Third book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series, closely based on the Colonial Parkway case, involving a suspected serial killer believed to have murdered eight people in Virginia during the 1980s.
The plot presents, on the one hand, the professional challenges faced by the medical examiner, the interference of the CIA and the FBI, the reaction of a well-known politician who is the mother of one of the victims, and the pressure exerted by the media. On the other hand, it explores the medical examiner’s emotional life, shaped by the demands and difficulties of her profession.
The killer is attracted to couples, including same-sex couples. A psychiatrist and a fortune teller complete the complex picture of a series now regarded as a classic. Its adaptation for television has renewed readers’ interest in the genre.