Patricia Cornwell Body of Evidence

Body of Evidence

Patricia Cornwell

Pocket, May 1999, $7.99

ISBN: 073493915

In Richmond, Virginia, someone brutally slashes to death historical romance writer Beryl Madison in the woman's home. The crime scene evidence points towards the victim knowing her killer, as no forced entry appears. In fact she seems to have let the culprit into her home though she feared an unknown assailant threatened to kill her, which is why she cut short her Key West trip.

State medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta also investigates other seemingly related deaths; that of writer Cary Harper and the suicide of his sister. Meanwhile, the FBI is looking into the activities of Madison's lawyer, though Scarpetta cannot see the link to her case, although she believes there must be one. As she follows the forensic clues in Virginia and Florida, someone threatens to kill Scarpetta. However, the courageous M.E. refuses to back down from uncovering the truth behind the Madison murder and the related deaths of the Harper siblings.

This early Scarpetta thriller is one of the best forensic tales written in the past decade or two, as the heroine works a difficult case with intelligence and aplomb, while the readers obtain deep insight into the working of a medical examiner. The action-packed storyline grips the audience from the moment the culprit slices and dices the writer, and never slows down as Scarpetta and her team seeks clues to identify the killer. Patricia Cornwell, who has written a myriad of terrific thrillers, may have written her best with the powerful entertaining BODY OF EVIDENCE that holds up as a top gun in spite a rash of imitators on TV and literature's.