Patricia Cornwell’s latest novel, Autopsy, is another in the series of Kay Scarpetta tales. Scarpetta is newly-hired Medical Examiner for Alexandria, Virginia, and also consults in matters of national security at the highest levels, and there may be links between multiple investigations. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll enjoy seeing Scarpetta, her profiler husband Benton, her sidekick ex-cop Pete Marino, and her brilliant and troubled crime-fighting niece, Lucy. As often is the case in Scarpetta stories, there are multiple potential bad guys and some red herrings thrown in with clues. As always, there is beautifully precise description of autopsies, an atmosphere of danger and dread, secrecy, and the intense but tightly-controlled feelings between Kay, Marino, Lucy, and Benton. The ending didn’t knock me out, but I enjoyed revisiting those characters so well-established in fans’ minds that they conjure easily without need for a lot of background. Kirkus Reviews doesn’t give Autopsy a great review, but they usually don’t for Cornwell’s books:
