Patricia Cornwell Books in Order
Patricia Cornwell has written 45 books, published between 1983 and 2026. The first book is Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham (1983) and the newest is True Crime (2026). One more title is announced: Rapid and Fatal (2027). Publication order is the reading order below. 30 of the 46 books listed here are in the Kay Scarpetta series, which has its own page: Kay Scarpetta books in order.
- Books
- 45 + 1 announced
- Published
- 1983–2026
- Confirmed
- 45 of 46 titles
- Pages on record
- 11,759 in 30 of 46 books
- Reading time
- 196–294 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 11,759 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 30 of 46 titles with a page count on record.
Medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is the character that made Patricia Cornwell's name. Cornwell, born Patricia Carroll Daniels on June 9, 1956, is an American crime writer. The first Scarpetta novel drew on a string of murders in Richmond, Virginia, the city where most of the books take place, and the plots lean heavily on forensic science. The catalogue lists 46 Cornwell titles, from Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham (1983) and Postmortem (1990) through True Crime (2026), with Rapid and Fatal due in 2027. Other series include Andy Brazil/Judy Hammer, Winston Garano and Captain Chase. Cornwell has also named Walter Sickert as Jack the Ripper.
The Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell follows Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner who uses forensic science to investigate deaths and serial killers. Her niece Lucy is part of her team, and the books follow the pair through the justice system.
How many Patricia Cornwell books are there?
Patricia Cornwell has 45 published books, released between 1983 and 2026. They include 5 series and 1 title listed outside any series. One more, Rapid and Fatal (2027), is announced.
Patricia Cornwell Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 46 Patricia Cornwell books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell GrahamPatricia Cornwell Non-Fiction #11983 · 294 pages · confirmed 4/419832944/4
- 21990–4/4
- 31991–4/4
- 41992–4/4
- 519934094/4
- 6Cruel & Unusual1994 · 416 pages · confirmed 1/419944161/4
- 719943684/4
- 819953844/4
- 919963694/4
- 1019963684/4
- 1119973524/4
- 121998914/4
- 1319983824/4
- 1419984184/4
- 151999–4/4
- 161999–4/4
- 1720004684/4
- 18Food to Die For: Secrets From Kay Scarpetta's KitchenPatricia Cornwell Non-Fiction #32001 · 232 pages · confirmed 4/420012324/4
- 1920014134/4
- 20Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper - Case ClosedPatricia Cornwell Non-Fiction #42002 · 383 pages · confirmed 4/420023834/4
- 2120034674/4
- 2220044014/4
- 2320054004/4
- 2420062124/4
- 2520074054/4
- 2620083044/4
- 2720085004/4
- 2820094944/4
- 292010–4/4
- 3020114984/4
- 3120124634/4
- 3220134954/4
- 332014–4/4
- 3420143694/4
- 3520154664/4
- 3620163854/4
- 37Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter SickertPatricia Cornwell Non-Fiction #62017 · 553 pages · confirmed 4/420175534/4
- 382019–4/4
- 392020–4/4
- 402021–4/4
- 412022–4/4
- 422023–4/4
- 432024–3/4
- 442025–4/4
- 452026–3/4
- 462027–3/4
Patricia Cornwell series and characters in order
Each link below opens a reading-order page with every book in publication order.
- Kay Scarpetta books in order 29 books
- Andy Brazil books in order 3 books
Patricia Cornwell books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Patricia Cornwell Non-Fiction
7 books7 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Andy Brazil/Judy Hammer in order
3 booksWinston Garano in order
2 booksCaptain Chase in order
2 booksPatricia Cornwell Picture in order
1 bookStandalone books
1 book1 Patricia Cornwell title here is not listed as part of any series.
Patricia Cornwell Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Patricia Cornwell books run from Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham (1983) to True Crime (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Patricia Cornwell in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Patricia Cornwell books in order?
You only need to read Patricia Cornwell books in order within each series: the books listed here span 5 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
What order should you read Patricia Cornwell books in?
Read Patricia Cornwell one series at a time, each in its own publication order: Kay Scarpetta starts with Postmortem (1990) and Andy Brazil starts with Hornet's Nest (1996). The earliest catalogued title overall is Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham (1983).
What is the first Patricia Cornwell book?
Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham (1983) is the first Patricia Cornwell book, and the numbered table above starts with it.
What is the newest Patricia Cornwell book?
True Crime (2026) is the newest Patricia Cornwell book released so far.
Is there a new Patricia Cornwell book coming?
Yes. Rapid and Fatal (2027) is the next Patricia Cornwell book announced in the catalogue. A publication year announced this far ahead moves, so it is worth rechecking: every announced title dated after 2026 sits on the upcoming book releases page.
Awards Patricia Cornwell has won
Wikidata records 4 awards for Patricia Cornwell. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Gold Dagger1993Wonfor Cruel and Unusual
- Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel1991Wonfor Postmortem
- Anthony Award for Best First Novel1991Wonfor Postmortem
- CWA New Blood Dagger1990Wonfor Postmortem
Patricia Cornwell at a glance
- Still publishing
- Patricia Cornwell is still publishing. Rapid and Fatal is announced for 2027.
- Release pace
- Patricia Cornwell books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 11,759 pages across the 30 of 46 books with a recorded length, a median of 400 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Patricia Cornwell books, 15 of 46, were published in the 1990s.
- Corroboration
- 42 of the 46 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and 45 in at least three.
What the Patricia Cornwell books are about
39 of the 46 Patricia Cornwell books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: kay scarpetta (fictitious character) is tagged on 27 of 39. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Kay Scarpetta (Fictitious character) 27 of 39 books
- Forensic pathologists 23 of 39 books
- Women physicians 21 of 39 books
- Medical examiners (Law) 20 of 39 books
- Mystery & detective, women sleuths 12 of 39 books
- Mystery & detective 8 of 39 books
- Scarpetta, kay (fictitious character) 6 of 39 books
- Serial murders 6 of 39 books
- Medical fiction 5 of 39 books
- Women pathologists 5 of 39 books
- Police 4 of 39 books