2026 Reading Challenge

Kay Scarpetta Series

29 primary works • 45 total works
Dr. Kay Scarpetta is best known as the beautiful blonde Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia at Richmond. She is also known as one of the top forensic pathologists in the country. Along the way, the series also features FBI profiler Benton Wesley, Kay’s genius niece Lucy Farinelli, and the unhealthy and balding homicide detective…

Book 1

Postmortem
by
4.03 · 255395 Ratings · 4730 Reviews · published 1990 · 20 editions
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia…

Shelve Postmortem

    • Rate it:

    Book 2

    Body of Evidence
    by
    4.04     · 85158 Ratings · 1905 Reviews · published 1991 · 213 editions
    After months of menacing phone calls and feeling t…

    Shelve Body of Evidence

    • Rate it:

    Book 3

    All That Remains
    by
    4.07     · 76211 Ratings · 1563 Reviews · published 1992 · 8 editions
    In Richmond, Virginia, young lovers are dying. So …

    Shelve All That Remains

    • Rate it:

    Book 4

    Cruel & Unusual
    by
    4.13     · 115032 Ratings · 1406 Reviews · published 1993 · 11 editions
    An earlier cover edition for this ISBN can be foun…

    Shelve Cruel & Unusual

    • Rate it:

    Book 5

    The Body Farm
    by
    4.07     · 80277 Ratings · 1780 Reviews · published 1994 · 7 editions
    The Body Farm - a research institute that tests th…

    Shelve The Body Farm

    • Rate it:

    Book 6

    From Potter's Field
    by
    4.06     · 63243 Ratings · 1225 Reviews · published 1995 · 48 editions
    Christmas has never been a particularly good time …

    Shelve From Potter's Field

    • Rate it:

    Book 7

    Cause of Death
    by
    3.95     · 55491 Ratings · 1245 Reviews · published 1996 · 153 editions
    It is New Year's Eve, the last day of Virginia's b…

    Shelve Cause of Death

    • Rate it:

    Book 8

    Unnatural Exposure
    by
    4.07     · 63773 Ratings · 1083 Reviews · published 1997 · 178 editions
    See alternate cover edition here

    Virginia Medical E…

    Shelve Unnatural Exposure

    • Rate it:

    Book 9

    Point of Origin
    by
    4.05     · 67682 Ratings · 1040 Reviews · published 1998 · 8 editions
    A farmhouse destroyed by fire
    A body amongst the ru…

    Shelve Point of Origin

    • Rate it:

    Book 9.5

    Scarpetta's Winter Table
    by
    3.55     · 2743 Ratings · 110 Reviews · published 1998 · 11 editions
    Virginia's chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpett…

    Shelve Scarpetta's Winter Table

    • Rate it:

    Book 10

    Black Notice
    by
    3.93     · 45013 Ratings · 1075 Reviews · published 1999 · 6 editions
    An intriguing Dr Kay Scarpetta novel which will ta…

    Shelve Black Notice

    • Rate it:

    Book 11

    The Last Precinct
    by
    3.91     · 41473 Ratings · 907 Reviews · published 2000 · 142 editions
    Librarian's Note: This is an alternate-cover editi…

    Shelve The Last Precinct

    • Rate it:

    Book 12

    Blow Fly
    by
    3.82     · 45848 Ratings · 1321 Reviews · published 2003 · 5 editions
    In Blow Fly, Kay Scarpetta stands at the threshold…

    Shelve Blow Fly

    • Rate it:

    Book 13

    Trace
    by
    3.83     · 39031 Ratings · 1219 Reviews · published 2004 · 4 editions
    Dr. Kay Scarpetta, now freelancing from South Flor…

    Shelve Trace

    • Rate it:

    Book 14

    Predator
    by
    3.73     · 35668 Ratings · 1347 Reviews · published 2005 · 5 editions
    Scarpetta, now freelancing with the National Foren…

    Shelve Predator

    • Rate it:

    Book 15

    Book of the Dead
    by
    3.71     · 35644 Ratings · 1890 Reviews · published 2007 · 7 editions
    Soon after relocating to Charleston, S.C., to laun…

    Shelve Book of the Dead

    • Rate it:

    Book 16

    Scarpetta
    by
    3.82     · 35866 Ratings · 1879 Reviews · published 2008 · 5 editions
    From America’s #1 bestselling crime writers comes …

    Shelve Scarpetta

    • Rate it:

    Book 17

    The Scarpetta Factor
    by
    3.75     · 28578 Ratings · 1609 Reviews · published 2009 · 3 editions
    It is the week before Christmas and Dr Kay Scarpet…

    Shelve The Scarpetta Factor

    • Rate it:

    Book 18

    Port Mortuary
    by
    3.65     · 27021 Ratings · 1922 Reviews · published 2010 · 4 editions
    Port Mortuary, the title of Patricia Cornwell's ei…

    Shelve Port Mortuary

    • Rate it:

    Book 19

    Red Mist
    by
    3.83     · 29120 Ratings · 2006 Reviews · published 2011 · 2 editions
    The new Kay Scarpetta novel from the world's #1 be…

    Shelve Red Mist

    • Rate it:

    Book 20

    The Bone Bed
    by
    3.76     · 27814 Ratings · 2134 Reviews · published 2012 · 4 editions
    A woman has vanished while digging a dinosaur bone…

    Shelve The Bone Bed

    • Rate it:

    Book 21

    Dust
    by
    3.70     · 24011 Ratings · 1938 Reviews · published 2013 · 6 editions
    Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta…

    Shelve Dust

    • Rate it:

    Book 22

    Flesh and Blood
    by
    3.78     · 23424 Ratings · 1933 Reviews · published 2014 · 99 editions
    It's a sunny morning in Cambridge, Massachusetts, …

    Shelve Flesh and Blood

    • Rate it:

    Book 23

    Depraved Heart
    by
    3.71     · 23356 Ratings · 1981 Reviews · published 2015 · 79 editions
    Dr. Kay Scarpetta is working a highly suspicious d…

    Shelve Depraved Heart

    • Rate it:

    Book 24

    Chaos
    by
    3.68     · 22709 Ratings · 1983 Reviews · published 2016 · 71 editions
    #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Corn…

    Shelve Chaos

    • Rate it:

    Book 25

    Autopsy
    by
    3.84     · 23970 Ratings · 1931 Reviews · published 2021 · 54 editions
    Scarpetta is back! In this twenty-fifth in the ele…

    Shelve Autopsy

    • Rate it:

    Book 26

    Livid
    by
    3.91     · 26131 Ratings · 1652 Reviews · published 2022 · 30 editions
    In this thrilling new installment of Patricia Corn…

    Shelve Livid

    • Rate it:

    Book 27

    Unnatural Death
    by
    3.96     · 20398 Ratings · 1266 Reviews · published 2023 · 30 editions
    In this thrilling new installment of Patricia Corn…

    Shelve Unnatural Death

    • Rate it:

    Book 28

    Identity Unknown
    by
    4.07     · 19880 Ratings · 1099 Reviews · published 2024 · 20 editions
    Autopsies can reveal the secrets of the dead.

    And …

    Shelve Identity Unknown

    • Rate it:

    Book 29

    Sharp Force
    by
    4.15     · 7610 Ratings · 678 Reviews · published 2025 · 3 editions
    A serial killer terrorizes Northern Virginia, his …

    Shelve Sharp Force

    • Rate it:

    Book 1-2

    The First Scarpetta Collection: Postmortem / Body of Evidence
    by
    4.31     · 1065 Ratings · 37 Reviews · published 1995 · 22 editions
    Fans of Patricia Cornwell, the number one megastar…

    Shelve The First Scarpetta Collection: Postmortem / Body of Evidence

    • Rate it:

    Book 1,3

    Postmortem / All That Remains Omnibus
    by
    4.33     · 209 Ratings · 3 Reviews · published 2003 · 1 edition
    POSTMORTEM The first Dr Kay Scarpetta novel which …

    Shelve Postmortem / All That Remains Omnibus

    • Rate it:

    Book 1-3

    Three Complete Novels: Postmortem / Body of Evidence / All That Remains
    by
    4.29     · 661 Ratings · 28 Reviews · published 1997 · 8 editions
    Postmortem introduces Dr. Scarpetta, who knows the…

    Shelve Three Complete Novels: Postmortem / Body of Evidence / All That Remains

    • Rate it:

    Book 1-4

    Kay Scarpetta 1: Postmortem / Memoires Mortes / Et Il Restera Que Poussiere / Une Peine D'Exception
    by
    4.19     · 106 Ratings · 1 Reviews · published 1990 · 2 editions

    Shelve Kay Scarpetta 1: Postmortem / Memoires Mortes / Et Il Restera Que Poussiere / Une Peine D'Exception

    • Rate it:

    Book 2, 4

    Isle of Dogs / Cruel and Unusual / Body of Evidence
    by
    4.18     · 171 Ratings · 5 Reviews · published 2001 · 1 edition
    Three gripping novels from the Queen of Crime. In …

    Shelve Isle of Dogs / Cruel and Unusual / Body of Evidence

    • Rate it:

    Book 3, 4

    The Patricia Cornwell CD Audio Treasury: All That Remains / Cruel & Unusual
    by
    4.17     · 286 Ratings · 6 Reviews · published 1999 · 13 editions
    Two great Patricia Cornwell audio titles for the p…

    Shelve The Patricia Cornwell CD Audio Treasury: All That Remains / Cruel & Unusual

    • Rate it:

    Book 3-5

    Cruel and Unusual / Body of Evidence / All That Remains: Audio Collection
    by
    4.48     · 156 Ratings · 1 Reviews · published 1995 · 2 editions
    Patricia Cornwell reads from three of her finest t…

    Shelve Cruel and Unusual / Body of Evidence / All That Remains: Audio Collection

    • Rate it:

    Book 4, 5

    Une peine d'exception / La séquence des corps
    by
    3.55     · 20 Ratings · 1 edition
    French version omnibus of Cruel & Unusual and The …

    Shelve Une peine d'exception / La séquence des corps

    • Rate it:

    Book 4-6

    A Second Scarpetta Omnibus: Cruel And Unusual / The Body Farm / From Potter's Field
    by
    4.13     · 214 Ratings · 4 Reviews · published 1990 · 2 editions
    Book by Patricia Cornwell

    Shelve A Second Scarpetta Omnibus: Cruel And Unusual / The Body Farm / From Potter's Field

    • Rate it:

    Book 5, 6

    The Body Farm / From Potter's Field
    by
    4.43     · 405 Ratings · 6 Reviews · published 2011 · 1 edition
    This great-value double-pack contains books five a…

    Shelve The Body Farm / From Potter's Field

    • Rate it:

    Book 5-7

    The Body Farm / From Potter's Field / Cause of Death: Three Book Set
    by
    4.23     · 124 Ratings · 2 Reviews · published 2003 · 1 edition
    Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta Three Book Set (…

    Shelve The Body Farm / From Potter's Field / Cause of Death: Three Book Set

    • Rate it:

    Book 5-8

    Kay Scarpetta 2: La Sequence Des Corps / Une Mort Sans Nom / Morts En Eaux Troubles / Mordoc
    by
    4.16     · 44 Ratings · published 2001 · 1 edition

    Shelve Kay Scarpetta 2: La Sequence Des Corps / Une Mort Sans Nom / Morts En Eaux Troubles / Mordoc

    • Rate it:

    Book 7, 8

    Trübe Wasser Sind Kalt / Der Keim Des Verderbens
    by
    3.91     · 34 Ratings · 3 editions

    Shelve Trübe Wasser Sind Kalt / Der Keim Des Verderbens

    • Rate it:

    Book 7, 8, 9, 10, 13

    Cause of Death / Unnatural Exposure / Point of Origin / Black Notice / Trace
    by
    4.46     · 701 Ratings · 15 Reviews · published 2011 · 2 editions
    Patricia Cornwell has won countless awards for her…

    Shelve Cause of Death / Unnatural Exposure / Point of Origin / Black Notice / Trace

    • Rate it:

    Book 7-9

    A Third Scarpetta Omnibus: Cause Of Death / Unnatural Exposure / Point Of Origin
    by
    4.31     · 248 Ratings · 6 Reviews · published 2001 · 2 editions
    CAUSE OF DEATH - New year's Eve & the final murder…

    Shelve A Third Scarpetta Omnibus: Cause Of Death / Unnatural Exposure / Point Of Origin

    • Rate it: