Do you ever find yourself looking for a good long series to read, featuring a strong female lead? That was me when I picked up this book. There were a ton of books in the series, so I wouldn't run out of books for a while. Not to mention, the fact that Kay Scarpetta is a medical examiner made it even more intriguing to me. I figured these wouldn't be your run-of-the-mill murder investigations. And was I ever right!

The series started out strong with this book too! Four women are found tortured and murdered in their own homes. Dr. Scarpetta uses forensics to investigate and bring the killing spree to an end. I actually learned a lot about forensics while reading this book. Cornwell adds just enough technical color to the book to help the reader grasp the science behind what's happening without making it boring.

I loved this book and the characters and have since read several more from the series. Each book is like returning a visit with old friends to see what they've been up to!

I have been eager to reread this book for a while now and am so happy I finally did it (and what took me so long?). It's been nearly 20 years since I first read this book and it launched me on a path of not only becoming a huge fan of Kay Scarpetta and Patricia Cornwell, but opened me up to a whole knew genre of thrillers that I didn't know existed. And I've never looked back!

I remember instantly loving Kay, and her circle of friends/family/colleagues, from the start as well as being gripped by the mysteries, but I honestly don't think I had any real sense of how impactful this book was at the time. It's easy to forget today how revolutionary this book was - from a strong and determined female medical examiner to the realistic (albeit graphic at times) depiction of what it's like to really be in a morgue, witnessing an autopsy and seeing a mystery from the eyes of the people who are there in service of the victims. Cornwell doesn't dance around murder scenes or the autopsy room and captures the sights, sounds and smells like nothing I'd read before.

I also really enjoyed being back in 1990 when DNA was just coming up and when modems were left on so people could "dial in" from home. Before cell phones. When literal tape recorders were used to record suspect interviews. When people had to dictate information over the phone because there was no way to email it. The manual nature of the investigation as well as the slow nature of getting results is so interesting. This book (and series) always felt like a real insiders guide - right down to the sexism Kay faced being one of the only women in a old boy's club of the police force, DA's office and Attorney General. I thought the portrayal was spot on.

This book was disturbing and scary when it came to the crimes (I actually stopped reading it before bed!) and I was totally invested. I know there was some controversy/criticism over this book but I'm on board with where the story went.

So excited to "meet" Marino, Lucy and Benton for the first time and to be at the beginning of this world that Patricia Cornwell created. My only problem is that just like the first time I read this book I want to drop everything else I'm reading and dive right into the next book in the series.

Really enjoyed this first in series! "Postmortem" has a very good mystery and was probably very high-tech at the time (1990) to read a thriller like this with DNA and dial-up computers. Dr. Scarpetta is a chief medical examiner in Virginia. I enjoyed this first-person narrative. I love what she does and how she thinks.

I've given a low rating on one of her books #22, which I read a few years back. The book was given to me by a friend and although I enjoyed most of it, the main villain was a recycled character so I was disappointed and was left very confused. Now, I'm really excited to read more, and knowing that this will become a prime video series will really motivate me to grab the next one. Who's going to be in it?

S obzirom koliko je nagradjivana, očekivala sam mnogo više :(
Dajem joj 3.5 ✨ zato što su neki delovi fantastični. Ovo je prva knjiga koju sam pročitala da je davala u detalje načine na koje se ispituje žrtvino telo, otisci i kako se sklapa profil ubice. To je bilo savršeno. Ali jedini razlog što je autorka uspela da to uradi jeste taj što se bavila tim poslom

Finally, a reread from decades ago (long before GR).

One of the first crime-pathology novels I ever read. I remember at the time being so impressed with the advances of technology and introduction of computer-based criminal investigation work.

20 years on, it feels like science from the dark ages. Despite the now outdated methods and procedures, Cromwell writes a beautiful book. My journey back through time, and through one of the first series I read will continue.

A great reread.

This was a pretty good first book in a series. It definitely had its moments that completely creeped me out and gave me goose bumps and had me looking over my shoulder making sure no one was watching me.
I will definitely be reading more in the series.

"Fataal weekend opent sterk met een nieuwe moord van de seriemoordenaar, maar gaandeweg doorheen het boek wordt er nogal wat gestrooid met vaktermen waardoor je als lezer het spoor soms bijster raakt."
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2020...

Whoa. So glad I found this series! I loved it. I felt like watching an episode of Criminal Minds. The crime procedures, the medical examination, the M.O, the list of suspects, DNA Testing, VICAP, the profiling of the unsub. And, LUCY! I love Lucy! Also, Marino's character development is commendable, I thought I was gonna hate him until the very end but he turned out to be my most favourite character in this book. Amazing!

Re Read via audiobook

story 4 stars **⬇️
Audio 3.5 stars**
Narrator n  C.J. Crittn

My first time listening to this narrator she did an ok job for Dr. Scarpetta’s voice especially since she’s much younger here. My problem was with the male voices especially for Marino and Benton is not what I envision them to sound like. They sounded too nasal for my taste! We’ll see if the narrator gets better in book 2.

The 1st book in the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell.
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 pathologist 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 Pete Marino.
I really enjoyed reading the first half dozen or so books in this series and then I felt they went a bit stale. I will probably go back to series at sometime.

4 stars for the 1st book in the Kay Scarpetta series!

I am ashamed to say I am only just starting this series (I am only 24 though I have a lot to catch up on!) It is also the first book I have read of Patricia Cornwell!

I loved this book it did a brilliant job of introducing me to Dr. Kay Scarpetta and give me some insight into her backstory. Whilst doing this is manages to develop a well plot line full of mystery. I will pre warn you about the amount of description involving the autopsies! For me it was just enough!

I was a little concerned at the beginning of this book that it was going to get to complex and medical for me to understand but Cornwell managed to do just enough!
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"The dead have never bothered me. It's the living that I fear."
"But caffeine, cigarettes and cholesterol, the grim reapers of the common man - God forbid I should give them up."
"What the hell. You die. Everybody dies. So you die healthy. So what?"

I loved the writing in this book and the way it flowed I will definitely been reading more from Patricia Cornwell – it’s a shame I didn’t find her sooner!

On to the next! I can’t wait to see where this series takes me!

This was a great mystery that is book number one in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell.
The main character is the chief medical examiner in Richmond, Virginia. It had a lot of science in it which I loved as well as a good mystery and character development. It was written in the early 90’s so it was interesting to see how much has evolved with DNA evidence etc. I will definitely continue to read this series as there are a ton of books in it!