Patricia Cornwell
in order.
The author who invented the modern forensic thriller — follow medical examiner Kay Scarpetta through nearly three decades of cutting-edge crime solving.
Over 120 million copies worldwide
Copies sold
Patricia Cornwell was born in Miami, Florida, in 1956 and began her career as a crime reporter for the Charlotte Observer before spending six years working in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia — first as a technical writer, then as a computer analyst in the morgue. That firsthand experience became the raw material for Postmortem (1990), the debut that introduced chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta and became the first novel ever to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards plus the French Prix du Roman d'Aventure in a single year.
Cornwell is widely credited with launching the forensic-science crime genre that later fueled shows like CSI, and she is famous for hands-on research — training in scuba diving, helicopter piloting, and firearms, and touring autopsy suites and crime labs to keep the science current. Beyond Scarpetta, she has written the Andy Brazil trilogy, the Win Garano novellas, the Captain Chase techno-thrillers, and controversial nonfiction investigating the identity of Jack the Ripper.
Where to start
Start with Postmortem (1990) and read the Kay Scarpetta series in publication order — the books follow a continuous timeline of Scarpetta's career, her relationships with investigator Pete Marino and her niece Lucy, and several multi-book villain arcs (especially the Chandonne storyline in books 10-12), so skipping around spoils major events. If 28 books feels daunting, a popular shortcut is to read Postmortem, then jump to Autopsy (2021), which serves as a soft reboot of the series with a returning-to-Virginia storyline designed to welcome new readers. The Andy Brazil and Win Garano books are separate and can be read anytime.
Kay Scarpetta 28 BOOKS · IN ORDER
The groundbreaking forensic thriller series following Dr. Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner, as she uses autopsy science to catch killers.
01
Postmortem 1990
Scarpetta hunts a serial strangler terrorizing Richmond in the award-sweeping debut that invented the forensic thriller.
Amazon ↗
02
Body of Evidence 1991
A reclusive romance novelist is murdered after begging for police protection, and her missing manuscript holds the key.
Amazon ↗
03
All That Remains 1992
Young couples are vanishing along Virginia's highways, their remains found too decomposed to reveal a cause of death.
Amazon ↗
04
Cruel and Unusual 1993
A killer's fingerprints turn up at a fresh crime scene — days after he was executed; winner of the CWA Gold Dagger.
Amazon ↗
05
The Body Farm 1994
The murder of an 11-year-old girl leads Scarpetta to the famous Tennessee decay-research facility.
Amazon ↗
06
From Potter's Field 1995
Serial killer Temple Gault resurfaces in New York with a Christmas-morning murder aimed straight at Scarpetta.
Amazon ↗
07
Cause of Death 1996
A reporter's suspicious diving death in a restricted naval shipyard pulls Scarpetta into a New Year's Eve conspiracy.
Amazon ↗
08
Unnatural Exposure 1997
A dismemberment case takes a terrifying turn when the victim shows signs of a smallpox-like virus.
Amazon ↗
09
Point of Origin 1998
A deadly fire and an escaped psychopath from Scarpetta's past converge in one of the series' most devastating installments.
Amazon ↗
10
Black Notice 1999
A decomposed body in a cargo container starts the Interpol-spanning Chandonne arc.
Amazon ↗
11
The Last Precinct 2000
Reeling from an attack in her own home, Scarpetta finds herself treated as a suspect rather than an expert.
Amazon ↗
12
Blow Fly 2003
Now working private cases in Florida, Scarpetta is summoned by a death-row killer who claims to have information she needs.
Amazon ↗
13
Trace 2004
Scarpetta returns to Richmond as a consultant on the death of a 14-year-old girl — in the office that fired her.
Amazon ↗
14
Predator 2005
A study of incarcerated psychopaths collides with a string of disappearances in Florida.
Amazon ↗
15
Book of the Dead 2007
Scarpetta opens a private forensic pathology practice in Charleston as a sadistic killer studies her.
Amazon ↗
16
Scarpetta 2008
A patient in a New York psychiatric ward asks for Scarpetta by name — and claims responsibility for a murder.
Amazon ↗
17
The Scarpetta Factor 2009
Working pro bono in New York at Christmas, Scarpetta becomes the target of an unnervingly personal threat.
Amazon ↗
18
Port Mortuary 2010
At Dover Air Force Base, Scarpetta discovers a body that may have been delivered to her morgue still alive.
Amazon ↗
19
Red Mist 2011
A visit to a Georgia women's prison entangles Scarpetta in a series of deaths connected to her own past.
Amazon ↗
20
The Bone Bed 2012
A paleontologist vanishes from a Canadian dinosaur dig, and the trail leads to a body in Boston Harbor.
Amazon ↗
21
Dust 2013
A body dusted with a strange fluorescent residue links to a string of murders the FBI has kept quiet.
Amazon ↗
22
Flesh and Blood 2014
On her birthday, Scarpetta finds pennies polished to a high shine on her wall — the calling card of a sniper.
Amazon ↗
23
Depraved Heart 2015
A film clip of Lucy's college dorm room, sent from Lucy's own phone, drags Scarpetta into a covert investigation.
Amazon ↗
24
Chaos 2016
A cyclist's inexplicable death in Cambridge coincides with taunting messages from an anonymous stalker.
Amazon ↗
25
Autopsy 2021
The series relaunch: Scarpetta returns to Virginia as chief medical examiner and faces a killer — plus a crisis aboard a space lab.
Amazon ↗
26
Livid 2022
Scarpetta serves as an expert witness in a Virginia murder trial when the judge's sister is found dead.
Amazon ↗
27
Unnatural Death 2023
Two bodies in a remote Virginia wilderness draw Scarpetta into a case with unnervingly strange evidence.
Amazon ↗
28
Identity Unknown 2024
Scarpetta must identify a body connected to someone from her own past in the series' latest installment.
Amazon ↗
Andy Brazil 3 BOOKS · IN ORDER
A lighter, satirical trilogy following young police reporter-turned-cop Andy Brazil and police chief Judy Hammer in the Carolinas and Virginia.
01
Hornet's Nest 1997
Volunteer cop and reporter Andy Brazil rides the night shift in Charlotte as a serial killer targets out-of-town businessmen.
Amazon ↗
02
Southern Cross 1999
Hammer and Brazil take over the troubled Richmond police department.
Amazon ↗
03
Isle of Dogs 2001
A tiny Virginia island declares independence in the trilogy's comic finale.
Amazon ↗
Win Garano 2 BOOKS · IN ORDER
Short novels featuring Massachusetts state investigator Win Garano and district attorney Monique Lamont.
01
At Risk 2006
Garano is ordered to solve a decades-old Tennessee cold case using cutting-edge DNA technology.
Amazon ↗
02
The Front 2008
A political assignment to investigate an old blind woman's murder turns out to be a setup.
Amazon ↗
Captain Chase 2 BOOKS · IN ORDER
Techno-thrillers following NASA pilot, quantum physicist, and cybercrime investigator Captain Calli Chase.
01
Quantum 2019
On the eve of a top-secret space mission, Calli Chase investigates a tunnel breach at NASA's Langley Research Center.
Amazon ↗
02
Spin 2020
Chase is thrust into a high-stakes mission involving her missing twin sister and a dangerous new technology.
Amazon ↗
Standalone books by Cornwell 2 BOOKS · BY YEAR
In publication order — read these in any order you like.
01
Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper — Case Closed 2002
Cornwell's controversial nonfiction investigation naming painter Walter Sickert as Jack the Ripper, backed by millions of dollars of her own forensic research.
Amazon ↗
02
Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert 2017
A greatly expanded update of her Ripper case against Sickert, incorporating new DNA and paper-trail evidence.
Amazon ↗
The movies READ IT BEFORE YOU WATCH IT
At Risk 2010
Based on: At Risk
Lifetime TV movie with Daniel Sunjata as Win Garano and Andie MacDowell as Monique Lamont.
The Front 2010
Based on: The Front
Lifetime's follow-up TV movie, reuniting the At Risk cast.
Scarpetta 2026
Based on: Postmortem and the Kay Scarpetta series
Prime Video series starring Nicole Kidman as Kay Scarpetta and Jamie Lee Curtis as her sister Dorothy — the long-awaited first screen Scarpetta.
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct order of the Kay Scarpetta series?
Read the Scarpetta books in publication order, starting with Postmortem (1990) and continuing through Identity Unknown (2024). The series follows one continuous timeline with recurring villains and major life events for Scarpetta, Marino, Benton, and Lucy, so reading out of order spoils key plot developments.
How many Kay Scarpetta books are there?
There are 28 Kay Scarpetta novels as of Identity Unknown (2024). Cornwell took a five-year break from the series after Chaos (2016) and relaunched it with Autopsy in 2021, which also works as a good jumping-on point for new readers.
Do I have to read the Scarpetta books in order?
It is strongly recommended. Unlike many crime series, Scarpetta's personal life and several villain arcs — especially the Chandonne storyline spanning Black Notice, The Last Precinct, and Blow Fly — carry across books. If you want a shortcut, read Postmortem first, then skip ahead to the 2021 relaunch, Autopsy.
Is there a Kay Scarpetta movie or TV show?
Yes — after decades of stalled film attempts, a Scarpetta television series was made for Prime Video starring Nicole Kidman as Kay Scarpetta and Jamie Lee Curtis as her sister Dorothy. It draws on the early novels, beginning with the events of Postmortem.