Part of Kay Scarpetta, book 21
First published 2013
Kay Scarpetta returns from investigating a mass murder when Detective Pete Marino calls her to MIT. A body wrapped in strange fabric lies within the campus gates. The victim appears to be Gail Shipton, a computer engineer who vanished from a Cambridge bar the previous night. Shipton faced a trial for her hundred million dollar lawsuit against former financial managers. Scarpetta notices fine dust covering the corpse that glows in three colors under ultraviolet light. The killer positioned the body with calculated intent to create shock. Scarpetta suspects the Capital Murderer, who has committed sexual homicides across Washington, D.C. Her husband Benton Wesley believes government officials want to prevent the killer's capture. The investigation pulls Scarpetta into designer drugs, drone technology, and organized crime. She worries the case connects to her niece Lucy, a computer expert. Scarpetta faces corruption reaching the highest government levels as she pursues a predator more dangerous than typical serial killers.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, corruption, serial-killer
Setting: MIT, Cambridge, Washington D.C.
Period: Present Day
512 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: murder, violence