Postmortem

work by Cornwell

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Last updated

July 23, 2026

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Postmortem is the title of Patricia Cornwell's debut novel, published in 1990, which launched her career as a crime writer. The book features Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner, who is the protagonist of Cornwell's best-selling series.1

A "postmortem" is a medical examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death, also known as an autopsy or necropsy. Cornwell, who worked in the office of the chief medical examiner and observed autopsies, drew on her experiences to create realistic crime novels. The Postmortem novel series has sold over 100 million copies worldwide.21

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Patricia Cornwell
…as a medical examiner in Postmortem (1990), and with this book Cornwell’s writing career was launched. The series continued with such books as Body of Evidence (1991), All That Remains (1992), Cause of Death (1996), Black Notice (1999), Blow Fly (2003), Book of the Dead (2007), Scarpetta (2008), The Scarpetta…
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…as a medical examiner in Postmortem (1990), and with this book Cornwell’s writing career was launched. The series continued with such books as Body of Evidence (1991), All That Remains (1992), Cause of Death (1996), Black Notice (1999), Blow Fly (2003), Book of the Dead (2007), Scarpetta (2008), The Scarpetta…
Read More