Autopsy

A Scarpetta Novel

By: Patricia Cornwell

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

New York Times Best Seller

In this relaunch of the electrifying, landmark number one best-selling thriller series, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta hunts those responsible for two wildly divergent and chilling murders.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta has come almost full circle, returning to Virginia, the state where she launched her storied career, as the chief medical examiner. Finding herself the new girl in town once again after being away for many years, she’s inherited both an overbearing secretary and a legacy of neglect and potential corruption.

She and her husband, Benton Wesley, now a forensic psychologist with the US Secret Service, have relocated to Old Town Alexandria, where she’s headquartered five miles from the Pentagon in a post-pandemic world that’s been torn apart by civil and political unrest. After just weeks on the job, she’s called to a scene by railroad tracks - a woman’s body has been shockingly displayed, her throat cut down to the spine - and as Scarpetta begins to follow the trail, it leads unnervingly close to her own historic neighborhood.

At the same time, a catastrophe occurs in a top secret labo­ratory in outer space, endangering at least two scientists aboard. Appointed to the highly classified Doomsday Commission that specializes in sensitive national security cases, Scarpetta is summoned to the White House and tasked with finding out exactly what happened. But even as she remotely works the first potential crime scene in space, an apparent serial killer strikes again very close to home.

This latest novel in the groundbreaking Kay Scarpetta series captivates listeners with the shocking twists, high-wire tension, and forensic detail that Patricia Cornwell is famous for, proving once again why she’s the world’s number one best-selling crime writer.

©2021 Patricia Cornwell (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Scarpetta is back

My only complaint, is that I want another 10 hours of listening. Cornwell is a master, as always, I do hope we get too see this story line continue, here is to health and happiness to the whole crew.

abrupt ending

old fan of author and really enjoyed story line but the ending was so abrupt and disappointing.

I want more

Ms Cornwell when's the next one?
I've been reading Scarpetta novels since forever it seems. In paperback or hardcover and now Audiobook. Can't get enough. This new book does not disappoint.

You know when you finish a book and are totally satisfied that you've just had 1 of your best reads. Autopsy is just that.

Thank you for the science, the mystery, the drama and Benton( oh ya ..)

Welcome back Scarpetta

So glad Kay Scarpetta, Benson, Moreno and Lucy are back. I got a little lost with the space station storyline. It seemed like it was just an added on separate story. But all in all I liked the book. I would like another Scarpetta book maybe on a Pandemic. Please don’t kill off any of the core characters. Narration by Susan Erickson was spot on!

ugh

plodding story, too much repetition, struggled to finish, why didn't she fire her secretary ..

Very disappointed in this story.

I felt like Cornwell got tired of writing the story and just stopped writing. I love this series, but this one was awful imo.

Fresh Plotline!

I was so impressed by the story of the first autopsy in space. A crime scene complicated by zero gravity! We haven’t read THAT before!

Welcome Back, Chief Scarpetta!

I was so looking forward to this book!my only disappointment was the performance/ narrator. I had to set the speed to 1.6 to get a regular cadence.

Lackluster

This was my first Scarpetta novel I'm not sure what I was expecting but I know it was more than what I listened to. I kept waiting for big moments because of the premise but I kept being disappointed. Good performance, though

Welcome back Kay Scarpetta

The story was good, I felt like I was meeting up with old friends.

But the Audible narrator was disappointing. She mispronounced words her pace was too slow and hard to follow. I had the book too so I could read along and get the whole story. I also increased the speed in the app which was helpful but the mispronunciations jarred me right out of the story.

If you liked the older books in the Scarpetta series, you'll probably enjoy Autopsy.