No writer has come to epitomize the modern forensic novel like Patricia Cornwell and her tough, but loveable medical examiner, Kay Scarpetta.
The author of 22 novels and three non-fiction works, Ms. Cornwell's work leads the genre that has spawned such mega-hits TV shows as the CSI franchises and Cold Case Squad.
Early Years
Patricia Cornwell was born Patricia Daniels in Miami in 1956, the daugther of an appellate attorney and a secretary. Her parents divorced when she was young and Patricia, her mother, and her two brothers moved to Montreat North Carolina. The family lived just down the street from evangelist Billy Graham and his wife, Ruth. It was Ruth Graham that gave the young Patricia her first journal and encouraged her to write. Later, Ms. Cornwell's first book would be a biography of Ruth Graham.
Patricia Cornwell graduated from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina and married her English professor Charles Cornwell, 17 years her senior, shortly after graduation. She worked as a reporter at the Charlotte (NC) Observer, followed by jobs as a police reporter and as a technical writer and computer anaylst at the Virginia Medical Examiner's Office.
Her Writing
Patricia Cornwell's first book, A Time for Remembering, a biography of Mrs. Graham, was published in 1983. Her first crime novel, Portmortem, was rejected repeatedly before being accepted by Scribner in 1990 for $6000. The book, which introduced her primary character, Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta, was popularly acclaimed and won numerous awards, including the Edgar and Creasey Awards.
Postmortem was followed by 22 novels and two additional non-fiction works, including a non-fiction account of Victorian London's "Jack the Ripper" murders and her most recent novel, Book of the Dead.
Personal Strife and Solace
In 1996, Ms. Cornwell's name hit the Richmond headlines when a former FBI agent, Eugene Bennett, threatened to kill his wife's minister and set off several pipe bombs, allegedly unhinged by his wife's past affair with Ms. Cornwell. Police intervened and no one was injured. Mr. Bennet was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Today, Ms. Cornwell splits her time between Los Angeles and Richmond. She recently described herself to the New York Times as being involved in a "healthy, long-term relationship with a woman." In addition to her writing, Ms. Cornwell is the Director of Applied Forensic Science at the National Forensic Institute and sponsors scholarships to her alma mater, Davidson College.
Bibliography
- An Uncommon Friend: The Authorized Biography of Ruth Bell Graham (1983)
- Postmortem (1990)
- Body of Evidence (1991)
- All That Remains (1992)
- Cruel and Unusual (1993)
- The Body Farm (1994)
- From Potter's Field (1995)
- Cause of Death (1996)
- Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham (1997)
- Unnatural Exposure (1997)
- Hornet's Nest (1997)
- Southern Cross (1998)
- Scarpetta's Winter Table (1998)
- Point of Origin (1998)
- Life's Little Fable (1999)
- Black Notice (1999)
- The Last Precinct (2000)
- Food to Die For: Secrets from Kay Scarpetta's Kitchen (2001)
- Isle of Dogs (2001)
- Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper - Case Closed (2002)
- Blow Fly (2003)
- Trace (2004)
- Predator (2005)
- At Risk (2006)
- Book of the Dead (2007)
