These few days found a very old novel in the whole collection of books...from what my sister told me the book was actually a birthday present from my mum to my dad many many years back..the book is Post-Mortem by Patricia Cornwell..Patricia Cornwell (born Patricia Carroll Daniels June 9, 1956) is a contemporary American crime writer. She is widely known for writing a popular series of novels featuring the heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner.
In 2002, Cornwell claimed to have solved the mystery of the Jack the Ripper murders by accusing noted painter Walter Sickert, though her conclusions and methods have been widely criticized.
In 2002, Cornwell claimed to have solved the mystery of the Jack the Ripper murders by accusing noted painter Walter Sickert, though her conclusions and methods have been widely criticized.
Plot summary
Five women with apparently nothing in common had been brutally murdered, limbs tied and strangled, always on a Saturday pre-dawn morning. The serial killer, originally dubbed a "Mr. Nobody," moves undetected through a paralyzed city, leaving behind a gruesome trail of carnage but few clues. However, he had a weakness - he leaves behind strong traces of boron based industrial handwash paste.
Initially, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Virginia, and Pete Marino, homicide detective at the Richmond Police Department was at a loss of how to track this killer. In the end, Dr. Kay Scarpetta had a guess that he could be someone who had a strong body odour, and he regularly washes himself, even at work.
They then decided to release a false report to the press about "breakthroughs" in investigations, describing the killer as a regular man on the street, who is very conscious about his own body odour due to a birth defect.
During the course of the investigations, after going through the details of the victims' life, Dr. Kay Scarpetta realised that despite one of them being an African-American woman, the way she speaks sounded like a white woman. This caused Dr. Kay Scarpetta to deduce that only a 911 operator has the required information to stalk down his victims, as every 911 call that came in, the address and details of the occupants in the particular place was revealed, and he only chose women living alone.
Her hypothesis was correct, but it resulted in her almost being the sixth victim, as she was a regular caller to 911, due to work commitments and the need to be involved in investigations.
One Saturday morning, the killer apparently showed up at her home. As the killer moved away to get something to tie her up with she reached and grabbed the pistol under her pillow, just as Pete Marino barged into the room and shot the killer. Later, Dr. Scarpetta realized that her .38 was not loaded.
Marino had realized that Dr. Scarpetta might be the next victim and had staked out her home. Which was the reason he was able to show up and save her when the killer showed up.
Initially, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Virginia, and Pete Marino, homicide detective at the Richmond Police Department was at a loss of how to track this killer. In the end, Dr. Kay Scarpetta had a guess that he could be someone who had a strong body odour, and he regularly washes himself, even at work.
They then decided to release a false report to the press about "breakthroughs" in investigations, describing the killer as a regular man on the street, who is very conscious about his own body odour due to a birth defect.
During the course of the investigations, after going through the details of the victims' life, Dr. Kay Scarpetta realised that despite one of them being an African-American woman, the way she speaks sounded like a white woman. This caused Dr. Kay Scarpetta to deduce that only a 911 operator has the required information to stalk down his victims, as every 911 call that came in, the address and details of the occupants in the particular place was revealed, and he only chose women living alone.
Her hypothesis was correct, but it resulted in her almost being the sixth victim, as she was a regular caller to 911, due to work commitments and the need to be involved in investigations.
One Saturday morning, the killer apparently showed up at her home. As the killer moved away to get something to tie her up with she reached and grabbed the pistol under her pillow, just as Pete Marino barged into the room and shot the killer. Later, Dr. Scarpetta realized that her .38 was not loaded.
Marino had realized that Dr. Scarpetta might be the next victim and had staked out her home. Which was the reason he was able to show up and save her when the killer showed up.
Okay...the story line IS gruesome...but I'm somehow addicted to the way she writes...and I seriously learnt alot about medical investigations especially laboratory work...Too bad I only have one of her books...others guess have to search for the E-books le...
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