AuthorPatricia Cornwellb. 1956Body of Evidence is a crime novel by Patricia Cornwell, published in 1991, and the second book in the series starring Dr. Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner of Virginia.
The story begins with the brutal stabbing of romance writer Beryl Madison in Richmond. Scarpetta becomes involved in the case, and soon the greedy lawyer of the victim accuses her of losing his client's latest manuscript, an autobiographical account of Beryl's early life as protégé of a legendary novelist. As more deaths occur and the killer closes in on her, Scarpetta must also deal with the unexpected return of her former lover, Mark James. The novel explores the killer's obsession with Beryl and the impossibility of outrunning evil: Scarpetta's temporary move to Key West in an attempt to escape mirrors Beryl's flight, although unlike Beryl, Scarpetta manages to defeat the killer.
The success of Postmortem, Cornwell's previous book, greatly raised the value of her publishing deals: in March 1991 she signed a $385,000 agreement for the paperback rights to this novel.
Themes
Other works by Patricia Cornwell
- Postmortem 1990
- All That Remains 1992
- Cruel and Unusual 1993
- The Body Farm 1994
- From Potter's Field 1995
- Cause of Death 1996
- Unnatural Exposure 1997
- Point of Origin 1998
- Black Notice 1999
- The Last Precinct 2000
- Blow Fly 2003
Original Filopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.