Patricia Cornwell
Postmortem (1990)
Author: Patricia Cornwell
Genre: Mystery/Thriller (Forensic Medicine)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Kay Scarpetta is the fortyish Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. She is called out in the middle of the night to investigate yet another murder of a woman who was bound, raped and then strangled to death. Using her medical examiner’s skills, Kay seeks clues and links between the victims. Plenty of red herrings are tossed out, including the husband of one of the victims, and Kay’s own boyfriend, Bill, who is an attorney for the State. A seemingly minor clue of a strange, sweet odor present when a victim was first discovered is the break that Kay needed. People with a rare metabolic disease called Maple Syrup Urine Disorder frequently secrete a maple-syrup like odor in their sweat. SPOILER: Kay leaks to the press that the killer suffers from a metabolic disorder which causes them to be slow and confused. She also figures out that the only thing the victims had in common is their pleasant speaking voices and that they had called 911 in the weeks prior to their murder. The news leak angers the killer who thinks he is smarter than everyone and he comes after Kay. He turns out to be a 911 dispatcher.
Geographical Setting: Richmond, Virginia
Time Period: 1990
Series: First in the Doctor Kay Scarpetta series (Thirteen books as of 2004)
Appeal Characteristics:
The chief appeal of the Kay Scarpetta books lie in the detailed description of forensic medicine as it is used for solving crimes. Fans of the CSI television show will like these books. That being said, the technology in this book is somewhat laughably dated – for example, DNA testing is a new, unproven science, and a great deal of time is spent describing networked computers and modems. One presumes that the technology will improve as the series progresses through time. Another appeal is the graphicness and brutality of the crimes, which may appeal to fans of True Crime. As with most series, the primary characters are well developed but the secondary characters are usually little more than well-recognized stereotypes. The tone is dark and grim, as befits the subject of serial rape and murder, and the fact that much of the action takes place at night only lends to the dark feel of the book. It is fast-paced and a quick read with cliffhangers at the end of each chapter.
Similar Authors: Tess Gerritson, Robert W. Walker, James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club series), Ann Rule.
Red Flags: Graphic descriptions of violence, murder and autopsies. Not for the squeamish.
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