A review by winstonholyfield
Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

 
Kay Scarpetta is a forensic pathologist in Richmond Virginia who is investigating a serial killer who targets women late Friday night/early Saturday morning. He ties his victims up before raping and torturing them causing them to strangle themselves due to his trusses. 

The novel suffers from being ahead of its time, in 1990 Law and Order was in its first season, CSI was 10 years away and Criminal Minds another 5 years after CSI. The scientific and forensic investigation has become a staple of the genre which makes this early entry stand out less. It’s a good book with a clear critique of institutional sexism and is about as satisfying as a good Law and Order episode. Not the first crime book I would recommend but hardly a bad choice. 

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