The twelfth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.

America's most chilling writer of crime fiction The Times

After her resignation as Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner and the horrifying events which threatened her life in The Last Precinct, Kay Scarpetta has abandoned her elegant home in Richmond and is quietly living in Florida, beginning to get some balance back in her life and slowly establishing herself as a private forensic consultant. But her past won't let her rest, and her grief for Benton Wesley continues to grow, not diminish, as does the rage within Lucy, her niece.

Then the architect of her changed fortunes contacts her from his cell on death row: deformed, blinded by Scarpetta's own actions, incarcerated in Texas' strongest prison, Jean-Baptiste Chardonne still has the ability to terrify. But, unknown to Scarpetta, there are other forces behind the wolfman's apparent actions, invisibly shepherding her and those closest to her towards eliminating those who threaten them all. And it is all orchestrated by the one man in her life who knows every nuance of her soul.

The next book in the Scarpetta series is Trace. And the brand-new installment, Identity Unknown, is available now!

DISCOVER THE SERIES THAT SHAPED THE WORLD OF CRIME FICTION

One of the best crime writers writing today Guardian

Devilishly clever Sunday Times

The top gun in this field Daily Telegraph

Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns Mirror

The Agatha Christie of the DNA age Express