Part of Kay Scarpetta, book 10
First published 2000
Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta faces a puzzling case when a cargo ship docks at Richmond's Deep Water Terminal carrying deadly cargo. Inside a sealed container from Belgium lies the decomposed body of a stowaway. The autopsy reveals no clear cause of death or identity. Only the victim's belongings and a strange tattoo provide clues. These lead Scarpetta to Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France, where officials give her urgent orders. She must travel to the Paris morgue to collect classified evidence, then return to Virginia for a dangerous assignment. The mission threatens to destroy her career. As Scarpetta follows the investigation across international borders, she puts herself and her loved ones in mortal danger.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, international-investigation
Setting: Richmond, Belgium, Paris, Virginia, Lyon
Period: 21st-century
441 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley