The fourth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, by No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.

"America's most chilling crime novelist" - The Times

Fingerprints say the killer is the man just executed . . . At 11:05 on a December night in Richmond, Virginia, convicted murderer Ronnie Joe Waddell is declared dead in the electric chair. At the morgue, Dr. Kay Scarpetta awaits Waddell's body. Preparing to perform an autopsy before the subject is dead is an odd feeling, but Scarpetta has been in this situation before. And Waddell's death is not the only significant event this cold night: the grotesquely injured body of a young boy is found propped against a dumpster. For Scarpetta, the two cases seem unrelated, until she remembers that Waddell’s victim’s body was arranged in a similarly striking position . . .

Praise for the groundbreaking series: "One of the best crime writers today" - Guardian "Devilishly clever" - Sunday Times "The top in the field" - Daily Telegraph "Forget pretenders. Cornwell reigns" - Mirror "The Agatha Christie of the DNA age" - Express

Pages: 416, Year of Publication: 1101, Dimensions: 15.2x15.2cm