Two mauled bodies in the woods. Two top secret autopsies. The most chilling case of Scarpetta’s career . . .

Book blurb

Chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement.

The victims have been savaged beyond recognition, and other evidence is terrifying and baffling, including a larger-than-life footprint.

After one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta must discover who would commit murders this brutal, and why.

My thoughts

I’ve been back with Dr Kay Scarpetta and once again having a terrific time getting immersed in another incredible story.

Kay and Marino are flown to the site of an horrific attack on two people who had been camping off grid not too far from their home. The couple were being monitored by the FBI and Secret Service with suspected links to Russia and China.

The way in which the couple were murdered is being kept out of the media as there are some strange things about the attack and who might have been responsible. The attacker was wearing a very high tech outfit that blocked their image from the security cameras that had been placed by the victims along the path to their camp. Cameras that had been hacked into by the secret service as part of their investigation.

Once they have recovered the bodies Kay, assisted by Marino, will do the autopsies in a mobile facility of the secret service which has been put in the car park of her head quarters. When they arrive and are told by Lucy and Tron that the autopsies will be watched by various people and that they have both been given special clearance as they will be brought in on what will turn out to be quite devastating news of an old enemy long since believed dead.

As always we are brought up to date on the machinations of the Chief Medical Officer’s Department, on family and other matters that make the stories so compelling. The investigation is very well plotted and draws the reader in to a resolution that is cleverly executed. I have read this series since the beginning and continue to enjoy it. Unnatural Death is well worth a read.

Book: Purchased

Previously read: Livid | Autopsy | Chaos | Depraved Heart | Flesh and Blood | Dust | The Bone Bed | Red Mist | Port Mortuary | The Scarpetta Factor | Scarpetta | Book of the Dead | Predator | Trace | Blow Fly | The Last Precinct | Black Notice | Point of Origin | Unnatural Exposure| Cause of Death | From Potter’s Field | The Body Farm | Cruel and Unusual | All That Remains | Body of Evidence | Postmortem

20BooksofSummer2025

I have read Unnatural Death by Patricia Cornwell as part of my 20 books of summer challenge.

My list of books being read for this challenge. 

20 books of summer has new hosts Emma of Words and Peace and you can read all about it on Annabel’s blog including all the rules and sign up. It’s a challenge I’ve always enjoyed and am sure I’ll continue to do so. 

The challenge takes place between 1 June and 31 August 2025.

Information

Published: Sphere, Little Brown Group (2023) |Hachette UK | Grand Central Publications | ISBN: 978-1-4087-2868-0 |

Buy: Bookshop.org (affiliate link) | Hive | Amazon | Your local bookshop | Your local library

Author

In 1990, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards, as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventures—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.

Today, Cornwell’s novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper’s identity, cookbooks, a children’s book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and three other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano, Andy Brazil, and Captain Calli Chase.

Cornwell continues exploring the latest space-age technologies and threats relevant to contemporary life. Her interests range from the morgue to artificial intelligence and include visits to Interpol, the Pentagon, the U.S. Secret Service, and NASA.

Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.

Patricia Cornwell website | Scarpetta coming to our screens – Good housekeeping

Books

SCARPETTA SERIES

Unnatural Death | Livid | Autopsy | Chaos | Depraved Heart | Flesh and Blood | Dust | The Bone Bed | Red Mist | Port Mortuary | The Scarpetta Factor | Scarpetta | Book of the Dead | Predator | Trace | Blow Fly | The Last Precinct | Black Notice | Point of Origin | Unnatural Exposure| Cause of Death | From Potter’s Field | The Body Farm | Cruel and Unusual | All That Remains | Body of Evidence | Postmortem

CAPTAIN CHASE SERIES

Spin | Quantum

ANDY BRAZIL SERIES

Isle of Dogs | Southern Cross | Hornet’s Nest

WIN GARANO SERIES

The Front | At Risk

NONFICTION

Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert | Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper—Case Closed

BIOGRAPHY

Ruth, a Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham

OTHER WORKS

Food to Die For: Secrets from Kay Scarpetta’s Kitchen | Life’s Little Fable | Scarpetta’s Winter Table