Patricia Cornwell Books In Order – Patricia Cornwell is an American and is best known for writing crime fiction. If you are an avid reader and want to add crime fiction to your library as your next read Patricia Cornwell’s books in order will be a perfect choice.
Patricia Cornwell Books In Order of Publication
Patricia has written a series of novels, including some stand-alone novels. One famous series among them is the Scarpetta series. The stories of this novel deal with individual safety and health, whereas forensic science is the basis of all investigations.
Let’s talk about a few of Patricia Cornwell’s best novels from this series to get a test of her writing.
Publication Order of Kay Scarpetta Books
| Book Title | Year | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Postmortem | (1990) | Buy Now |
| Body of Evidence | (1991) | Buy Now |
| All That Remains | (1992) | Buy Now |
| Cruel and Unusual | (1993) | Buy Now |
| The Body Farm | (1994) | Buy Now |
| From Potter’s Field | (1995) | Buy Now |
| Cause of Death | (1996) | Buy Now |
| Unnatural Exposure | (1997) | Buy Now |
| Point of Origin | (1998) | Buy Now |
| Black Notice | (1999) | Buy Now |
| The Last Precinct | (2000) | Buy Now |
| Blow Fly | (2003) | Buy Now |
| Trace | (2004) | Buy Now |
| Predator | (2005) | Buy Now |
| Book of the Dead | (2007) | Buy Now |
| Scarpetta | (2008) | Buy Now |
| The Scarpetta Factor | (2009) | Buy Now |
| Port Mortuary | (2010) | Buy Now |
| Red Mist | (2011) | Buy Now |
| The Bone Bed | (2012) | Buy Now |
| Dust | (2013) | Buy Now |
| Flesh and Blood | (2014) | Buy Now |
| Depraved Heart | (2015) | Buy Now |
| Chaos | (2016) | Buy Now |
| Autopsy | (2021) | Buy Now |
| Livid | (2022) | Buy Now |
| Unnatural Death | (2023) | Buy Now |
| Identity Unknown | (2024) | Buy Now |
| Sharp Force | (2025) | Buy Now |
Publication Order of Andy Brazil/Judy Hammer Books
| Book Title | Year | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Hornet’s Nest | (1996) | Buy Now |
| Southern Cross | (1998) | Buy Now |
| Isle of Dogs | (2001) | Buy Now |
Publication Order of Captain Chase Books
Publication Order of Winston Garano Books
Publication Order of Picture Books
| Book Title | Year | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Life’s Little Fable | (1999) | Buy Now |
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
| Book Title | Year | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham | (1983) | Buy Now |
| Scarpetta’s Winter Table | (1998) | Buy Now |
| Food to Die For: Secrets From Kay Scarpetta’s Kitchen | (2001) | Buy Now |
| Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper – Case Closed | (2002) | Buy Now |
| Chasing the Ripper | (2014) | Buy Now |
| Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert | (2017) | Buy Now |
| True Crime | (2026) | Buy Now |
Publication Order of Anthologies
| Book Title | Year | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction | (2002) | Buy Now |
Patricia Cornwell Books Summary
Sharp Force (2025)
In the early hours of Christmas morning, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta answers a chilling call—the Phantom Slasher has struck again. For months, the serial killer has terrorized Northern Virginia, stalking victims with sophisticated technology that lets him invade their homes and watch their every move. He makes them wake to a ghost-like hologram before murdering them in their beds. Authorities summon Scarpetta to Mercy Island, home to a notorious psychiatric hospital, where someone has brutalized two people—one from her past. She soon realizes the killer may have marked her as his next target.
Identity Unknown (2024)
Investigators summon Dr. Kay Scarpetta to an abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, and she reels when she discovers the victim is Giordano—a man she once loved intensely. The murder scene shocks her: a crop circle of petals surrounds the body, and Giordano’s skin glows an unnatural red. Lucy, Scarpetta’s niece, insists someone dropped him from an unidentified flying craft. Determined to uncover the truth, Scarpetta begins the autopsy and discovers that her friend deliberately left her a clue. While others debate theories of otherworldly forces or Giordano’s own role, Scarpetta uncovers a far more sinister explanation—one dangerously close to home.
Unnatural Death (2023)
In this thrilling Scarpetta installment, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta ventures into the Northern Virginia wilderness to examine the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement. Something—or someone—has savaged the victims beyond recognition, leaving behind terrifying, baffling evidence, including a massive, larger-than-life footprint. After enduring one of the most harrowing body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta races to uncover who committed such brutal murders—and why.
Postmortem (1990)
Postmortem is the debut novel of the Scarpetta series and received the Edgar Award in 1991. This novel was loosely inspired by Timothy Wilson Spencer. Initially, this award was advised by the Mysterious Press to remove the male central character and expand the Scarpetta character. After that, when it was published, the book was received with open arms by the readers and got many literary awards.
The story in the Postmortem revolves around the gruesome crime of Mr. Nobody. The chief medical officer was called for the investigation of a woman strangling that was the new case of unsolved murders in Richmonds but someone wanted to sabotage the investigation. Dr. Scarpetta’s skilled hands and advanced knowledge in forensic science solved the case.
But how? To know the answer, you must read the book.
Body Of Evidence (1991)
This second book of the Scarpetta series, “Body of Evidence,” revolves around an unknown killer’s obsession with wanting to annoy the successful writer Beryl Maddison. She found the message written in her car and planned to leave the city, but unfortunately, she returned to Richmond; the same night.
During the investigation, Scarpetta found Beryl Maddison had deactivated the alarm and allowed someone to enter. Who was the person and how did the manuscript get missed? All the questions were haunting Scarpetta, but it was her forensic knowledge and detective instinct that finally solved the case.
All That Remains (1993)
Another Patricia Cornwell book in order is “All That Remains” from Dr. Kay Scarpetta’s series. It is closely based upon a colonial parkway killer who is the prime suspect of eight people in Virginia in the decade nineties. Though Patricia’s novels made us believe that the case is solved but it is still unsolved.
The story in the book revolves around a killer who was known as the murderer of eight people and stalking a young couple to murder, and when Scarpetta comes into the picture starts to play the game with her. When going deeper into the book, you will find Patricia’s writing is the perfect combination of science and fiction.
Cruel And Unusual (1994)
“Cruel and Unusual” is the fourth book of Dr. Scarpetta’s series, where that CWA Gold Dagger for Fiction Award. A bloody murderer, Ronnie Wadell, was found dead, and Dr. Scarpetta was called to the autopsy of his body. But after some days, the murder of a young boy took place, and the prints of Ronnie Wadell were found near the body. It was quite surprising how the murderer who was dead could commit the crime!
Scarpetta, with FBI agent Benton Wesley and another detective, Pete Marino try to investigate the murder mystery of a young boy. If you want to know the secret, read the book “Cruel and Unusual”, the ultimate story written by Patricia Cornwell.
The Body Farm (1995)
The fifth book in the Scarpetta series was taken and inspired by the University of Tennessee anthropology research facility. Scarpetta was called to assist in the case of the murder of 11-year-old Emily Steiner. Scarpetta was joined by her rebellious niece Lucy, who was an FBI intern and had a bright future ahead in computer Engineering. During the investigation, they found the murder resembled the same pattern as the murder of a serial killer who had evaded the FBI many years back. Scarpetta decided to have a clandestine research facility in Tennessee known as a body farm, and here she got many traces and clues for her investigation.
Judy Hammer Series
Judy Hammer is another series of Patricia Cornwell’s writings and a perfect pseudo–police fiction where the storyline deals with carpology and sepsis. The setting is North Carolina and Virginia.
Jack The Ripper
It was the most controversial novel, named Portrait of a Killer: JACK THE RIPPER –CASE CLOSED. “Jack the Ripper” is like a theory and research that says the British painter Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper. Reading this series will be quite interesting and entertaining to those who love reading hardcore crime fiction stories.
Patricia Cornwell Biography
Patricia Cornwell was born in 1956 in Miami, Florida, and her birth name was Patricia Carroll Daniels. She was the daughter of a law clerk who might be the reason for her emotional abuse. She completed her graduation degree with the subject English literature in 1979 from Davidson college.
After completing her graduation, Patricia started working as a reporter for the Charlotte Observer and continued working as a full-time crime reporter till 1981. For her excellent contribution in this field, she received the North Carolina Press Association Investigative Reporting Award.
In the year of 1980, she got married to Charles Cornwell, who was one of her English professors and 17 years her senior, and moved to Virginia. It was the same year she started working on the biography of Ruth Bell Graham. This work was published in 1983 and won a gold medallion award in the year of 1985.
At present, Patricia is living with her second husband, whom she married in the year 2006. She did not leave her surname Cornwell even after the divorce from her first husband in 1986.
Patricia Cornwell Writing Career & Awards
In 1985, while working as a medical examiner, she created the character of Dr. Kay Scarpetta after meeting Dr. Marcella Ferenelli, a medical examiner. It was the same time when she started working on her first novel. Initially, the novels were rejected by the publishers but when the first part in the form of Postmortem, came out, it proved a great hit.
It has won many awards, like the British John Creasey award, the French Prix du, and the American Edgar award in the same year. For being one of the best detectives, the character of Kay Scarpetta was awarded the Sherlock award. Her books are also welcomed by the readers as more than 100 million copies have been sold till now.
Final Thoughts- Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell is a well-known author in the field of crime fiction. Her amazing understanding of forensic science, which she represented through the character of Dr. Scarpetta, distinguishes her from other crime writers. Patricia Cornwell’s books in order have been successful in holding the interest and curiosity of the reader till the end, which can be said to be a big achievement, especially when it is crime fiction.
Top Faq on Patricia Cornwell
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Who is Patricia Cornwell?
Patricia Cornwell is an American crime author best known for her long-running Kay Scarpetta series, which blends forensic science, mystery, and psychological suspense.
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What is Patricia Cornwell’s most famous book series?
Her most famous series features Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a brilliant chief medical examiner who solves complex murder cases using cutting-edge forensic techniques.
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How many Kay Scarpetta books are there?
As of 2025, there are over 27 novels in the Kay Scarpetta series.
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What themes do her books explore?
Her novels often explore justice, the psychology of criminals, forensic investigation, and the personal struggles of law enforcement professionals.
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Do I need to read the Scarpetta books in order?
It’s best to read them to follow the character development and ongoing storylines, though each book has a self-contained mystery.
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Which is the latest book in the Kay Scarpetta book series?
True Crime (2026) is the latest book.
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