Reread... Like Cornwell's early work best.

This is a really terrific book. I think people forget how things started when they talk about current books by Patricia Cornwell. Back in the beginning, she was doing something no other woman was doing, and she did it really well. So well that she inspired folks like me. I figgered if she could get away with writing the kinds of books I like to read, then I could do it, too. I loves me some Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky, but they weren't into the hard stuff. Cornwell really forged a new trail.

4/5 stars.

This was extremely well done. I completely understand the hype for this author. This was probably the most cerebral crime fiction i've read to date. I loved the psychological discussions being had here, and the profiling aspect. Cornwell really knows her serial killer stuff. It is clear she has done the research and integrates real facts into the story. Great for true-crime lovers!

I found myself (oddly) taking parenting advice based on the dynamic between Kay and her niece, though I don't think I'll be giving a 12 year old wine anytime soon. She made me realize that sometimes in order to relate to younger people, you have to let some things slide. I am typically the opposite with my little one. I tend to think that if I don't acknowledge behavior that I don't think is appropriate, I will raise a monster. But I think sometimes the opposite is true. You have to trust them to bend the rules sometimes and to know where the line is drawn.

I was definitely thrown off by some of the red herrings in here. I don't think anyone could guess who the killer actually was, so I applaud that.

I will say, however, this did not age particularly well. Trigger warnings for icky conversations surrounding mental retardation, AIDS, and trans people. Also, obviously the forensics are out of date. This was written pre-IAFIS, and that plays a role in the case. Consequently there is a lot of talk about secreters vs non-secreters, which has pretty much been made obsolete based on the advancement of DNA testing since then. Still, many of the conflicts (aside from the obvious "murder" thing) are still surprisingly relevant today, and in that regard Cornwell was ahead of her time. For example, the politics in the story are strikingly similar to this day regarding the public's view of the police and the way cases can be handled or mismanaged.

As a character, Kay is strong-willed and smart. I couldn't help but to compare her to Sarah (from Karin Slaughter's Grant County Series) and side-by-side I think Sarah is the "cooler" of the two (for lack of a better term). But Kay is more cerebral and detail-oriented. Both great, strong female leads.

Overall, I really liked the story, and I would recommend it.

Great story!

I decided to revisit an old favorite. Definitely not disappointed. This series is cutting-edge and never gets old. Even after all these years, I loved it again!

Title in English: Postmortem
Author: Patricia Cornwell
Format: audiobook (in Russian)

POSTMORTEM is the first book in the Kay Scarpetta series. Kay Scarpetta, a 40-year-old hardworking forensic expert, dreads the night calls since they mean one thing: another young woman dies a horrible death at the hands of a serial killer. There is no apparent connection between the victims: they come from different Richmond neighborhoods, have different occupations, and have never met each other. Rather than command the dead, Scarpetta wants to be at the front of the events, and boy! where that wish leaves her in the end!

Written in 1996 - only 28 or already 28 years ago - the book hasn't aged well in some regards. Modern readers will frown upon Scarpetta's reluctance to hire LGBT people for her laboratory or Pete Marino's disdain for gays. Young adults would not get the use of 1996's technology like disk formatting and floppy disks. Cops still used pens to write. DNA wasn't considered solid evidence. No consolidated criminal database. It all sounds like ancient times!

What makes the series stand out, compared, for example, with classical works of Agatha Christie or James Hadley Chase, is the reader's inability to determine a killer. Obviously, it isn't a butler, but the killer doesn't appear at all as one of the witnesses or suspects at the start of the investigation. Scarpetta formulates her theory of who the killer might be only in the last quarter of the book, and only in the audiobook's last two hours, readers find out his occupation and name (the Russian edition's blurb again, as in the case with След, contains huge spoilers).

All in all, POSTMORTEM entertains with a fast-paced plot and three-dimensional, fully-developed characters.

Going in, you should know this book is dated (1990) as far as technological advances go since it was written. They still use pagers, have dial up, and smoke inside. None of that bothered me nor detracted from my enjoyment though because it was fun to look back on those memories. If I were going to try and categorize this book, I think I'd call it a procedural. The main character is Kay Scarpetta, the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia at Richmond. In this story, the first of a series featuring Kay, a serial killer is strangling women and details of the investigations have been leaked, presumably from the CME's office. Evidence has been tampered with. Trying to find the killer, and vindicate her office of leaking information to the press and tampering with evidence Kay begins to suspect the killer may be closer than she thinks. This was a familiar trope, but it was not stale. It was a solid story with a strong female lead which I appreciated. I enjoyed it very much. I would recommend to readers of suspense and procedurals.

Debo reconocer ante todo que me ha resultado corto. Y eso es bueno. Cuando comencé a leerlo me maravilló la forma en la que está escrito este libro y sobre todo me encantaron los tecnicismos que los personajes usan a lo largo de toda la novela. Esto te hace ver que realmente la autora se ha documentado sobre el tema y eso se agradece en este tipo de obras, en las cuales se busca al agresor desde el punto de vista de un forense. También me impresionó el perfil psicológico que elaboran los personajes, muy completo de principio a fin. Todo esto ha hecho que no sienta en ningún momento la necesidad de terminar la obra, sino al contrario, quería saber más y más sobre el final, el cual en ningún momento es esperable.

Por otro lado, su personaje principal está muy bien desarrollado, tiene sus puntos fuertes y sus flaquezas e inseguridades. Los secundarios están muy bien descritos, aunque me hubiera gustado saber más sobre Marino. Creo que con este personaje secundario la autora tiene una fuente potente para desarrollar.

En definitiva, es un buen libro policiaco desarrollado en los años noventa (donde fue su primera publicación). Está muy bien ambientado y realmente se puede ver como realizaban las técnicas de hace veinte años y apreciar como la ciencia ha evolucionado hasta la actualidad.

I read the majority of this series by borrowing my mum's copies when I was around 14 years old so I am excited to be revisiting the series.  I am a little disappointed with the ending in that I am always disappointed when the killer/culprit ends up not being someone the reader is familiar with or has been able to guess is the killer.

4.5 Stars

The power of SQL, commands you to re-assign admin passwords!!!

Sigh, so 1980's! If this would have happened now, the book would be 2 pages long and instead of Kay Scarpetta being the protagonist, any one of those bazillion smartphones would have saved the day! Apart from the dated SQL references and detailed explanations on how genetic inheritance works (boring!!), the story was passable enough, albeit with a shitty resolution to the plot. The thrills and chills were there in ample proportions which would keep anyone entertained. Rather an impressive "first" book, I'd say.

My Rating - 3.5/5

Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta investigates a series of murders in the Richmond area. Four women have been viciously murdered. Forensics show that they were killed by the same person. Dr. Scarpetta works with Detective Pete Marino and FBI Special Agent Benton Wesley to catch a serial killer.

This is Patricia Cornwell's debut novel. It's a solid story which is heavy on forensics. I thought the long conversations about blood types and DNA slowed down the story. There wasn't much action until the end when the identity of the killer was uncovered. It's the first book in the Kay Scarpetta series and a must if you wish to read more in the series. My rating: 4 Stars.

Patricia Cornwell's Postmortem was my first foray into the forensic science crime novel. While I am fully capable of reading detailed descriptions of gore and autopsies without getting sick, I was a tad worried that it would get too technical where I'd lose some of the understanding of the medical aspects. While it happens on occasion, the editors and author have done a great job at finding the perfect level of language to keep the words flowing properly most of the time.

Scarpetta is a true hero -- someone to admire, someone to fear. She will always solve the case even in the most intricate complex ones out there. The style is strong, the descriptions and setting vivid. You feel like you are in the story along side the protagonist.

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For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.