Illustration Example
Almost all
of Patricia Cornwell's novels are in first person and narrated by a
woman named Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Kay is the Chief Medical Examiner of
Virginia, and is a forensic pathologist for the FBI. Other
characters include; Pete Marino, captain of the first precinct
Virginia police and active member in the FBI's Violent Criminal
Apprehension Program, Benton Wesley , criminal profiler for the FBI,
Lucy, Dr. Scarpetta's niece and intern at the FBI academy in
Quantico, Temple Brooks Gault, a sadistic serial killer, and Carrie
Grethen, an accomplice to Gault. All of Corwell's novels are
suspenseful and terrifying in their reality, but I personally have
three favorites: Cruel and Unusual, The Body Farm,
and From Potter's Field.
In
Cruel and Unusual, a man by the name of Ronnie Joe Waddell will
be executed for a murder he did not commit. The woman he supposedly
murdered ten years ago was shot in the back of the head with a. 22
caliber gun. Then pieces of her flesh were cut out and she was
propped against a TV. Ten years later on the day Waddell is
executed, a young boy is found propped against a dumpster, with
pieces of flesh cut from his upper thigh and shoulder. He was also
killed with a .22 caliber gun. When Captain Marino sees the boy
named Eddie Heath, he is reminded of a case he worked ten years
earlier, with the same MO. Benton Wesley is called to determine
whether a copy cat is on the loose or if the wrong man had been
executed earlier that morning. Dr. Scarpetta is also called to do an
autopsy of the boy. She finds small pieces of feathers clinging to
his open wounds. When she sends them to a feather analysis, so
properly named Downy, she discovers they are a very expensive type
of duck down. As police officers search for the origin of these
feathers, Gault kills three more people. All of them were connected
to Waddell in some way. When the investigation seems to be heading
nowhere, Marino gets a call from a strange man. He wants to know if
anyone has found his down jacket he had reported stolen last week.
Marino simply told him no, but wondered why this man had called him
personally and not the local police. Marino becomes very suspicious
of this man and decides to pay him a visit. He only planned on a
routine questioning. He got more than he bargained for. The man was
at his and when he answered the door he immediately slammed in
Marino's face then bolted away. When Marino searched the condo he
found the .22 caliber gun and pieces of flesh that were later
identified as Eddie Heath's. The identified the man living in the
condo as Temple Brooks Gault. He is never captured in this story but
he will kill again.
The
Body Farm starts with the murder of a young girl named Emily
Steiner. On October first she left her church group crying over the
boy she had a crush on. She disappeared later that night from her
house. Her nude body was not found until one week later. The manner
in which Emily was killed was reminiscent of the serial killer
Temple Gault. Benton, Kay, and Marino were called to investigate.
Although the scene was like that of Gault, there was one significant
difference. Her body was not put on display like his other victims
had been. This alarmed Benton because serial killers do not often
change their style. Scarpetta also notices something out of place.
While reviewing pictures of Emily, she sees a distinguished brown
mark on Emily's upper thigh. Emily had already everyday. This
message meant if he had just killed his sister, what could he do to
Kay? Scarpetta realizes the girl they called Jane is really Gault's
sister Jane Gault. Kay goes to visit the parents of the monster she
and the FBI had been chasing for years. She finds out the mother has
been wiring money to someone she thought was her daughter. Returning
back to New York she informs the FBI of when and where the next
payment will be sent. Kay watches surveillance cameras as the FBI
set a trap for Gault. No one can see him though. Scarpetta leaves
her station to see why one of the cameras id blocked. In the
distance she catches a glimpse of Gault. Then he fades into the
darkness awaiting the time when they meet again.
Some of
Patricia Cornwell's other novels include Postmortem, Cause
of Death, Point of Origin, Body of Evidence, and
All That Remains. Once again you become reacquainted with the
characters Dr. Scarpetta works with in solving her crimes. Each book
includes a new crime to be solved and intriguing facts to follow.
Some new characters will come to life but I guarantee each story
will fill you with the terror of its reality. She is a master at her
craft and all of her novels are based on real life occurrences she
witnessed. She gained this first hand knowledge as a computer
analyst for more than six years at the medical examiners office in
Virginia, where she still works as a consultant.
