Dr. Kay Scarpetta is about to head to Miami for a vacation when she notices seven pennies on a wall behind their home. Is this a kids’ game? If so, why are all of the coins dated 1981 and so shiny they could be newly minted? Then she learns there’s been a homicide five minutes away. A high school teacher was shot with uncanny precision as he unloaded groceries from his car. Yet no one heard or saw a thing. Soon more victims surface. The shots seem impossible to achieve, yet they are so perfect they cause death in an instant. There is no pattern to indicate where the killer will strike next. First it was New Jersey, then Massachusetts, and then the murky depths off the coast. There she comes face to face with shocking news that implicates her niece, Lucy-Scarpetta’s own flesh and blood.
Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell is a bestselling American author known for her crime fiction novels, particularly the Kay Scarpetta series. Her works are characterized by meticulous research, detailed forensic details, and complex characters. Cornwell's contributions to the crime genre have helped redefine the genre by incorporating cutting-edge forensic science into her storytelling. Her most famous work is "Postmortem," which introduced readers to the forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Cornwell's works have had a significant impact on the crime genre, inspiring other authors to delve deeper into forensic science and create more realistic and compelling crime fiction novels.