New Releases by Patricia Cornwell

Patricia Cornwell has a sixth sense about the men and women in blue. In Hornet''s Nest, her page-turning novel about crime and police in Charlotte, North Carolina, Cornwell moved behind the badges of these real-life heroes to uncover flesh-and-blood characters who strode through her pages to reveal vulnerable, passionate, brave, sometimes doubting, always fascinating figures. In Southern Cross, Cornwell takes us even closer to the personal and professional lives of big-city police, in a story of corruption, scandal, and robberies that escalate to murder. This time, her setting is Richmond, Virginia, where Charlotte Police Chief Judy Hammer has been brought by an NIJ grant to clean up the police force. Reeling from the recent death of her husband, and resented by the police force, city manager, and mayor of Richmond, Hammer is joined by her deputy chief Virginia West and rookie Andy Brazil on the most difficult assignment of her career. In the face of overwhelming public scrutiny, the trio must bring truth, order, and sanity to a city in trouble.

The clues to a series of remorseless killings go up in smoke—and only Kay Scarpetta can find them in this #1 New York Times bestseller from Patricia Cornwell. “Sears its way into the psyche…Ablaze with Cornwell’s finest, scariest writing.”—Atlanta Journal Constitution The devastating fire tore through the horse farm, destroying everything it touched. Picking through the wreckage, Dr. Kay Scarpetta uncovers human remains—the work of an audacious and wily killer who uses fire to mask his brutal murders. And when Scarpetta learns that her old nemesis, Carrie Grethen, has escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is somehow involved, the investigation becomes personal. Tragedy strikes close to home. And Scarpetta must match Grethen’s every move with one of her own to douse the inferno of evil that threatens everyone around her... Includes an Introduction by the Author

Patricia Cornwell turns from forensics to police procedures in Hornet''s Nest. The gritty, heroic life of big-city police is seen through the eyes of three leading crimefighters from Charlotte, North Carolina--Police Chief Judy Hammer, Deputy Chief Virginia West, and ambitious young reporter Andy Brazil.

#1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell returns to the world of gutsy medical examiner Kay Scarpetta in the seventh suspenseful novel in the forensic thriller series On a quiet day, away from the hustle of Richmond, in a small cottage on the Virginia coast, Dr. Kay Scarpetta receives a disturbing phone call from the Chesapeake police. Thirty feet deep in the murky waters of Virginia''s Elizabeth River, a scuba diver''s body is discovered near the Inactive Naval Shipyard.As the police begin searching for clues, the wallet of investigative reporter Ted Eddings is found. Unnerved by the possible identity of the victim, Scarpetta orders the crime scene roped off and left alone until she arrives. What was he doing there, searching for Civil War relics as the officer suggested, or was there a bigger story? As she rifles through the multitude of clues, a second murder hits much closer to home. This new development puts Scarpetta and her colleagues hot on the trail of a military conspiracy.

A deeply personal story told as only a devoted personal friend could do.In 1963, at the age of seven, today''s superstar mystery writer, Patricia Cornwell, moved from Miami to Montreat and soon met Ruth Bell Graham. A close friendship began which still continues.By 1983, aspiring young author Patricia had the privilege of writing Ruth''s authorized biography, with incredibly detailed and honest help from Ruth -- now updated to help those who have never met this amazing woman and her famous husband.Here is the inside, deeply personal story of Ruth''s spirited childhood in China, the turbulent yet tender personal account of her courtship with Bill Graham, raising children, becoming a friend to the world, and yet remaining unawed by fame.What emerges is a loving portrait of a remarkable woman, deep in faith, warm, humorous, intelligent, and honest. By the time the last page is turned, Ruth Bell Graham has become the reader''s uncommon friend, known and trusted as Patricia Cornwell has forthirty-three years.

Etrange cérémonial que de préparer l''autopsie d''un homme qui n''est pas encore mort... C''est pourtant à quoi s''occupe le médecin-légiste Kay Scarpetta, en ce soir de décembre, en attendant le corps de Ronnie Joe Waddell, qui ne sera officiellement déclaré mort sur la chaise électrique qu''à 23h 05. Cette même nuit, le corps d''un adolescent de treize ans est découvert, mutilé, contre une benne à ordures. Et l''on relève sur les lieux du crime l''empreinte digitale d''un homme qui ne peut pas être coupable - cette même empreinte qui a fait condamner Waddell...

A serial killer is loose in Richmond, specialising in attractive young couples whose bodies are invariably found in the woods months later - minus their shoes and socks.