Kay Scarpetta Books in Order
Kay Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell contains 29 books, published between 1990 and 2025. The first book is Postmortem (1990) and the newest is Sharp Force (2025). One more title is announced: Rapid and Fatal (2027). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 29 + 1 announced
- Published
- 1990–2025
- Confirmed
- 30 of 30 titles
- Pages on record
- 8,110 in 19 of 30 books
- Reading time
- 135–203 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 8,110 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 19 of 30 titles with a page count on record.
Kay Scarpetta is Patricia Cornwell's forensic crime series, built around a medical examiner whose casework covers autopsies, pathology and serial murder investigation. Postmortem (1990) opens the sequence, which now runs to 30 books and reaches Sharp Force. Rapid and Fatal is scheduled for 2027. Volumes median 409 pages, the 1990s were the heaviest decade for new entries, and the series is ongoing.
How many Kay Scarpetta books are there?
Kay Scarpetta has 29 published books, released between 1990 and 2025. One more, Rapid and Fatal (2027), is announced.
Kay Scarpetta Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 30 Kay Scarpetta 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.
- 1Postmortem1990 · confirmed 4/41990–4/4
- 2Body of Evidence1991 · confirmed 4/41991–4/4
- 3All That Remains1992 · confirmed 4/41992–4/4
- 4Cruel and Unusual1993 · 409 pages · confirmed 4/419934094/4
- 5The Body Farm1994 · 368 pages · confirmed 4/419943684/4
- 6From Potter's Field1995 · 384 pages · confirmed 4/419953844/4
- 7Cause of Death1996 · 368 pages · confirmed 4/419963684/4
- 8Unnatural Exposure1997 · 352 pages · confirmed 4/419973524/4
- 9Point of Origin1998 · 418 pages · confirmed 4/419984184/4
- 10Black Notice1999 · confirmed 4/41999–4/4
- 11The Last Precinct2000 · 468 pages · confirmed 4/420004684/4
- 12Blow Fly2003 · 467 pages · confirmed 4/420034674/4
- 13Trace2004 · 401 pages · confirmed 4/420044014/4
- 14Predator2005 · 400 pages · confirmed 4/420054004/4
- 15Book of the Dead2007 · 405 pages · confirmed 4/420074054/4
- 16Scarpetta2008 · 500 pages · confirmed 4/420085004/4
- 17The Scarpetta Factor2009 · 494 pages · confirmed 4/420094944/4
- 18Port Mortuary2010 · confirmed 4/42010–4/4
- 19Red Mist2011 · 498 pages · confirmed 4/420114984/4
- 20The Bone Bed2012 · 463 pages · confirmed 4/420124634/4
- 21Dust2013 · 495 pages · confirmed 4/420134954/4
- 22Flesh and Blood2014 · 369 pages · confirmed 4/420143694/4
- 23Depraved Heart2015 · 466 pages · confirmed 4/420154664/4
- 24Chaos2016 · 385 pages · confirmed 4/420163854/4
- 25Autopsy2021 · confirmed 4/42021–4/4
- 26Livid2022 · confirmed 4/42022–4/4
- 27Unnatural Death2023 · confirmed 4/42023–4/4
- 28Identity Unknown2024 · confirmed 3/42024–3/4
- 29Sharp Force2025 · confirmed 4/42025–4/4
- 30Rapid and Fatal2027 · confirmed 3/42027–3/4
Kay Scarpetta Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Kay Scarpetta books run from Postmortem (1990) to Sharp Force (2025), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Kay Scarpetta in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Kay Scarpetta books in order?
You should read the Kay Scarpetta books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Kay Scarpetta book also stands alone.
What order should you read Kay Scarpetta books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with Postmortem (1990), the earliest published title. After it come Body of Evidence (1991), All That Remains (1992), Cruel and Unusual (1993) and The Body Farm (1994); the numbered table above continues from there.
What is the newest Kay Scarpetta book?
Sharp Force (2025) is the newest Kay Scarpetta book released so far.
Is there a new Kay Scarpetta book coming?
Yes. Rapid and Fatal (2027) is the next Kay Scarpetta 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 Kay Scarpetta has won
Wikidata records 4 awards for Kay Scarpetta. 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
Kay Scarpetta at a glance
- Still running
- Kay Scarpetta is still running. Rapid and Fatal is announced for 2027.
- Release pace
- Kay Scarpetta books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 8,110 pages across the 19 of 30 books with a recorded length, a median of 409 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Kay Scarpetta books, 10 of 30, were published in the 1990s.
- Corroboration
- 28 of the 30 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
What the Kay Scarpetta books are about
26 of the 30 Kay Scarpetta books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: forensic pathologists is tagged on 21 of 26. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Forensic pathologists 21 of 26 books
- Women physicians 19 of 26 books
- Medical examiners (Law) 18 of 26 books
- Mystery & detective, women sleuths 11 of 26 books
- Mystery & detective 5 of 26 books
- Scarpetta, kay (fictitious character) 5 of 26 books
- Women pathologists 5 of 26 books
- Medical fiction 4 of 26 books
- Serial murders 3 of 26 books
- Medical examiners (Law) -- Fiction 2 of 26 books
- Murder 2 of 26 books
More books by Patricia Cornwell
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Patricia Cornwell books in order 45 books