Kay Scarpetta Reading Order (Patricia Cornwell)

Patricia Cornwell practically invented the modern forensic thriller with medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta. With the Prime Video adaptation drawing new readers, here is how to tackle the long-running series.

Read in publication order

With nearly 30 books, Scarpetta’s personal life — her relationships, her niece Lucy, investigator Pete Marino — develops continuously, so publication order is essential. Start at the beginning:

1. Postmortem (1990)
2. Body of Evidence (1991)
3. All That Remains (1992)
4. Cruel and Unusual (1993)
5. The Body Farm (1994)

…and on through the series to the most recent entries.

Where to start

Start with Postmortem. It won an unprecedented sweep of crime-writing awards on release and establishes Scarpetta’s world. The early-to-mid run (books 1-8) is widely considered the strongest.

The TV connection

For more on the screen version and how it compares, see our Scarpetta TV adaptation guide.

If you love forensic thrillers

Try our roundup of the best procedural thriller authors for your next case.