Kay Scarpetta book 4 · 1993
Cruel and Unusual
On the night a convicted killer is executed, a boy is murdered, and fingerprints of the executed man turn up at another crime scene. The case brings Kay Scarpetta up against the killer Temple Gault.
Spoiler-free summary written for The Recurring Cast.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Book facts
- Author
- Patricia Cornwell
- Series
- Kay Scarpetta, book 4 of 29
- Published
- 1993
- Setting
- Set in Richmond, Virginia
- Characters charted
- 6
- Chart confidence
- Medium
Who is in Cruel and Unusual
6 recurring or key characters from Patricia Cornwell’s chart. Introduces Temple Gault.
Lead 1
- Kay ScarpettaChief medical examiner and forensic pathologist
Major 4
- Pete MarinoDetective, later Scarpetta’s investigator
- Benton WesleyFBI profiler and Scarpetta’s partner, later husband
- Lucy FarinelliScarpetta’s niece, a computer and weapons specialist
- Temple GaultFirst appearanceSerial killer
Minor and cameo 1
- RoseScarpetta’s secretary
Also featuring these characters
Other Patricia Cornwell books that share the most characters with Cruel and Unusual.
- From Potter’s Field1995 · Kay Scarpetta · 6 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- Body of Evidence1991 · Kay Scarpetta · 5 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- Postmortem1990 · Kay Scarpetta · 5 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- Cause of Death1996 · Kay Scarpetta · 5 shared charactersBuy on Amazon