We’re nothing but a damn cleanup crew. Can’t do a damn thing until after the fact when there’s hard evidence. Like a dead body. (53) 

Patrica Cornwell, Body Evidence (403 pages) is a fast-paced complex mystery of mayhem, high drama, and murder spanning 20 years. “There were no lights or sirens, no need to rush when transporting the dead” (149). The protagonist , forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta, is looking for the killer of a young author; the woman’s body is discovered mutilated and murdered. Due to her working on her memoirs, the potentially explosive manuscript goes missing, and several high-profile people are investigating its whereabouts, or hiding it. Seems simple enough. Then the body count oddly starts to rise, and it soon becomes obvious that things are not as simple as first thought. “One plus one does not equal three, or does it?” (233) Scarpetta finds herself under siege and scared. “How had he gotten to their house, to my house (267)” I enjoyed this book, and if you’re wondering how the hell a forensic pathologist can search for the killer, Cronwell answers that “The code reads that the medical examiner shall make an investigation into the cause and manner of death and reduce his findings to writing. This is very broad. It gives you full investigative powers. The only thing you can’t do is arrest somebody” (201). I found myself wondering if there were more Kay Scarpetta novels. Turns out I was reading book two (which came out in 1991) out of twenty-eight. Google reports that these books do not need to be read in order. I would have to agree as I felt like this book did a great job standing alone. I also learned through Google that there is a show titled Body of Proof, which aired 2011-2013 for three seasons (45 episodes), loosely based on the books and it is streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime. Have you read these books, or seen the show? How do you suggest I proceed with Kay Scarpetta?