
, Benton and Kay are married.
In addition to a large custom-built house that includes a restaurant kitchen, a great room
Great room
thumb|A great roomThe term great room denotes a room space within an abode which combines the specific functions of several of the more traditional room spaces into a singular unified space...
, and a mud room, Scarpetta also drives a new Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, which she replaces often: in one case, after Lucy wrecks it, and in another after it is involved in the murder of her morgue assistant. (He is not killed in it but near it.) She can't bear to drive it after his death, so she trades it in for a nearly identical car.
In the early novels Scarpetta is the Chief Medical Examiner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
for the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and works in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. She resigns after the events of The Last Precinct
The Last Precinct (novel)
The Last Precinct is a crime novel by American author Patricia Cornwell, the eleventh in her Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:Following the death of Diane Bray and an apparent attack on Kay Scarpetta by Jean-Baptiste Chandonne in her own house at the end of Black Notice, The Last Precinct...
and relocates to Florida to become a private forensic consultant. Scarpetta returns to Virginia in Trace
Trace (novel)
Trace is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell.-Plot introduction:Trace is the thirteenth book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series by author Patricia Cornwell.-Plot summary:...
, convincing herself that she was fired from her position, at the request of her replacement, Dr. Joel Marcus. In Predator
Predator (novel)
Predator is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell.-Plot introduction:Predator is the fourteenth book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series by author Patricia Cornwell.-Explanation of the novel's title:...
, Scarpetta becomes the head of the National Forensic Academy in Hollywood, Florida
Hollywood, Florida
-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...
, a private institution founded by her wealthy niece Lucy. In The Book of the Dead, Scarpetta has relocated as a freelance forensic examiner/expert to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. In Scarpetta(2008), she has relocated to Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where she is an M.E.
Medical examiner
A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
, but she and Benton also share an apartment in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In The Scarpetta Factor (2009), she is working full-time and Wesley is working part-time in New York.
The name Scarpetta is a diminutive, meaning "Little Shoe", as revealed in the 2009 novel The Scarpetta Factor. This novel points out that the underlying pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
is similar to the name of Caligula. whose name means "Little Boots" in Latin. The novel features a website named Caligula, which is involved indirectly in the murder of a young woman.
Lucy Farinelli
Lucy is first introduced in PostmortemPostmortem (novel)
Postmortem is a crime fiction novel by author Patricia Cornwell. The first book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series, it received the 1991 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.-Plot summary:The novel opens as Dr...
as a precocious 10–year–old, the only child of Kay's sister who is presented as flighty, irresponsible, narcissistic, the last of which is common to Scarpetta. She has a natural aptitude for computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s and easily learns UNIX
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
, which she later uses while working for the FBI. She looks to her Aunt Kay for stability and understanding, and although she is frequently sulky in her adolescence, she shapes herself into a very strong woman with Kay's model to follow. She enters the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
at 18 (apparently despite the age requirement of 21), but is not well accepted due to her sexual orientation (she is an open lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
) and her genius IQ. Lucy has a habit of establishing long-term romantic relationships which last a few books and are then ended with little explanation. For example, Jo is last seen taken home (in The Last Precinct) by her parents following an underground operation that went bad during which Lucy shot her. She also has several one-night stands—even a few with men—and engages in other risky behaviors with firearms and various high-speed vehicles. At one point, she gets drunk and wrecks Kay's new Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
. She also gets into a firefight between two helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s, using handheld firearms.
Early in her FBI career, Lucy is seduced by Carrie Grethen, a sociopathic coworker who is in cahoots with Temple Gault, a cold-blooded murderer who had crossed Kay's path a few years before. The relationship haunts Lucy and those who are close to her in several books. Lucy becomes a self-made millionaire by the age of 25 by building and selling internet search engines
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
. She invests some of her earnings in her own private investigating firm, The Last Precinct, located in NYC, and later in a forensic training center, The National Forensic Academy, in Hollywood, Florida, which employs her Aunt Kay and Pete Marino. She has a penchant for buying expensive machines like helicopters
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
, Ferraris
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
, and motorcycles
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
. She also purchases a private jet, for which she earns a private pilot license
Private Pilot License
A Private Pilot License or, in the United States of America, a Private Pilot Certificate, is a license that permits the holder to act as the pilot of an aircraft privately . The requirements to obtain the license are determined by the International Civil Aviation Authority , but the actual...
.
In Predator, Lucy is diagnosed with a benign brain tumor that alters her physical appearance and seems also to modify her personality. In The Book of the Dead she is undergoing treatment; in later books the disease is not mentioned. In 2007's The Book of the Dead she almost kills Pete Marino when she discovers he has attacked and almost raped her Aunt Kay. In the latest two novels, Scarpetta and The Scarpetta Factor, Lucy is back in New York running her own company again and is in a relationship with the New York DA Jaime Berger.
According to the timeline presented below, Lucy's chronological age does not correspond with the time between the publication of each book. (Other characters' ages are similarly mixed up; e.g., Kay Scarpetta is supposed to be around 40 at the beginning of the series, meaning she is 30 years older than Lucy. However, by the time of the novel Blow Fly
Blow Fly (novel)
-Plot introduction:Blow Fly is the twelfth book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series by author Patricia Cornwell.-Plot summary:After her resignation as Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner and the horrifying events which threatened her life in The Last Precinct, Kay Scarpetta has abandoned her elegant home...
, Lucy is almost 30, while Scarpetta is still 46 rather than a more realistic 60.
| Book | Year | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Postmortem | 1990 | 10 |
| All That Remains | 1992 | 16 |
| Cruel & Unusual | 1993 | 17 |
| The Body Farm | 1994 | 21 |
| From Potter's Field | 1995 | 21 |
| Cause of Death | 1996 | 23 |
| The Last Precinct | 2000 | 28 |
| Blow Fly | 2003 | 30 |
Pete Marino
In the earlier books of the series, Pete Marino worked as a homicide detective for the Richmond police department, eventually rising to the rank of Captain. Physically, Pete is big (to the point of corpulence) and balding. His high blood pressure, heavy smoking, and borderline alcoholism trouble Dr. Scarpetta, who worries about his long-term health. Marino is an excellent detective and has worked well for many years with Dr. Scarpetta, eventually joining her at the National Forensic Academy after retiring from the police force in PredatorPredator (novel)
Predator is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell.-Plot introduction:Predator is the fourteenth book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series by author Patricia Cornwell.-Explanation of the novel's title:...
. Marino seems to have problems with women through the whole Scarpetta series stemming from a prior marriage which resulted in a son who dabbles in criminal activity. Throughout the series Marino plays a great part in the upbringing of Lucy, although it seems that he has issues with her sexuality.
Pete Marino grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
.
In Book of the Dead, Marino's not so secret crush on Scarpetta comes to a head. He reacts badly to news of Scarpetta's engagement to Benton Wesley, and after getting drunk and under the influence of a testosterone drug, he attacks Kay and almost rapes her. His actions lead to a confrontation with Lucy and her almost shooting him, after which Marino disappears. It is unknown if he has killed himself or just runs away as the book ends. Marino reappears in Scarpetta.
Benton Wesley
Benton is an FBI profilerOffender profiling
Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is a behavioral and investigative tool that is intended to help investigators to profile unknown criminal subjects or offenders. Offender profiling is also known as criminal profiling, criminal personality profiling, criminological profiling,...
. He and Scarpetta work together on many cases, at first on a strictly professional level. As their relationship progresses, they end up having an affair, which goes on for years. Once Benton is no longer with his wife he wishes to marry Kay, but she resists because she is too independent. In Point of Origin Benton disappears; a body is found at the scene of a fire, badly burned and showing signs of having been tortured extensively. Kay identifies the body as Benton's by the Breitling
Breitling
Breitling is a luxury brand of Swiss watches produced by Breitling SA, a private company headquartered in Grenchen, Canton of Solothurn . The company exclusively offered Certified Chronometers in all models since 2000...
watch she had given him. In Blow Fly it is later revealed that he is not dead, but had been hiding for years in a witness protection program. In Book of the Dead Kay and Benton become engaged; they are married by the beginning of Scarpetta. In the early books Benton is described as the unit chief of the FBI profilers with a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in psychology, working out of Quantico
Quantico, Virginia
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there are 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density is . There are 359 housing units at an average density of .-Racial composition:...
. In Point of Origin he has supposedly retired from the FBI and is working as a private consultant, though in The Scarpetta Factor it is implied that he was still under the FBI's control and was forced into the witness program, then into a retirement that he still resents. In the books following his return, he is a forensic psychologist on staff at McLean
McLean Hospital
McLean Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.It is noted for its clinical staff expertise and ground-breaking neuroscience research...
in Massachusetts, then also at Bellevue
Bellevue Hospital Center
Bellevue Hospital Center, most often referred to as "Bellevue", was founded on March 31, 1736 and is the oldest public hospital in the United States. Located on First Avenue in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, Bellevue is famous from many literary, film and television...
in NYC, while still consulting for the FBI.
Novels
- PostmortemPostmortem (novel)Postmortem is a crime fiction novel by author Patricia Cornwell. The first book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series, it received the 1991 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.-Plot summary:The novel opens as Dr...
(1990) - Body of EvidenceBody of Evidence (novel)Body of Evidence is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the second book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner of Virginia, gets involved in the case of a brutal stabbing death in Richmond of romance writer Beryl Madison...
(1991) - All That RemainsAll That Remains (novel)All That Remains is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the third book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:A serial killer is loose in Richmond, specializing in attractive young couples whose bodies are inevitably found in the woods months later—minus their shoes and...
(1992) - Cruel and UnusualCruel and Unusual (novel)Cruel and Unusual is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the fourth book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta is called in to autopsy the body of convicted murderer Ronnie Waddell after his execution...
(1993) - The Body FarmThe Body Farm (novel)The Body Farm is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the fifth book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:Kay Scarpetta is called in to assist in the investigation of the brutal murder of eleven-year-old Emily Steiner in rural North Carolina, whose murder is reminiscent of the...
(1994) - From Potter's FieldFrom Potter's Field (novel)From Potter's Field is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the sixth book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:The story begins as a rotten Christmas for Scarpetta: Temple Gault has struck again, leaving a naked, apparently homeless girl shot in Central Park on Christmas Eve;...
(1995) - Cause of DeathCause of Death (novel)Cause of Death is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the seventh book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:New Year's Eve and the final murder scene of Virginia's bloodiest year takes Scarpetta thirty feet below the Elizabeth River's icy surface. Dr...
(1996) - Unnatural ExposureUnnatural Exposure (novel)Unnatural Exposure is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the eighth book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series. The story is set in Richmond, Virginia and Ireland.-Plot summary:...
(1997) - Point of OriginPoint of Origin (novel)Point of Origin is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the ninth book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:Dr Kay Scarpetta, Virginia Chief Medical Examiner and consulting pathologist for the federal law enforcement agency ATF, is called out to a farmhouse in Virginia that...
(1998) - Black NoticeBlack NoticeBlack Notice is a crime novel by American writer Patricia Cornwell. It is the tenth book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.- Plot summary:Dr. Kay Scarpetta is still shocked by the tragic loss of Benton Wesley...
(1999) - The Last PrecinctThe Last Precinct (novel)The Last Precinct is a crime novel by American author Patricia Cornwell, the eleventh in her Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.-Plot summary:Following the death of Diane Bray and an apparent attack on Kay Scarpetta by Jean-Baptiste Chandonne in her own house at the end of Black Notice, The Last Precinct...
(2000) - Blow FlyBlow Fly (novel)-Plot introduction:Blow Fly is the twelfth book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series by author Patricia Cornwell.-Plot summary:After her resignation as Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner and the horrifying events which threatened her life in The Last Precinct, Kay Scarpetta has abandoned her elegant home...
(2003) - TraceTrace (novel)Trace is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell.-Plot introduction:Trace is the thirteenth book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series by author Patricia Cornwell.-Plot summary:...
(2004) - PredatorPredator (novel)Predator is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell.-Plot introduction:Predator is the fourteenth book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series by author Patricia Cornwell.-Explanation of the novel's title:...
(2005) - Book of the DeadBook of the Dead (novel)Book of the Dead is a 2007 crime novel written by Patricia Cornwell. It is the 15th book in the popular Kay Scarpetta series and the fourth novel consecutively in the series to be written in third-person omniscient style, rather than Cornwell's traditional first-person narrative.- Characters :* Dr...
(2007) - ScarpettaScarpetta (novel)Scarpetta is a novel by Patricia Cornwell. It was published in 2008 by Putnam. The book is a continuation of Cornwell's popular Kay Scarpetta series.-Synopsis:Dr. Kay Scarpetta is called in to examine a Bellevue Hospital patient in New York City...
(2008) - The Scarpetta Factor (2009)
- Port Mortuary(2010)
- Red Mist (2011)