Postmortem

Postmortem is a 1990 crime novel by Patricia Cornwell and her debut. It is the first of the Kay Scarpetta series, which would eventually run to nearly twenty titles. Cornwell wrote it while working in the medical examiner's office in Virginia, and the story is loosely based on the crimes of a real killer. Her original manuscript centred on a male protagonist, but editors at Mysterious Press advised her to change the central character and expand the role of Scarpetta, a decision that proved crucial to the book's success.

The plot follows Dr. Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner of the Commonwealth of Virginia, who is called to the scene of a gruesome strangling in Richmond. It is the latest in a string of unsolved murders, and the killer leaves very few traces, although he uses a substance that glows under laser light to clean the scenes of forensic evidence. Working with detective Pete Marino and FBI profiler Benton Wesley, Scarpetta tries to piece together the killer's pathology. Meanwhile, she must cope with her precocious ten-year-old niece and with rivals who resent a woman holding such an influential post.

The novel stands out for blending criminal investigation with a close look at its heroine's professional and personal life. It won awards including the Edgar for Best First Novel, and its success established Cornwell as one of the most recognised voices in contemporary crime fiction.