A serial killer is on the loose in Richmond, Virginia. Three women have died, brutalised and strangled in their own bedroom. There is no pattern: the killer appears to strike at random - but always early on Saturday mornings. So when Dr Kay Scarpetta, chief medical officer, is awakened at 2.33 am, she knows the news is bad: there is a fourth victim. And she fears now for those that will follow unless she can dig up new forensic evidence to aid the police. But not everyone is pleased to see a woman in this powerful job. ...
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A serial killer is on the loose in Richmond, Virginia. Three women have died, brutalised and strangled in their own bedroom. There is no pattern: the killer appears to strike at random - but always early on Saturday mornings. So when Dr Kay Scarpetta, chief medical officer, is awakened at 2.33 am, she knows the news is bad: there is a fourth victim. And she fears now for those that will follow unless she can dig up new forensic evidence to aid the police. But not everyone is pleased to see a woman in this powerful job. Someone may even want to ruin her career and reputation ...
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Add this copy of Postmortem to cart. $4.85, very good condition, Sold by Jenhams rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dundee, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1992 by Editions du Masque.
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Very good. All text in French. This book is in stock now, in our UK premises. Photos of our books are available on request (the pictures you see on Alibris are NOT our own).
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New. The first Dr Kay Scarpetta Mystery, which won five international awards when it was first published. Num Pages: 432 pages. BIC Classification: FF. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 128 x 28. Weight in Grams: 298. We ship daily from our Bookshop.
Add this copy of Postmortem: a Kay Scarpetta Novel, Volume 1 to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2010 by Sphere.
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Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Postmortem to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2003 by Abacus Books (Sphere).
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Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Postmortem (Dr Kay Scarpetta) to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2000 by Sphere.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Postmortem: the First in the Ground-Breaking, Globally to cart. $5.39, good condition, Sold by SELL BOOKS LTD rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2010 by Sphere.
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Our good condition books are generally good for reading but not for gifting or collecting. They could have imperfections such as creasing, fanning, inscriptions, margin notes, yellowing, staining on edge or cover or pages, bumps, scuffs, etc etc (sometimes multiple of these). It's a wide category that encompasses anything that isn't almost-new down to anything that is slightly better than poor. We would NOT recommend gifting Good books-these should be considered reading copies. Our books ar.
Add this copy of Post-Mortem (Kay Scarpetta) to cart. $5.39, fair condition, Sold by SELL BOOKS LTD rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1991 by Time Warner Paperbacks.
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Fair. Water damage to book. Please see the condition note after this for details, if this is missing please consider Acceptable to mean poor quality that could include major staining, water damage, writing, missing dustjacket, etc etc. Our books are dispatched from a Yorkshire former cotton mill. We list via barcode/ISBN so please note that the images are stock images and may not be the exact copy you receive, furthermore the details about edition and year might not be accurate as many publishers.
Add this copy of Postmortem (Dr Kay Scarpetta) to cart. $6.64, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2000 by Time Warner Paperbacks.
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Very good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Postmortem: a Kay Scarpetta Novel, Volume 1 to cart. $6.65, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2010 by Sphere.
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Very good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Postmortem to cart. $6.67, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1992 by Time Warner Paperbacks.
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Very good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
I am a bookworm I guess you could say. Patricia Cornwell writes books that keep you guessing, and interested. I can usually sit and read one in one sitting. I work in the medical field and these books are right down my alley. I have all of her books in this series and hope there are more to come.
Ktkeith
Mar 12, 2009
OK "Non-procedural"
An interesting book with some compelling figures, but it fits somewhat strangely into the genre.
The main character is Kate Scarpetta, the Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Virginia (think "Quincy"). A driven, brilliant MD/JD, she coordinates with the crude, slovenly, but surprisingly smart local homicide detective and the slick, icy FBI agent who always seems to get involved in her cases, to untangle complicated webs of intrigue while juggling a duplicitous ex-lover, a conniving investigative reporter, her 10-year-old computer-whiz niece, her devoted and motherly office assistant . . . you get the picture.
The characters are somewhat clicheic, but still interesting. The cases are complicated enough to be engaging. But still, I was left with a disjointed feeling after reading several volumes in the series.
First of all, though Scarpetta is a forensic pathologist, she spends almost no time in the lab, and the cases hinge only minimally on the technicalities of forensic science. So if you're wanting a modern techno-procedural, these don't seem to be the books for you. Second, she spends large amounts of time driving around interviewing witnesses, retrieving documents, cajoling reluctant hermits to part with their secrets, and, inevitably, getting into gunfights. Needless to say, this is nothing like what medical examiners actually do - but that raises the question why Scarpetta needs to be an ME, since her actual job seems to have so little to do with the plots of the stories. (She could more convincingly be just a regular detective, with the forensic stuff - as little as it is - provided by a supporting character as necessary.) The technical details of the books, involving both medical science and computers, are often self-consciously displayed but slightly incorrect, which jars. And, finally, the complicated plots are often resolved in a somewhat perfunctory manner, which again jars after so much effort is spent assembling the clues.
The strength of this series is in its characterizations, not its plotting nor, surprisingly, the technical details it appears to emphasize. Readers can decide for themselves whether the cast - each of whom can be annoying in their own way - is enticing enough to follow for long. A strong female protagonist given to commenting on the politics of women in the professions and police work provides an interesting point of view; the books are otherwise straightforward potboilers.
"Postmortem" - the first volume in the series - focuses on a serial killer who preys on single women but leaves almost no clues. (It is loosely based on Virginia's real-life "South Side Strangler" case.) It effectively introduces the recurring characters in the series, but then sacrifices the detection angle for a dramatic plot when the killer begins stalking the ME herself. In the end, it's a good book of its type, but not much different from many others.
