Kay Scarpetta · Book 20

The Bone Bed

Published
1 January 2012
Pages
472
ISBN-13
9780751548174
Type
novel
Cover of The Bone Bed

About this book

The Bone Bed is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 2012 at 472 pages. It is entry #20 in Kay Scarpetta. It sits between Red Mist and Dust.

Key facts about The Bone Bed

Patricia Cornwell wrote The Bone Bed, a novel on our list. It has been out since 1 January 2012. The book has 472 pages.

We list 2 editions of this novel. Since each edition has its own ISBN, search for 9780751548174 to find the main one.

The Bone Bed is book 20 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

The Bone Bed is book 20 in the Kay Scarpetta series. It follows Red Mist. It is followed by Dust. 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

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