I’m in the minority here, but I could almost not read the book at all. I didn’t like a single thing, not the writing style, not the mystery, not the crimes, not the side characters and especially the protagonist. I could not stand Kay. This book has been recommended to me so many times that I really had to finish it, but it was all I could do to do so. And I’m done, even though I’m told this series gets better, but then I was also told this was a good book. Perhaps, but it wasn’t so for me.

I am not a bath person.

I want to be.
I love the idea of being submerged in warm, scented water surrounded by flickering candles as I read a paperback and drink wine.
That sounds absolutely dreamy.
For me, the dream is never a reality.
For me, I slip into the tub and about ten minutes later, I'm all squirmy and uncomfortable and I want out.
For me, baths are an emergency situation; I take them when I'm overly cold or when my muscles really hurt or when I'm super congested.

Reading this book was like taking a bath.
I slipped in and felt that "Ahhhhh," because I had read this and others in the series years ago when they were new.
My mom bought them, these books were a thing we had in common.
The instant familiarity of slipping back into Dr. Kay Scarpetta's life was deeply, warmly pleasant.
Even better, like a lush bath bomb with the most enticing scent, this book is well-written. Technically, plot-wise, character-wise, tension-wise - it's all well done.
I'd forgotten about that, forgotten that there was a time when editors worked with authors to create solid pieces, that crime novels weren't just slapdash grocery-store-check-out-line trash (you've seen what I read, you know I eat that stuff up like a little raccoon)

But then I became squirmy and uncomfortable.
This - and, I assume, many of those that follow - has not aged well.

Much like Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, what seemed like inclusion to nice middle-class white ladies in the 90's is now recognizable as microagressions. There are some full-on aggressions, as well.
The audience for whom this was meant would have felt good about having Black characters who weren't physically described as black (but who were afforded plenty of verbal cues, something that's called out later and Scarpetta's all, "Eh, whatever") and gay characters who were accepted by their noble boss (but, "Please, God, don't let him have AIDS") even though the same boss mused on all the "fake" body parts being paraded around by "transvestites." And maybe we didn't know better because we still had a lot to learn but...good grief, the information was there. We - and I mean "I" - just didn't want to look for it because that's squirmy and uncomfortable.

What I'm going to do is, I'm going to continue to re-read these because I'm fairly sure the author grew along the way, just like I did. I'm going to enjoy the story while being critical of our collective mindset of the time and I'm going to hope that authors like this one have learned to do much better.

Scribd.com's English text, and translation for Portuguese + audio in English from Google Translate. Continuing the Project Learning English by myself.

"Do no harm and leave the world a better place than you found it."

Even better than I remember from the first time I read it yearssssss ago! Audible on point!

Kay Scarpetta. The Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. One of my favorite characters in my early 20s. Patricia Cornwell still publishes a new book in this series, like clockwork, once a year (almost). There are 24 now and I'm curious to see how Scarpetta is doing these days. However, I barely remember anything about the plot, the characters or the background, so I'm starting from the very beginning.

This is a good first book. Nothing spectacular. Nothing groundbreaking. Just a solid mystery. That's if you start reading this series in 2017. If you give the series a try and start with the first one, keep in mind it was published in 1990. Most things are dated. There are no cell phones, the use of computers is very different and the way they handle DNA made me raise an eyebrow or two.

It's a page turner and an easy read with a solid plot. It introduces the Scarpetta character and I think it's important to start at the beginning and grow with the characters so to speak.

Post mortem

Primera novela de la serie de Kay Scarpetta, personaje creado por Cornwell interpretando a una doctora forense.

Novela interesante donde se investiga a un asesino en serie a través de pruebas forenses. La verdad es que está muy bien, es como un adelanto de series de investigación más modernas.

Una buena visión de futuro de la escritora que incluso introduce en la historia una demostración de un caso de acceso a un ordenador remoto mediante módem y cambiar contraseñas. Tenía la mosca detrás de la oreja la forense Scarpetta y le preguntó a su sobrina si eso se podía hacer. Claro que se podía hacer, es muy fácil si sabes cómo. La sobrina tiene diez años... Se publicó en 1990...

This was the first Patricia Cornwell novel I read, and I expected it to be good because she's an author you see around a lot. However I was disappointed with this book.

The book felt long. It was extremely detailed when it came to describe the technology used. I skimmed over most of those parts because the technology was extremely dated and it was hard to follow what she was saying. Also it described red-tape procedures in her lab that just put me to sleep.

Suspects were brought up and never really dismissed as suspects; rather, they'd just find a new suspect and forget the one before. It felt like a wild goose chase.

Granted there were moments in the book that had me enraptured, but these were few and far between. I only really remember one of these moments, which was at the very end of the book.

Word to the wise, the ending is not worth the 300+ pages you have to read to get there. The whole book was resolved very quickly with no real connection to the rest of the book. The preceding 300 pages were a waste of Kay Scarpetta's time.

83% | B-

You should read this if you're into:
Serial killer mysteries, forensic science, starting a series, CSI/Criminal Minds/etc.

Warning: Gore Alert.
Kudos for writing the 1st CSI crime thriller – I liked that it’s a bit of a time capsule with electronic memos as opposed to email & DNA in its infancy. Makes it no less relevant nor does it get in the way of a good story. While the 1st half was pretty dull the second is a roller-coaster ride. Kay Scarpetta is edgy and arrogant, love her or hate her she’ll hold your attention. The supporting characters are wonderful, Pete Marino the grubby tough cop who lumps all perps into the category of 'psycho-squirrels’ is perfection; punchy dialog and Pete gets all the best lines. It finishes off with a surprise ending, I sure didn’t see it coming.
As an aside I’ve read a few of this series over the years and out of curiosity decided to read the 1st. No problem reading them out of sequence.

“The dead have never bothered me. It's the living that I fear.”

Completely unmemorable.

Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell is the first book I've read by this author and I definitely feel I'm late to this party, it's been along time since I thoroughly enjoyed a crime book like this, I love how it's a 30 year old book and reads like a new one published in the last couple of year's.
It's a great heart in the throat kind of read which starts as a feeling of unease in the pit of your stomach and the whole guessing of whodunit whilst you never quite get it all until the end is just great.
I'm recommending this and looking forward to bk2

This is the 1st book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series. She is the chief medical examiner for the state of Virginia, based in Richmond, the state capital. She is determined to find enough evidence to uncover the identity of a serial rapist murderer who tortures his victims before killing them. I found the book to be a suspenseful mystery with believable characters. I am counting it for Virginia in my US state challenge. I rate it 4 out 5 stars