As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Patricia Cornwell Complete Bibliography

Browse books by Patricia Cornwell in publication order, including standalone books, complete series lists, reading order, and publication years.

Updated 2026-07-11 / 44 books / 6 series

American author Patricia Cornwell is best known for the Kay Scarpetta forensic crime series. Her books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide, earning her critical acclaim and a lasting legacy in the thriller genre. This page provides the Patricia Cornwell books in order, including both chronological order and series reading order.

Books by Patricia Cornwell in Publication Order

1983 Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham POoNB / 1 Buy
1990 Postmortem POoKSB / 1 Buy
1991 Body of Evidence POoKSB / 2 Buy
1992 All That Remains POoKSB / 3 Buy
1993 Cruel and Unusual POoKSB / 4 Buy
1994 The Body Farm POoKSB / 5 Buy
1995 From Potter's Field POoKSB / 6 Buy
1996 Hornet's Nest POoABHB / 1 Buy
1996 Cause of Death POoKSB / 7 Buy
1997 Unnatural Exposure POoKSB / 8 Buy
1998 Southern Cross POoABHB / 2 Buy
1998 Scarpetta's Winter Table POoNB / 2 Buy
1998 Point of Origin POoKSB / 9 Buy
1999 Life's Little Fable POoPB / 1 Buy
1999 Black Notice POoKSB / 10 Buy
2000 The Last Precinct POoKSB / 11 Buy
2001 Food to Die For: Secrets From Kay Scarpetta's Kitchen POoNB / 3 Buy
2001 Isle of Dogs POoABHB / 3 Buy
2002 Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper - Case Closed POoNB / 4 Buy
2003 Blow Fly POoKSB / 12 Buy
2004 Trace POoKSB / 13 Buy
2005 Predator POoKSB / 14 Buy
2006 At Risk POoWGB / 1 Buy
2007 Book of the Dead POoKSB / 15 Buy
2008 The Front POoWGB / 2 Buy
2008 Scarpetta POoKSB / 16 Buy
2009 The Scarpetta Factor POoKSB / 17 Buy
2010 Port Mortuary POoKSB / 18 Buy
2011 Red Mist POoKSB / 19 Buy
2012 The Bone Bed POoKSB / 20 Buy
2013 Dust POoKSB / 21 Buy
2014 Chasing the Ripper POoNB / 5 Buy
2014 Flesh and Blood POoKSB / 22 Buy
2015 Depraved Heart POoKSB / 23 Buy
2016 Chaos POoKSB / 24 Buy
2017 Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert POoNB / 6 Buy
2019 Quantum POoCCB / 1 Buy
2020 Spin POoCCB / 2 Buy
2021 Autopsy POoKSB / 25 Buy
2022 Livid POoKSB / 26 Buy
2023 Unnatural Death POoKSB / 27 Buy
2024 Identity Unknown POoKSB / 28 Buy
2025 Sharp Force POoKSB / 29 Buy
2026 True Crime POoNB / 7 Buy

Complete Patricia Cornwell Series Reading Order / browse all ->

Captain Chase Reading Order 2 books / 2019-2020
01 Quantum 2019 Buy
02 Spin 2020 Buy
Non-Fiction Reading Order 7 books / 1983-2026
01 Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham 1983 Buy
02 Scarpetta's Winter Table 1998 Buy
03 Food to Die For: Secrets From Kay Scarpetta's Kitchen 2001 Buy
04 Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper - Case Closed 2002 Buy
05 Chasing the Ripper 2014 Buy
06 Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert 2017 Buy
07 True Crime 2026 Buy
01 Hornet's Nest 1996 Buy
02 Southern Cross 1998 Buy
03 Isle of Dogs 2001 Buy
Picture Reading Order 1 book / 1999
01 Life's Little Fable 1999 Buy
Kay Scarpetta Reading Order 29 books / 1990-2025
01 Postmortem 1990 Buy
02 Body of Evidence 1991 Buy
03 All That Remains 1992 Buy
04 Cruel and Unusual 1993 Buy
05 The Body Farm 1994 Buy
06 From Potter's Field 1995 Buy
07 Cause of Death 1996 Buy
08 Unnatural Exposure 1997 Buy
09 Point of Origin 1998 Buy
10 Black Notice 1999 Buy
11 The Last Precinct 2000 Buy
12 Blow Fly 2003 Buy
13 Trace 2004 Buy
14 Predator 2005 Buy
15 Book of the Dead 2007 Buy
16 Scarpetta 2008 Buy
17 The Scarpetta Factor 2009 Buy
18 Port Mortuary 2010 Buy
19 Red Mist 2011 Buy
20 The Bone Bed 2012 Buy
21 Dust 2013 Buy
22 Flesh and Blood 2014 Buy
23 Depraved Heart 2015 Buy
24 Chaos 2016 Buy
25 Autopsy 2021 Buy
26 Livid 2022 Buy
27 Unnatural Death 2023 Buy
28 Identity Unknown 2024 Buy
29 Sharp Force 2025 Buy
Winston Garano Reading Order 2 books / 2006-2008
01 At Risk 2006 Buy
02 The Front 2008 Buy

Where to start with Patricia Cornwell

What is the best order to read Patricia Cornwell books?

Publication order is usually the safest place to start. If a book belongs to a series, follow the numbered series reading order shown on this page.

Are standalone books and series both included?

Yes. Standalone titles appear in the full chronological bibliography, and series are broken out separately with reading-order links when catalog data is available.

More authors

Richard Wright -> Louise Rennison -> Blair Howard -> Laura Ingalls Wilder ->

Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.