Point of Origin - (Scarpetta) by Patricia Cornwell (Paperback)

About the Book

The clues to a series of remorseless killings go up in smoke--and only Kay Scarpetta can find them. This classic, #1 "New York Times" bestseller is now available in a tall Premium Edition and features a new Introduction by Cornwell. Repackaged reissue.

Book Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - In this "gripping" (People) thriller, the clues to a series of remorseless killings go up in smoke--and only Kay Scarpetta can find them.

"[Point of Origin] sears its way into the psyche . . . ablaze with Cornwell's finest, scariest writing."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution

IN DEVELOPMENT AS THE ORIGINAL SERIES SCARPETTA STARRING NICOLE KIDMAN AND JAMIE LEE CURTIS

The devastating fire tore through the horse farm, destroying everything it touched. Picking through the wreckage, Dr. Kay Scarpetta uncovers human remains--the work of an audacious and wily killer who uses fire to mask his brutal murders. And when Scarpetta learns that her old nemesis, Carrie Grethen, has escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is somehow involved, the investigation becomes personal. Tragedy strikes close to home. And Scarpetta must match Grethen's every move with one of her own to douse the inferno of evil that threatens everyone around her. . . .

Review Quotes

"Fans will rejoice: It's classic Patricia Cornwell."--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Gripping . . . Her hottest adventure in years."--People

"Patricia Cornwell retains that finer Dickensian indignation with the ways of the world that has been neglected by the small landscapes of much so-called serious writing."--The Washington Post

"Her most engrossing effort in years. . . . By the time you get to the gruesome denouement, you're emotionally spent, but satisfied."--Los Angeles Times

"Fans . . . will welcome this tale of twisted minds and the gory havoc they cause . . . chilling."--Publishers Weekly

"Creepy doings . . . The technical material . . . continues to fascinate."--The Wall Street Journal

"Cornwell's best in a long time . . . a fiery climax."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch

About the Author

Patricia Cornwell is one of the world's major internationally bestselling authors, translated into thirty-six languages in more than 120 countries. She is a founder of the Virginia Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine; a founding member of the National Forensic Academy; a member of the Advisory Board for the Forensic Sciences Training Program at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, New York City; and a member of the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital's National Council, where she is an advocate for psychiatric research. In 2008, Cornwell won the Galaxy British Book Awards' Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year--the first American to win this prestigious award. In 2011, she was awarded the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Ministry of Culture in Paris. Her earlier works include Postmortem--the only novel to win five major crime awards in a single year--and Cruel & Unusual, which won Britain's Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel of 1993. Dr. Kay Scarpetta herself won the 1999 Sherlock Award for the best detective created by an American author.