Part of Kay Scarpetta, book 2
First published 2004
Beryl Madison has endured months of threatening calls and constant surveillance. The successful writer flees her Key West home after finding a menacing message carved into her car. She returns to Richmond seeking safety, but on her first night back, she turns off her security system and admits someone into her house. That person nearly removes her head. Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta arrives at the brutal crime scene with pressing questions. Why would Beryl willingly open her door? Where is her missing manuscript? The investigation draws Scarpetta into a second murder involving Beryl's envious mentor, another writer who met a violent end. As Scarpetta navigates mounting personal and professional challenges, she applies cutting edge forensic techniques to gather crucial evidence. The clues she collects require her analytical mind, empathy, and creative thinking to decode their meaning. Her pursuit of answers pulls her deeper into danger, leading directly toward a terrifying confrontation that threatens her own survival.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, investigation, murder-mystery
Setting: Key West, Richmond
403 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Pocket Books
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, murder