Postmortem - Patricia Cornwell

Recently many of the books Ive been reading are ones Ive had for some time in yet another attempt to clear space on my bookcases (so I can then clear a space on my floor), some I read were as terrible as I remembered while others were actually much better. Postmortem is one of the better ones. Patricia Cornwells charater Dr Kay Scarpetta has become one of the most popular female characters being written today and currently there are 15 books featuring her with this the first being published in 1990, yet despite this it doesnt feel as 'old' as some novels written around the same period. Our first meeting with Scarpetta sees her being called in the ...  Read the complete review

After having read Patricia Cornwell's 'Body of Evidence' and subsequently realising that it was the second book in a series I decided that before continuing with the series it was probably best to read the novel that preceded it. This novel is the one I am now going to review 'Postmortem'. Having read 'Body of Evidence' first I was well aware of how good this series of books had the potential to be but was a little worried that having read the second book first that this one would be ruined for me. I also realised with the reading of 'Body of Evidence' however that all the novels within the series have the ability to stand up on their own and this book ...  Read the complete review

I had never been much of a fan of the crime/thriller genre when it came to novels. Movies yes, novels no, having tried unsuccessfully to get into authors such as P.D. James and Agatha Christie amongst others. It was only because a long train journey presented itself to me that I even considered this novel, there being nothing better in the small newsagents-cum-everything-else shop on the platform. I didnt hold out too much hope, but it had rave reviews and I thought well...what have I got to lose. Good decision as it turns out. Patricia Cornwell is one of the most highly regarded authors in the field of crime fiction writing. Postmortem is her first ...  Read the complete review

Gripping, hard to put down, informative and in some cases heart racing. These are just some of the comments that have been made about this book (and many of the others she has written), but I have to admit I was dubious. I have always been a huge reader, and will try to read most types of books, but each time I picked this one up, I got stuck and found that I lost interest quite quickly. Then one day, having read all the other books in the house, I decided to try again, only this time I was unable to put the thing down! It is the first in a series of novels that Patricia Cornwell has written, about the Chief Medical Examiner in ...  Read the complete review

I first came across Patricia Cornwell while in an airport book shop and decided that the seven hour flight back to ireland needed a book. That time I choose Cause of Death, which is one of her later works. I decided after I had returned home that i would start at the beginning of the series i.e. Postmortem. The book starts with Dr Kay Scarpetta being called out to the murder scene of young female resident, at the local hospital in Richmond, called Lori Peterson. She has been killed in an awful manner, one which is familiar to Dr Scarpetta, for this is the work of a serial killer. The book is excellently written and within the first few pages it has you hooked. ...  Read the complete review