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Kay Scarpetta
The Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell has 29 known books (29 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Postmortem (1990). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is Sharp Force. The next announced book, Rapid and Fatal, is due 19 January 2027.
- Books
- 29 known books (29 novels)
- Published
- 29
- First published
- 1990
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: Postmortem (1990) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Postmortem
Postmortem (1990) introduces Kay Scarpetta as Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner and launches Patricia Cornwell's forensic-procedural, a series credited with bringing DNA evidence and autopsy-table detail into crime fiction with a technical seriousness that was startling for its time. It runs 364 pages and sets up the partnership with detective Pete Marino that carries across the whole series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Postmortem - Book 2:
Body of Evidence
Released in 1991, Body of Evidence holds the second spot in Kay Scarpetta. It follows Postmortem and comes before All That Remains in publication order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Body of Evidence - Book 3:
All That Remains
The third book in the Kay Scarpetta series, All That Remains was published in 1992, continuing Patricia Cornwell's technically credible forensic procedural as Scarpetta works a case alongside Pete Marino and her computer-prodigy niece Lucy, whose own arc runs the length of the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of All That Remains - Book 4:
Cruel and Unusual
Cruel and Unusual is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 1993 at 356 pages. It sits at #4 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. All That Remains comes before it, The Body Farm after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Cruel and Unusual - Book 5:
The Body Farm
The Body Farm is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 1994 at 387 pages. It sits at #5 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. Cruel and Unusual comes before it, From Potter's Field after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Body Farm - Book 6:
From Potter's Field
From Potter's Field, published in 1995 at 393 pages, is a novel by Patricia Cornwell. It sits at #6 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. The Body Farm comes before it, Cause of Death after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of From Potter's Field - Book 7:
Cause of Death
Cause of Death is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 1996 at 354 pages. It sits at #7 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. It sits between From Potter's Field and Unnatural Exposure.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Cause of Death - Book 8:
Unnatural Exposure
Unnatural Exposure is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 1997 at 367 pages. It is entry #8 in Kay Scarpetta. It sits between Cause of Death and Point of Origin.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Unnatural Exposure - Book 9:
Point of Origin
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.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Point of Origin - Book 10:
Black Notice
Black Notice, published in 1999 at 441 pages, is a novel by Patricia Cornwell. It sits at #10 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. Point of Origin comes before it, The Last Precinct after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Black Notice - Book 11:
The Last Precinct
The Last Precinct, published in 2000 at 463 pages, is a novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is entry #11 in Kay Scarpetta. It sits between Black Notice and Blow Fly.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Last Precinct - Book 12:
Blow Fly
Blow Fly is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 2003 at 483 pages. It is entry #12 in Kay Scarpetta. The Last Precinct comes before it, Trace after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Blow Fly - Book 13:
Trace
Trace is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 2004 at 416 pages. It is entry #13 in Kay Scarpetta. Blow Fly comes before it, Predator after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Trace - Book 14:
Predator
Predator, published in 2005 at 437 pages, is a novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is entry #14 in Kay Scarpetta. It sits between Trace and Book of the Dead.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Predator - Book 15:
Book of the Dead
Book of the Dead is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 2007 at 411 pages. It is entry #15 in Kay Scarpetta. It sits between Predator and Scarpetta.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Book of the Dead - Book 16:
Scarpetta
Released in 2008, Scarpetta holds the sixteenth spot in the series that bears her name, with Patricia Cornwell keeping the autopsy-table detail and the Marino-and-Lucy dynamic that has defined the books since Postmortem.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Scarpetta - Book 17:
The Scarpetta Factor
The Scarpetta Factor, published in 2009 at 501 pages, is a novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is entry #17 in Kay Scarpetta. Scarpetta comes before it, Port Mortuary after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Scarpetta Factor - Book 18:
Port Mortuary
Port Mortuary is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 2010 at 507 pages. It sits at #18 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. The Scarpetta Factor comes before it, Red Mist after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Port Mortuary - Book 19:
Red Mist
Red Mist, published in 2011 at 512 pages, is a novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is entry #19 in Kay Scarpetta. Port Mortuary comes before it, The Bone Bed after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Red Mist - Book 20:
The Bone Bed
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.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bone Bed - Book 21:
Dust
Released in 2013, Dust holds the twenty-first spot in Kay Scarpetta, part of the long unbroken run of forensic procedurals Patricia Cornwell published through the 2010s before the series went quiet for five years after Chaos.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dust - Book 22:
Flesh and Blood
Released in 2014, Flesh and Blood holds the twenty-second spot in Kay Scarpetta, running 424 pages of the DNA-and-trace-evidence procedural detail that has been the series' selling point since Cornwell, a former medical examiner's office worker herself, began the series in 1990.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Flesh and Blood - Book 23:
Depraved Heart
Released in 2015, Depraved Heart holds the twenty-third spot in Kay Scarpetta. It follows Flesh and Blood and comes before Chaos in publication order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Depraved Heart - Book 24:
Chaos
Chaos, published in 2016 at 432 pages, is a novel by Patricia Cornwell. It sits at #24 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. Depraved Heart comes before it, Autopsy after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Chaos - Book 25:
Autopsy
Autopsy is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 2021 at 400 pages. It sits at #25 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. Chaos comes before it, Livid after.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Autopsy - Book 26:
Livid
Livid is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 2022 at 480 pages. It sits at #26 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. It sits between Autopsy and Unnatural Death.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Livid - Book 27:
Unnatural Death
Unnatural Death is the twenty-seventh book in the Kay Scarpetta series, published in 2023 and running 419 pages, part of the higher-tech, higher-stakes direction Patricia Cornwell took the series in after its 2021 revival with Autopsy.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Unnatural Death - Book 28:
Identity Unknown
Identity Unknown is a novel by Patricia Cornwell, in 2024 at 400 pages. It sits at #28 in Kay Scarpetta's reading order. It sits between Unnatural Death and Sharp Force.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Identity Unknown - Book 29:
Sharp Force
Sharp Force (2025) is the most recent Kay Scarpetta book in this catalogue. It follows Identity Unknown in the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sharp Force
About the Kay Scarpetta series
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 and her computer-prodigy niece Lucy, whose own arc — from teenage hacker to helicopter-flying federal agent — runs the full length of the series.
The books balance cold procedural detail with a genuinely dangerous recurring antagonist thread (most notoriously the serial killer plotline that dominates the first decade) and, in the 2020s revival, pivot toward higher-tech, higher-stakes conspiracies involving artificial intelligence and government surveillance. It's for readers who want their crime fiction technically credible and unsqueamish about the mortuary, told by a writer who worked in a real medical examiner's office before turning to fiction.
Frequently asked questions
How many Kay Scarpetta books are there?
There are 29 novels as of Sharp Force (2025), starting with Postmortem in 1990. Patricia Cornwell has said a 30th is already finished and due out in the future, though it isn't titled or dated yet.
What order should I read the Kay Scarpetta books in?
Publication order, from Postmortem onward. Scarpetta's career, family relationships and several major antagonist arcs build continuously across the series.
Is there a good place to jump into the Scarpetta series partway through?
Autopsy (2021) works reasonably well as a second entry point — it reintroduces the whole cast after Cornwell's five-year gap and modernised the series' technology and tone.
What is the next Kay Scarpetta book?
Rapid and Fatal, the 30th novel, is scheduled for January 19, 2027.
Are the Andy Brazil and Win Garano books part of the Scarpetta series?
No. Both are separate Patricia Cornwell series with different lead characters and continuities, even though Win Garano's books share some minor connective tissue with the Scarpetta world. Cornwell's Captain Chase techno-thriller duology is likewise unconnected.
If you like the Kay Scarpetta series
Reading order last verified .