Patricia Cornwell Books in Order Scarpetta Series List

Patricia Cornwell books featuring forensic pathologist Dr Kay Scarpetta may not be as popular as they once were but with the recent couple of additions to the long-standing book series Patricia Cornwell is likely to be once again dominating best seller lists. If you have not read Patricia Cornwell before or are only a couple of crime novels in you may be wondering about the order you need to read the Scarpetta series in. This article discusses the reading order of Patricia Cornwell books, some frequently asked questions and how to get the most out of the Scarpetta crime series.

How Many Books are in the Scarpetta Series?

There are now 26 crime novels in the Scarpetta Series by Patricia Cornwell featuring forensic pathologist Dr Kay Scarpetta. The series began with Post Mortem in 1990 which introduced other key characters including homicide detective Pete Marino, FBI Profiler Benton Wesley and Scarpetta's niece Lucy Farinelli who have been present in most books throughout the series. While Patricia Cornwell took a break from writing Scarpetta books for around 5 years (2016 - 2020) to complete other projects Kay Scarpetta is back in two new books in the series each year since 2021.

What is the Most Recent Scarpetta Book?

Unknown Identity is the most recent Scarpetta book (#28 in the Kay Scarpetta series) by Patricia Cornwell which will published in October 2024. Unknown Identity is available for pre-order. Unnatural Death is her most recently published book which came on sale at the end of 2023.

Livid (Book 26 Dr Kay Scarpetta Series) By Patricia Cornwell Chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta finds herself a reluctant star witness in a sensational televised murder trial causing chaos in Old Town Alexandria with the threat of violent protests.
	Buy This Book at: Fishpond Mighty Ape Book Depository Amazon FREE audio version at: Audible with 3 month trial.

Autospy (Book 25 Dr Kay Scarpetta Series) By Patricia Cornwell Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta is back in Virginia solving another murder in a post-pandemic world.
	Buy This Book at: Fishpond Mighty Ape Amazon FREE audio version at: Audible with 3 month trial.

What is the Latest Kay Scarpetta Book?

The latest Kay Scarpetta book by Patricia Cornwell published in October 2024 is Identity Unknown Book #28 in the Scarpetta series featuring world-renowned forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta. Unnatural Death #27 is the next Patricia Cornwell book in the sequence after: #26 Livid (2022), #25 Autopsy (2021), #24 Chaos (2016), #23 Depraved Heart (2015), #24 Flesh and Blood (2014). Her new Scarpetta book Identity Unknown #28 in the series is slated for publication in October 2024.

What Order Should I Read Patricia Cornwell Books

While it is possible, and plenty of people do, read Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta books out of order it is not recommended due to the development of the characters and the order in which events unfold. For a more rewarding experience it is preferable to read Scarpetta books in order of publication. The same goes for her other series: Andy Brazil, Winston Garano and Captain Chase which are all best read in the order they were written.

The Complete list of Patricia Cornwell Books in Kay Scarpetta Series in order is as follows:

1. Postmortem (1990)
2. Body of Evidence (1991)
3. All That Remains (1992)
4. Cruel and Unusual (1993)
5. The Body Farm (1994)
6. From Potter's Field (1995)
7. Cause of Death (1996)
8. Unnatural Exposure (1997)
9. Point of Origin (1998)
10. Black Notice (1999)
11. The Last Precinct (2000)
12. Blow Fly (2003)
13. Trace (2004)
14. Predator (2005)
15. Book of the Dead (2007)
16. Scarpetta (2008)
17. The Scarpetta Factor (2009)
18. Port Mortuary (2010)
19. Red Mist (2011)
20. The Bone Bed (2012)
21. Dust (2013)
22. Flesh and Blood (2014)
23. Depraved Heart (2015)
24. Chaos (2016)
25. Autopsy (2021)
26. Livid (2022)
27. Unnatural Death (2023)
28. Identity Unknown (2024)
    
    Also:
    Novella: 9.5. Scarpetta's Winter Table (1998)

Other Patricia Cornwell Novels Apart from Scarpetta

Andy Brazil Series

1. Hornet's Nest (1996)
2. Southern Cross (1999)
3. Isle Of Dogs (2001)

Winston Garano Series

1. At Risk (2006)
2. The Front (2008)

Captain Chase Series

1. Quantum (2019)
2. Spin (2021)

What is Patricia Cornwell's most popular book?

Patricia Cornwell has sold around 120 million books worldwide. She has written several other series apart from the Scarpetta books but none with the success that she has achieved with forensic pathologist Dr Kay Scarpetta. Patricia Cornwell's most popular book is undoubtedly Post Mortem (Book #1 Scarpetta) which at the time of publication was groundbreaking in terms of solving murder mysteries with forensic science.

What are the Best Patricia Cornwell Books?

Our Top 5 Picks for the Scarpetta Series - Early Books

Picking the best Kay Scarpetta books by Patricia Cornwell is not as easy as you might think because some of the novels just haven't aged that well even though they are essentially good books. We've based our selection on popularity as evidenced on Good Reads and our own preferences. You can see more about each of these books and the reasons for our choices in the table below but the list of our picks for the best 5 Scarpetta books from the early part of the Scarpetta series are: Our list of Top 5 Picks of the Scarpetta series (sorted in reading order) are:

1. Post Mortem (Scarpetta #1)
2. Body of Evidence (Scarpetta #3)
3. Cruel and Unusual (Scarpetta #4)
4. Body Farm (Scarpetta #5)
5. Unnatural Exposure (Scarpetta #8)

Our Top 3 Picks - Scarpetta Series (Early Books)
Post Mortem #1 Scarpetta	What we like: Well-plotted Introduces key characters Sets up the series	Buy Now on: Fishpond Amazon Book Depository FREE audio version at: Audible with sign up
Cruel and Unusual #4 Scarpetta	What we like: Suspense Interesting character development of Kay Scarpetta character Dynamic with niece Lucy.	Buy Now on: Fishpond Amazon Book Depository FREE audio version at: Audible with sign up
Body Farm #5 Scarpetta	What we like: Entertaining read Forensic detail Dynamic with her sister	Buy Now on: Fishpond Amazon Book Depository FREE audio version at: Audible with sign up

Hope you enjoyed this run down on Patricia Cornwell books and our picks for the best Scarpetta novels. If its been a while since you last dipped into a Scarpetta novel we recommend you try the following more recent books: Flesh and Blood (Scarpetta #22) and Autopsy (Scarpetta #25) or even branch out and give her new Captain Chase series a go.

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