Point of Origin
- Published
- 1 January 1998
- Pages
- 397
- ISBN-13
- 9780786214785
- Type
- novel
About this book
Point of Origin is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 1998 at 397 pages. It sits at #9 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. Unnatural Exposure comes before it, Black Notice after.
Key facts about Point of Origin
Patricia Cornwell wrote Point of Origin, a novel on our list. It has been out since 1 January 1998. The book has 397 pages.
We list 2 editions of this novel. Since each edition has its own ISBN, search for 9780786214785 to find the main one.
Point of Origin is book 9 of 29 in the Kay Scarpetta series. The series has 29 published books. However, the series starts with Postmortem (1990).
Sharp Force is the latest book in the series with a full release date, out on 7 October 2025. Meanwhile, Rapid and Fatal comes next, with an announced date of 19 January 2027.
Additionally, Patricia Cornwell writes Andy Brazil, Win Garano and Captain Chase as separate series. Those series sit on our thriller and techno-thriller shelves. Meanwhile, Sharp Force is the latest published Patricia Cornwell book on file, from 7 October 2025.
About Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell is credited with essentially inventing the modern forensic thriller. Born in 1956 and educated at Davidson College, she worked as a police reporter at the Charlotte Observer before spending six years as a technical writer and computer analyst inside the Chief Medical Examiner's office in Richmond, Virginia, sitting in on autopsies and absorbing real forensic procedure years before it was standard genre furniture. See every Patricia Cornwell book in order.
Its place in Kay Scarpetta
Point of Origin is book 9 in the Kay Scarpetta series. It follows Unnatural Exposure. It is followed by Black Notice. See the full Kay Scarpetta reading order.
Kay Scarpetta is the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia (and, later, a federal forensic investigator and private consultant) whose autopsy table is where every case really begins. Patricia Cornwell's series is credited with popularising the modern forensic-procedural: DNA evidence, trace analysis and autopsy detail that were startlingly technical for genre fiction in 1990 and remain a core selling point today. Scarpetta investigates alongside her homicide-detective niece-in-all-but-name-later-partner Pete Marino…
Editions
- edition · unknown publisher · — · ISBN 9780748109487
- edition · unknown publisher · — · ISBN 9780786214785