Autopsy: A Scarpetta Novel

Written by Patricia Cornwell

Narrated by Susan Ericksen

New York Times Bestseller

In this relaunch of the electrifying, landmark #1 bestselling thriller series, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta hunts those responsible for two wildly divergent and chilling murders. 

Forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta has come almost full circle, returning to Virginia, the state where she launched her storied career, as the chief medical examiner. Finding herself the new girl in town once again after being away for many years, she’s inherited both an overbearing secretary and a legacy of neglect and potential corruption.

She and her husband, Benton Wesley, now a forensic psychologist with the U.S. Secret Service, have relocated to Old Town Alexandria, where she’s headquartered five miles from the Pentagon in a post-pandemic world that’s been torn apart by civil and political unrest. After just weeks on the job, she’s called to a scene by railroad tracks—a woman’s body has been shockingly displayed, her throat cut down to the spine—and as Scarpetta begins to follow the trail, it leads unnervingly close to her own historic neighborhood.

 At the same time, a catastrophe occurs in a top secret labo­ratory in outer space, endangering at least two scientists aboard. Appointed to the highly classified Doomsday Commission that specializes in sensitive national security cases, Scarpetta is summoned to the White House and tasked with finding out exactly what happened. But even as she remotely works the first potential crime scene in space, an apparent serial killer strikes again very close to home.

This latest novel in the groundbreaking Kay Scarpetta series captivates readers with the shocking twists, high-wire tension, and forensic detail that Patricia Cornwell is famous for, proving once again why she’s the world’s #1 bestselling crime writer.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Nov 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063112261

Patricia Cornwell

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, Patricia has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper, a biography, and three more fiction series among others. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the forensic technologies that inform her work. She was born in Miami, grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston. 

Reviews for Autopsy

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I always think I'm going to enjoy a Scarpetta novel, but I never really do. Kay Scarpetta lacks warmth. Kay has relocated to Virginia, back to her original stomping grounds to lead the ME department. She is thrust into 2 murders: one in outer space, and one very close to her home in Old Town. Her secretary, Maggie, is still loyal to her former asshole protege, Elvin Reddy. As always, Kay figures out how the crime was committed, leading to the why of it all.

[jnmegan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Patricia Cornwell resurrects the beloved Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her familiar coterie with Autopsy, the 25th book in the series. As the new Chief Medical Examiner in Virginia, Scarpetta is tasked with cleaning up the mess created and abandoned by her predecessor. It will be an uphill climb, given the loyalty and sabotage efforts of her new staff. Luckily, she has Benton, Lucy, and Marino once again at her side. Fans of the series will be happy to revisit Scarpetta in her original stomping grounds. Upon further reading, however, anyone who recalls Cornwell’s fantastic entry into the forensic thriller genre will quickly become disillusioned. In this novel there are several separate storylines that fail to connect, some with serious implausibility. Autopsy starts out at a brisk pace, but then wanders through a dizzying array of tangents that result in a stagnation. Until the end, when the author seems to realize that things need to be tidied up and provides a rushed and unsatisfying ending. Still, even a lackluster Cornwell book ranks higher than many of her peer’s efforts. Hopefully, Dr. Scarpetta’s fanbase remains patient enough to withstand a disappointing addition.Thanks to the author and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

[aardvark2_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read the first several books in the Scarpetta series but abandoned them thereafter due to the pages and pages of gory descriptions Cornwell felt necessary to include. I was happy to find that this was not the case with this book. The book held my interest, however I felt that the reveal of the killer came out of left field.

[twink_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read Patricia Cornwell's first Kay Scarpetta novel back in 1990 and was immediately hooked on the premise, characters and plotting. Fast forward to 2021. The 25th entry in this series, Autopsy, has just released. Now, I must admit, somewhere around the 20th book, I threw the towel on this series. The books seemed mired in extraneous detail and became repetitive. But...this blurb from the publisher had me more than a little curious...."In this relaunch of the electrifying, landmark #1 bestselling thriller series, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta hunts those responsible for two wildly divergent and chilling murders. Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has come almost full circle, returning to Virginia as the chief medical examiner, the state where she launched her storied career." And you know what? I really enjoyed it and am back on board with this series.The same cast of characters is present, Kay, her Secret Service forensic psychologist husband Benton, her niece Lucy and my personal favorite - Pete Marino. The relationship between Kay and Marino was contentious in the beginning of the series, but I'm happy with where Cornwell has taken Marino in this latest. He's a valuable resource instead of being portrayed as a thorn in her side. However there is a new thorn in the side character. Kay has inherited a secretary who is loyal to her old boss and quite resentful of Kay. Kay has the same analytical mind. Cornwell keeps the characters moving forward in real time, with the successes and sadness that living life brings.The 'back to basics' has Kay investigating the death of a young woman found on the railroad tracks. This crime very much reminded me of the earlier books. Political machinations and corruption abounds at a number of levels in this latest, stretching as far as outer space! Kay is called in to examine a remote site. There's yet another thread that I'll let you discover. I chose to listen to this latest. The reader was award winning narrator Susan Ericksen. She has read previous Scarpetta books, so the continuity is nice. Her voice is perfect for the mental image I've created for Scarpetta. Her diction is clear, easy to understand, well enunciated and pleasant. The speed of speaking was a bit slow for me, so I sped things up two notches, using the speed adjuster on my device. She provides different voices for the characters, each easily identifiable. Ericksen conveys the emotions of the characters and the action and suspense of the plot with her voice. A great performance.I did find the ending a bit rushed and a slightly too pat, but I quite enjoyed this 'relaunch' of this series. The door has been left open for number 26 - and I for one will be picking it up.

[cats57_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I haven't read a Kay Scarpetta book in many years, and the feeling I had gotten after reading the review for her last couple of books made me question reading this one. However, I'm glad I did.If you will notice from the Amazon recap and the publishers' website, this is a relaunch of the series. (Quoted from Amazon) "In this relaunch of the electrifying, landmark #1 bestselling thriller series, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta hunts those responsible for two wildly divergent and chilling murders." And I can certainly see why they are calling this book a relaunch. The old Kay is back right along with most of her other beloved characters. It has been 5 years since her last book in this series, and this novel shows that jump quite well. We are still in the middle of the Covid pandemic; though the political parties aren't named, we see the ravages of current politics in this novel.There are enough twists and turns to keep any mystery lover happy, a lot of inner angsting that will make most readers unhappy (although some of the best dialogue comes about in this manner), enough red herrings to keep you on your toes and for the pièce de résistance, we even have an encounter in space that needs Kays special talents!My one problem, and I'm not sure if she had done this in her previous novels, is that Ms. Cornwell gives the ending short shrift. Although this could be considered a mini-cliff hanger, we shall see.I'm already ready for the next book and I am going to go read the entire series even if the tech in some of them is dated!*ARC is supplied by the publisher William Morrow, the author, and NetGalley. Many thanks.