The first book in Cornwell's mega-selling Kay Scarpetta series, Postmortem is a brilliant debut novel that still puts all its CSI clones to shame. Cornwell writes with grit, which is rare in a female author, and has the technical know-how to maintain an aura of complete scientific authority throughout. Cornwell does surprisingly good dialog, and her male characters act totally authentic, never serving as props for some cutesy romantic subplot. Of course, this is an old book, and the technology is very dated, so some readers might not enjoy returning to a world of cassette tapes, electric typewriters, and computer modems, but the science seems more-or-less current enough in matters where it counts, namely the forensic science stuff. The book stumbles in a couple places: there is a little too much talk and not enough action; a moment that comes across as being far, far to coincidental; and the resolution to the story doesn't live up to the cleverness of everything leading up to it. Still, you'd be hard pressed to find a more entertaining--or important--entry in the forensic science mystery genre.

3.5 Stars.

I picked this up because my partner put it on my tbr. It's one of his favourite books. I'm glad I've given it a go. It was a good read. I can see why these types of books are compared to a CSI episode, definitely has that vibe. Not sure I'd carry on with the series, it's a big commitment, but I'm glad I've read it and given it a go.

OMG, how long ago did I first read this book? It must be well over 20 years ago, at least. At the time, I found it riveting. I'm less impressed this time around. I think it must have been one of the earliest forensic-based crime novels? Although detectives like Sherlock Holmes were depicted making deductions based on evidence at the crime scene, Cornwell took things a step further by making the medical examiner's office the focus of her fiction.

Kay Scarpetta is an easy main character to identify with. She's a woman in a largely male realm and there is plenty of hostility to deal with. Pete Marino is a jerk, making the reader like Scarpetta more. Never mind that he proves to be damn good at his job. Kay doesn't question herself very much, a pleasant change. Women tend to suffer from imposter syndrome, something that only plagues Kay when she's dealing with her niece, Lucy. Not that I think there is any good way to interact with Lucy as she is depicted. Cornwell makes her wildly precocious, at ten years of age already uber knowledgeable about computers and interested in guns.

Actually, I think it is the state of DNA research and the details of computer technology that make this book feel like a rusty old antique. Written when DNA was an unproven commodity, it was cutting edge. I remember being impressed by its inclusion during my first long ago reading. Now of course we expect DNA to solve investigations as a regular thing. I couldn't help but notice the other changes in tech, too. The computer diskettes, the programming commands, the answering machines, the absence of mobile phones. No one now would be able to avoid their boss's phone calls the way Kay does—the phone in the pocket can't be avoided. What doesn't change is the kids knowing more than the adults about computers!

It was interesting, knowing what future books would bring, to see Cornwell setting up the pattern that would dominate this series. The relationships between Kay, Lucy, Pete, and Benton are all there, starting to unfurl.