It's about time I got to Postmortem. What a fantastic and exciting listen. Patricia Cornwell really delivers a smart, thrilling and heart-pounding first book of the Kay Scarpetta series.

As it happens, I had just checked this out when I saw a show on ID about a serial killer (John Waterman) who dubbed himself "Mr. Nobody." While watching, it was especially fascinating to learn that one of the people investigating (who also loved to read) decided to search the books on his bookshelf for possible leads and insights into how he thinks.

Unbelievably, she happened upon Postmortem and rifled through to a random page and was shocked to see that the killer in this book also called himself "Mr. Nobody." After reading just a little, the detectives quickly determined the murderer modeled several of his killings after some of the ones found here.

The fact that a work of fiction could play a/any part in determining how this serial killer tortured and murdered his victims was (understandably) unbelievable to the public and caused a national media frenzy at the time. Amazing.

Narrator C.J. Critt does a bang-up job as the only narrator for this amazing storyline. He kept me hyper-focused from start to finish. Looking forward listening to more from him in book number two, Body of Evidence.

4.25

Through all the book I was catching myself thinking "Jesus, just call right now...oh...right...no cellphones..."

Ok, that book was a very pleasant surprise and I find the fact that it has been written in 1990 one of the pluses I got reading it for the first time in 2016, because It was such a true and real journey to the past. This book was quite a thrilling detective story.

I am a fan of Keith McCarthy and his Eisenmenger-Flemming Forensic Mysteries
series about Dr. John Eisenmenger, a former forensic pathologist and I was searching for detective books where the main character would be a pathologist and I am glad I found it.

Now, about the book itself. A few times I thought I know exactly who the killer is, but the best part - I was wrong every single time. Well, I guessed it sooner anyway, but much later than I usually do. It was interesting, like really kept me reading it without breaks, It made you doubt everything and everyone (well, almost everyone) and I really appreciate it in those type of books.

I like the way characters were build, they were very "human" and it was easy to connect with their feelings.
My only "concern" was a niece of the main character Kay. I understand the situation with her mother, I understand that she is different, genius and all... but the way she behaved herself was a bit "too much" for me sometimes. It got me thinking how psychologically unstable this child is. I wasn't really on the same page with the Kay's reaction on her behavior. I also do not have kids and I also have a niece that is a bit "older" for her age and I do relate to this situation for many other reasons and that's why I was conflicted by those parts sometimes. I am not saying it is a bad thing, just a bit disturbing for me.

I do not talk much in my reviews usually, so I am gonna stop here and go and find myself a second book from this series.

It was one of the most boring thrillers I have ever read ...
The author spends the entirety on exploring the main characters feelings and thoughts , her relationship with her niece, throwing red herring here and there that don't lead up to anything , technological aspects of DNA.

The irony is that the crime and investigations aspect weren't focused on as much as I liked personally.

There were a lot of stereotypes thrown in, things got a bit too easy for the main character at certain parts " very lucky " to get the lead she needed at the right moment!

I might be too harsh, but having heard a lot of positive things about the author Nd her works , I might have expected more than I have got.

Bottom line is that this might have been really good in the 90s, but it doesn't live up to today's standars of good thrillers .

Damn this book is old school! I actually found it equal parts fascinating and frustrating to read about the lack of technology available. The computer stuff did my head in as it would have been quite informative twenty-odd years ago but today is quite obsolete. Likewise, the lack of progress from DNA testing was quite astounding. It's interesting to read about how crimes would have been handled back when technology was less advanced, even if it is a work of fiction.
I like when crime novels use characters other than detectives to solve their crimes, but it needs to be done cleverly so that there's a reason the supporting cast are doing the work of detectives. I appreciated Marino doing most of the heavy lifting but I still found it confusing that an ME was so involved in the case. I felt like there should have been more from this unique point of view, but instead it was still mostly about solving the case with other aspects of evidence.
It was a fairly interesting read that held my attention, though there were a few slow parts and chunks of explanation I could have done without. I was also pretty disappointed by the confusion of the ending - both plot-wise and with the writing. I suspect it was done intentionally to convey the state of mind of our narrator, but it really just clouded the conclusion with messy thoughts. I can see that the novel would have been fairly groundbreaking on release, however in today's world of literature it's a fairly familiar execution of events.
Twenty years later, much of this novel is outdated however it still makes for a decent read. Pretty standard cop fare, but entertaining nonetheless.

3.5 stars

(24 Aug 18 - 03 Sep 18)

well its not my all time favorite, but still a good time pass read!. My first read of Patricia work.
I have read novels which revealed killers near to 70-80% of novel or even at the beginning.



I think this is the first book I read that reveals the killer in the very last chapter and that too introducing a new character (typically in thriller novels, the scenario is usually one of the character among the all introduced right from the chapter one).

n  Moral of the story: If you mess up with DNA profiling and Database, you are fucked....n

3.5 Stars

A great mystery where my opinions were constantly changing. I love procedural based books, especially focused on forensics. A solid start to a series. But wow, being written in 1990, this was certainly a blast from the past: smoking indoors everywhere and all the time; casual homophobia; limited technology (omg the computers); DNA in its infancy. I’m excited to see how Scarpetta navigates through all of this as she solves new crimes as I read on.

I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy Patricia Cornwell's Postmortem as I'm not that keen on grisly forensic thrillers. After only a few chapters, I was thoroughly hooked.

Doctor Kay Scarpetta, Richmond Chief Medical examiner is on high alert. Three women have been found tied up, raped, tortured and strangled in their own beds, the murders always occurring late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Now another body has been found by the distraught husband, that of a young surgeon. Kay must find the clues the dead victims leave so that their sadistic killer will be brought to justice - and before the killer strikes again. Despite her dedication and skill, her job is not made easier by the antagonism of the Detective Pete Marino, injudicious and inflammatory leaks to the Newspapers, the commissioner's efforts to pin the leaks to her office and the fact that she was looking after her volatile niece, Lucy.

This is Cornell's first published novel, yet she is pitch perfect, capturing Scarpetta's voice and character, revealing not only the world of Richmond sizzling in summer heat and sudden rain but the world and motivation of a serial killer, the cops and of a driven medical examiner at a time when DNA evidence was still untried & floppy discs were a thing. Cornwell keeps a gripping pace, never rushed, always ramping up the suspense and the stakes. And while the nature of Scarpetti's final encounter with the killer was almost inevitable, she kept me guessing to the end about who and how. Her own expertise and experience (having worked as a journalist reporting crime and also working in the morgue (as editor and computer admin) for many years.

But what I liked the most about Postmortem was that though she doesn't hold back on the details, the focus of the book is always on the humanity of the dead women and on Kay Scarpetti herself as she begins to second guess herself and struggle with who she can trust. As James Kidd says in his extensive analysis of Cornwell's career and Postmortem as a groundbreaking book of its time by it's realistic portrayal of forensics (at the end of the book), "Unlike many heroic cops and courageous private eyes, Scarpetta is less preoccupied with the faceless killer and more concerned about the victims of their crimes."

Postmortem exceeded my expectations as a gripping and ultimately hopeful read.

PS I was fascinated to learn that Cornwell was mentored by Ruth Graham (Billy Graham's wife) & her first book was a biography of Ruth A Time for Remembering.

3.5 Stars

Solid crime/suspense story, if not a bit outdated 26 years on. The protagonist, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, was a bit grating at times, but hopefully that eases over the course of this series. I will definitely consider continuing with these books at a later date.

I thought I could handle it, but discovered I can't. Next!

This is my first Patricia Cornwell book and I can defintely see why this is a 30+ book series.

I loved Dr Kay Scarpetta. She's probably now one of my new favourite characters. I loved the fact that we were following a medical examiners perspective in a case. I usually read from the detective inspector perspective, so this made a nice change.

I really enjoyed the writing style, the characters and findings out the background/ personal life of Dr Scarpetta.

It was gorey and gross in places, but it was also realistic and interesting. There is a lot of medical jargon but it's not hard to read and is actually really fascinating.

The only reason I couldn't give it five stars was because it's quite outdated now in terms of some of the technology and I wasn't shocked by the ending although I didn't guess it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it

می تونم همه این کتابو در یک ضرب المثل خلاصه کنم و تمام
اونوخ تکلیف حق خواننده در راستای حفاظت از لو رفتگی داستان چی میشه؟
به غیر حفاظت از لو رفتگی برای اینکه هیجان کشف هم از دست نره، بجای اون ضرب المثل دو سه تا جمله دیگه می نویسم
اگه کتابو بخونید کلید واژه مذکور یوهو میاد وسط مغزتون
اونوخ شمام احتمالن می تونید کل این کتابو با همون یه دونه ضرب المثل حل و فصل کنید
چقدر گفتم ضرب المثل

الو 119؟
بخاطر طوفانی که امروز پیش اومد، چراغ راهنمایی خیابون ما از کار افتاده. خواستم گزارش بدم ممکنه باعث تصادف بشه

الو 119؟
الان چند ساعته صدای پاهای مشکوکی توی حیاط خونم می شنوم. جرات نمی کنم برم بیرون رو چک کنم. لطفن کمکم کنید

الو؟ ببخشید فکر کنم اشتباه گرفتم. بجای 4، 9 رو شماره گرفتم. می خواستم با اطلاعات تماس بگیرم. شرمنده

الو 119؟
یه نفر داره منو تعقیب می کنه! از عصر تا حالا هرجا می رم دنبالمه. لطفن کمکم کنید

همه این تماسها به اضافه یک تماس دیگه با مرکز فوریت های پلیس -119- انجام شده. در نهایت همه این 5 زن به طرز فجیع و وحشیانه ای مورد تجاوز قرار گرفته و به قتل رسیدن

نویسنده یعنی بانو پاتریشیا کورنول بخاطر شغلش با داستانهای واقعی قتل و جنایت ریچموند به خوبی سروکار داشت. اینه که شروع کرد به نوشتن. این کتاب هم پایه و اساس واقعی داره. توی کتاب خیلی تحلیل های روانشناختی به چشم نمیاد. بیشتر جنبه های پزشکی و سرنخ و کارآگاهی مطرح هست. به اضافه مقادیری علم کامپیوتر دوران کهن

فکر کنم خیلی بیشتر از دو سه تا جمله شد
در کل کتاب خوبی بود. البته زیاد روی اصل داستان تمرکز نداشت. پراکنده گویی گاهی آدمو اذیت می کنه. مثل این بود که کلی حرف سر دل نویسنده گیر کرده بود که میخواست حتمن همشو بگه. همون چیزایی که خیلی از ما هم به عنوان یک زن توی کار و جامعه باهاش سروکار داریم. یه طورایی اونا از اصل داستان پر رنگ تر شده بودن

"به تلخی گفتم ..."نمی تونم این فکرو از خودم دور کنم که چون یه زنم، هدف راحتی براشون هستم
فورتسیس جواب داد: "تو زنی در دنیای مردانه هستی. تا وقتی بروبچه های قدیمی جسارتتو کشف نکردن، تو هدف راحتی هستی. اما تو جسارتشو داری". لبخند زد :"کاری کن به جسارتت پی ببرن"-از کتاب ص 278

این حرفا رنگ و بوی ذهن خودمو داره. اما توی کتاب این موضوع خیلی پر رنگ تر از جنایت بود. خود این خانوم که شخصیت اصلی داستان و راوی هست و رییس پزشک قانونی ریچمونده، شدیدن دچار پارانویا بود. همه مردا انگار می خواستن جلوش سنگ بندازن
البته بهش حق میدم. آدم بعد از یه مدتی که یه سری رفتارا و حرکات رو می بینه، کلن شرطی میشه و نسبت به عالم و آدم بدبین. شاید لازمه عمیق تر بهش فکر کنم. شاید دلزدگی از یه موضوعی خودش یه راهه برای مهم و بولد نشون دادن اون موضوع. طوری که توی ذهن جمعی برای مدت طولانی بمونه

به هرحال از خوندنش خوشحالم
✨

Το πρώτο αμιγώς ιατροδικαστικό αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, το οποίο αποτέλεσε στην εποχή του (1990) 'συγγραφικό φαινόμενο' κερδίζοντας, για πρώτη φορά στα χρονικά, πολυάριθμα βραβεία μέσα στην ίδια χρονιά. Aποτέλεσε δε τον 'προάγγελο' πολλών πετυχημένων αστυνομικών τηλεοπτικών σειρών και κινηματογραφικών ταινιών, όπως το 'C.S.I.', 'Cold Case', 'Criminal Minds' κτλ.

Το έναυσμα για τη συγγραφή του ήταν η αύξηση των serial killers στις Η.Π.Α. από τα τέλη της δεκαετίας του '80 και μετά, όπως και οι ιατροδικαστικές γνώσεις της Cornwell λόγω θητείας της σε παρεμφερείς εργασιακές θέσεις. Για όλους αυτούς τους λόγους, ο αναγνώστης έχει την αίσθηση ότι το βιβλίο περιέχει πολλά αυτοβιογραφικά στοιχεία, ακόμα και από την απλή καθημερινότητα της συγγραφέα. Η ιατροδικαστής Κέι Σκαρπέτα θα μπορούσε να είναι η Cornwell, αφού άλλωστε δεν φαίνεται η συγγραφέας να διατηρεί τις 'αποστάσεις' της από την κεντρική ηρωίδα, διχάζοντάς την και αποτολμώντας, σε πολλά σημεία, να την φέρει ακόμα καί αντιμέτωπη με τον εαυτό της.

Το πρώτο μισό του βιβλίου περιέχει πολλές αλλά ενδιαφέρουσες λεπτομέρειες ιατροδικαστικού ενδιαφέροντος, είναι πιο αργό, και ενδιαφέρεται να πληροφορήσει τον αναγνώστη για το πόσο είχε αλλάξει η καθημερινή ζωή, τουλάχιστον, των Αμερικανών πολιτών (κυρίως, των νέων γυναικών) λόγω του φόβου και του κινδύνου που προερχόταν από ανθρώπους της 'διπλανής πόρτας', οι οποίοι, τη νύχτα, 'φορούσαν τη μάσκα του 'θανάτου'.

Το δεύτερο μισό είναι πιο γρήγορο και πιο περιπετειώδες, ωστόσο, προς τη κορύφωση της ιστορίας, η συγγραφέας δίνει την εντύπωση ότι εκβιάζει την διαλεύκανση του μυστηρίου, δίνοντας ένα λιγότερο εντυπωσιακό ρυθμό στη ροή της πλοκής. Με αυτό τον τρόπο, ίσως, προκαλέσει την αίσθηση ότι την ενδιαφέρει περισσότερο το 'ταξίδι' παρά ο 'προορισμός', αφού δείχνει να βιάζεται να ολοκληρώσει την ιστορία.

Οφείλω όμως να τονίσω ότι το βιβλίο αποτελεί 'καινοτομία' στην ιστορία της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας, διότι η δομή της ιστορίας και της πλοκής απομακρύνεται από τα κίνητρα και την προσωπικότητα των ηρώων ενός βιβλίου μυστηρίου, και, πλέον, προσανατολίζεται στην εξέταση και τη διασταύρωση στοιχείων όπως είναι το DNA, οι σωματικές εκκρίσεις κτλ.

Ακόμα, κάνει εντύπωση στο μυθιστόρημα και το χάσμα των γενεών στις γνώσεις της τεχνολογίας μεταξύ της Κέι Σκαρπέτα και της ανηψιά της, Λούσυ, όπου η μικρή της 'βάζει τα γυαλιά', όσον αφορά τη χρήση του προσωπικού υπολογιστή, διαλευκάνοντας μια περίπτωση παραβίασης προσωπικών δεδομένων και αρχείων στον Κεντρικό Υπολογιστή του Ιατροδικαστικού Τμήματος.

Βαθμολογία: 4,3/5 ή 8,6/10.

Υ.Γ.: Ακούγεται ότι θα γυριστεί σε ταινία με πρωταγωνίστρια τη Αντζελίνα Τζολί στο ρόλο της Κέι Σκαρπέτα.