A warm hello to all the book lovers in this community. I’m delighted to be here today to share a post with you, which I hope you’ll enjoy. As I’ve always loved fiction, mystery and suspense novels, I’ve brought you a novel by the wonderful author Patricia Cornwell, Post Mortem.
Post Mortem, by Patricia Daniels Cornwell, is a fictional crime novel that combines the immediacy of the present with the historical perspective of the past, facilitating the development of the mystery within the plot, the evolution of the characters and the reconstruction of events. It begins with the brutal murder of three women. One by one, they were stalked, strangled, raped and suffocated. The killer, although he usually commits the crimes in the early hours of Saturday mornings, leaves no trace whatsoever.
The novel centres on the character of Dr Kay Scarpetta, recounting her life and career. Kay Scarpetta works as a forensic pathologist and is the head of the Department of Forensic Medicine in Richmond, Virginia. Scarpetta lives with her ten-year-old niece Lucy, who is a computer whizz and will later prove to be a great support to her aunt. Lucy is a very intelligent girl, fatherless and neglected by her mother, a famous writer, who seems more interested in her fleeting relationships with men and her constant escapades than in her own daughter.
As a forensic pathologist, Dr Scarpetta must gather all the evidence from the various crime scenes; to get to the bottom of the case, she seeks the help of Sergeant Pete Marino. He is leading the police investigation into the murders that have taken place in the city. She must carry out her work whilst dealing with the wrath of her boss, Dr Alvin Amburguey, and the rude behaviour of her investigative partner, Pete Marino. Dr Scarpetta fears that Marino will hinder the investigation with his clumsiness.
The suspense mounts when Dr Kay Scarpetta receives a call in the early hours of Saturday morning, informing her that there is a fourth victim, and amidst betrayals, intrigues and disloyalties, the investigation continues. Scarpetta suspects Bill Bolts, the state prosecutor; although they have a very close relationship, she knows he is hiding something about the murders. Scarpetta is so focused on solving the cases that she has no time to spend with her niece, and this causes a rift between them.
Towards the end of this fast-paced story, the clues they have uncovered begin to make sense, but Scarpetta’s life is in danger because they know the killer is out to kill her. The killer breaks into Scarpetta’s house at night, just as she is about to go to bed, but Marino catches him and shoots him, managing to kill the serial rapist, who was a young man who chose his victims through calls to the 911 emergency service, as that was where he worked.
I hope you enjoyed this novel as much as I did and that it encourages you to explore Patricia Cornwell’s great works. I therefore recommend reading ‘Post Mortem’.
