Reading order · 29 books · 1990 to 2025 · Set in Richmond, Virginia
Kay Scarpetta Books in Order
Dr Kay Scarpetta is a forensic pathologist and chief medical examiner, first in Richmond, Virginia. With the gruff detective Pete Marino, the FBI profiler Benton Wesley and her brilliant, troubled niece Lucy, she solves crimes through the evidence the dead leave behind. The books helped create the forensic thriller.
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Series facts
- Books
- 29
- Published
- 1990 to 2025
- First book
- Postmortem
- Latest
- Sharp Force (2025)
- Setting
- Set in Richmond, Virginia
The reading order
Every Kay Scarpetta book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
29 books · Set in Richmond, Virginia
- 1Postmortem1990With Kay ScarpettaA serial killer is strangling women in their homes in Richmond, Virginia.Buy on Amazon
- 2Body of Evidence1991With Kay ScarpettaA reclusive writer who had been receiving threatening phone calls is murdered in her Richmond home, and Kay Scarpetta investigates her last manuscript.Buy on Amazon
- 3All That Remains1992With Kay ScarpettaYoung couples are disappearing in Virginia, and their bodies are found months later in the woods.Buy on Amazon
- 4Cruel and Unusual1993With Kay ScarpettaOn the night a convicted killer is executed, a boy is murdered, and fingerprints of the executed man turn up at another crime scene.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Body Farm1994With Kay ScarpettaAn eleven-year-old girl is murdered in the mountains of North Carolina, and Kay Scarpetta joins the investigation, while her niece Lucy is in trouble at the FBI academy.Buy on Amazon
- 6From Potter’s Field1995With Kay ScarpettaOn Christmas Eve, a woman’s body is found in New York’s Central Park, and Kay Scarpetta recognises the work of Temple Gault.Buy on Amazon
- 7Cause of Death1996With Kay ScarpettaOn New Year’s Eve, a journalist is found dead underwater in a naval shipyard, apparently in a diving accident, and Kay Scarpetta suspects otherwise.Buy on Amazon
- 8Unnatural Exposure1997With Kay ScarpettaDismembered bodies are found in Ireland and in Virginia, and Kay Scarpetta faces a killer who may be using a deadly virus.Buy on Amazon
- 9Point of Origin1998With Kay ScarpettaA fire destroys a horse farm in Virginia, and Kay Scarpetta finds the body of a woman inside, while the killer Carrie Grethen escapes from a psychiatric hospital.Buy on Amazon
- 10Black Notice1999With Kay ScarpettaA body is found in a cargo container on a ship from Belgium, and Kay Scarpetta follows the clues to Paris and to a deformed killer known as the Wolfman.Buy on Amazon
- 11The Last Precinct2000With Kay ScarpettaRecovering from a vicious attack, Kay Scarpetta takes refuge with a friend, and begins to suspect she is being framed for murder.Buy on Amazon
- 12Blow Fly2003With Kay ScarpettaScarpetta, now a private forensic consultant in Florida, is drawn into a case in Louisiana, while a killer on death row demands to speak only with her.Buy on Amazon
- 13Trace2004With Kay ScarpettaKay Scarpetta returns to Richmond to help with the death of a fourteen-year-old girl, and finds her old office changed for the worse.Buy on Amazon
- 14Predator2005With Kay ScarpettaScarpetta investigates a series of bizarre crimes in Florida, while a disturbed prisoner in a research study offers cryptic tips.Buy on Amazon
- 15Book of the Dead2007With Kay ScarpettaA young American tennis star is murdered in Rome, and Kay Scarpetta, now in private practice, is called in.Buy on Amazon
- 16Scarpetta2008With Kay ScarpettaIn New York, Scarpetta is asked to examine a patient in a prison psychiatric ward who insists he is innocent of murder and is being stalked by the real killer.Buy on Amazon
- 17The Scarpetta Factor2009With Kay ScarpettaWorking with New York’s medical examiner, Scarpetta receives a suspicious package and is drawn into the disappearance of a millionaire heiress.Buy on Amazon
- 18Port Mortuary2010With Kay ScarpettaAs head of a new forensic centre in Massachusetts, Scarpetta faces a case with roots in her past that could shut it down.Buy on Amazon
- 19Red Mist2011With Kay ScarpettaScarpetta visits a women’s prison in Georgia seeking answers about the murder of her former deputy, and suspects a link to other killings.Buy on Amazon
- 20The Bone Bed2012With Kay ScarpettaScarpetta receives evidence connected to a palaeontologist who vanished at a dinosaur dig in Canada, and suspects a link to crimes closer to home.Buy on Amazon
- 21Dust2013With Kay ScarpettaA body covered in strange mineral dust is found at a university, and Scarpetta suspects the death is tied to her niece Lucy.Buy on Amazon
- 22Flesh and Blood2014With Kay ScarpettaOn her birthday, Scarpetta is called to the shooting of a teacher, and begins to hunt a sniper who leaves almost no trace.Buy on Amazon
- 23Depraved Heart2015With Kay ScarpettaScarpetta receives videos that seem to reveal secrets from her niece Lucy’s past, as the FBI builds a case against Lucy.Buy on Amazon
- 24Chaos2016With Kay ScarpettaA young cyclist is killed by what looks like a lightning strike on a cloudless day, and Scarpetta suspects murder.Buy on Amazon
- 25Autopsy2021With Kay ScarpettaAs Virginia’s new chief medical examiner, Scarpetta investigates a woman’s body found near her home, while also being asked to look into deaths aboard a secret space laboratory.Buy on Amazon
- 26Livid2022With Kay ScarpettaScarpetta is an expert witness in a televised murder trial, until she learns that the judge’s sister has been found dead.Buy on Amazon
- 27Unnatural Death2023With Kay ScarpettaScarpetta examines two campers found dead in a remote wilderness in northern Virginia, with an unexplained giant footprint nearby.Buy on Amazon
- 28Identity Unknown2024With Kay ScarpettaScarpetta is called to an abandoned theme park, where the body of a former lover has been found inside a strange circle of petals.Buy on Amazon
- 29Sharp Force2025With Kay ScarpettaA killer who cuts off his victims’ wifi before attacking them terrorises northern Virginia, and Scarpetta is called to an abandoned psychiatric hospital.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the books in order, starting with Postmortem. Kay’s relationships and several of her enemies carry over from book to book.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Kay Scarpetta | Pete Marino | Benton Wesley | Lucy Farinelli | Rose | Dorothy Farinelli | Carrie Grethen | Temple Gault |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Postmortem | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 2 Body of Evidence | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 3 All That Remains | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 4 Cruel and Unusual | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 5 The Body Farm | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 6 From Potter’s Field | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 7 Cause of Death | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 8 Unnatural Exposure | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 9 Point of Origin | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 10 Black Notice | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 11 The Last Precinct | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 12 Blow Fly | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 13 Trace | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 14 Predator | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 15 Book of the Dead | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 16 Scarpetta | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 17 The Scarpetta Factor | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 18 Port Mortuary | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 19 Red Mist | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 20 The Bone Bed | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 21 Dust | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 22 Flesh and Blood | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 23 Depraved Heart | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 24 Chaos | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 25 Autopsy | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 26 Livid | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 27 Unnatural Death | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 28 Identity Unknown | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 29 Sharp Force | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
Characters in the Kay Scarpetta books
9 characters from Patricia Cornwell’s chart, with the number of Kay Scarpetta books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Kay ScarpettaChief medical examiner and forensic pathologist | 29 | Postmortem 1990 |
| Pete MarinoDetective, later Scarpetta’s investigator | 29 | Postmortem 1990 |
| Benton WesleyFBI profiler and Scarpetta’s partner, later husband | 29 | Postmortem 1990 |
| Lucy FarinelliScarpetta’s niece, a computer and weapons specialist | 29 | Postmortem 1990 |
| RoseScarpetta’s secretary | 15 | Postmortem 1990 |
| Dorothy FarinelliScarpetta’s sister, Lucy’s mother | 4 | Postmortem 1990 |
| Carrie GrethenFormer FBI computer specialist turned killer | 4 | The Body Farm 1994 |
| Temple GaultSerial killer | 3 | Cruel and Unusual 1993 |
| Jean-Baptiste ChandonneSerial killer known as the Wolfman | 3 | Black Notice 1999 |