Patricia CornwellFiction · Crime·b. 1956
Cruel & Unusual
Synopsis
Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta prepares for an autopsy on a recently executed murderer, Ronnie Joe Waddell. However, the same night, a young boy is found brutally murdered, arranged in a manner eerily similar to Waddell's past victims. As Scarpetta and Lieutenant Pete Marino investigate, a baffling bloody fingerprint emerges, pointing to an impossible suspect. With an enemy lurking within the corridors of power, Scarpetta must race against time to uncover the truth and clear her own name.
How it reads
Prose complexity 7/10
Content warnings (3)
ViolenceGraphic ViolenceGore





































