Blow fly

After the fallout in Richmond, Kay Scarpetta has left her post as Virginia's chief medical examiner and is rebuilding a private forensic practice in Florida. A troubling case in Louisiana — a woman found dead in a hotel room with a history of unexplained blackouts — draws her back into active investigation.

Then comes a message from death row: Jean-Baptiste Chandonne, the killer who once stalked her at her own door, wants to speak to her, and only her. What he claims to know pulls Scarpetta, Pete Marino, and Lucy into a case with international reach, testing loyalties within her own inner circle along the way.