True Crime

The jaw-dropping and deeply moving memoir from the godmother of forensic crime and creator of SCARPETTA, the global #1 Amazon Prime TV series, starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis.

A memoir with all the thrills and twists - not to mention a bit of blood and terror - of one of Cornwell's thrillers

Cornwell brings a deft hand and her well-honed storytelling skills to the circumstances of her own fascinating life

I've long been a fan of Patricia Cornwell, and the story behind the storyteller is captivating, thrilling, heartbreaking and truly inspiring. I can't recommend True Crime highly enough

Patricia Cornwell has logged more hours in morgues than any crime writer I can think of. How she came to create the indelible character of Dr. Kay Scarpetta is only part of a surprising, whirlwind story

Let's start, and end, with this: Patricia Cornwell's autobiography, True Crime , could be the best book she's ever written. And I've read them all!

Patricia Cornwell's memoir is a personal page turner, filled with mysteries and tragedies like her fiction, but these characters are real

Sometimes a true crime doesn't look conventional, but in Patricia Cornwell's life, the crime was true enough. Childhood abandonment and neglect forged a resilience and perception of humanity clearly evident across her bestselling novels. A remarkable, enthralling, and riveting story of her life

Patricia Cornwell's True Crime is absolutely riveting and beautifully written, revealing the origin story of someone with unparalleled tenacity - never quitting, even when facing tremendous adversity. Her memoir underscores the sentiment that only enormous pressure creates a diamond - which is exactly what Patricia is

An unflinching, unfiltered, fearless glimpse into the world of Patricia Cornwell - it's a privilege to have this behind the scenes look at one of the world's most successful crime writers. She paved the way for a whole new generation of authors and is inspiring and awesome in the true meaning of those words. True Crime is, to no-one's surprise, a fascinating, insightful page-turner. I loved it

Our favourite medical examiner turns her forensic skills on herself - this is Scarpetta's autopsy of Patricia Cornwell's life. Add True Crime to Cornwell's stack of great, vivid reads - secrets are unpeeled and dissected - compelling storytelling with no shortage of twists and surprises

This literary memoir is as good as it gets, with more action and drama than many novels

This is a story only Patricia Cornwell could possibly tell, about the greatest Cornwall character of them all: Herself

In this powerful memoir, Patricia Cornwell reveals the extraordinary life behind her success. She writes with raw clarity about a past that would have broken many, refusing to soften the truth or look away. This is a deeply human story, told as if she were talking to a best friend, and readers will feel like they are taking the journey with her. Her ability to persevere defines resilience, strength, and hope

An unflinching, unfiltered, fearless glimpse into the world of Patricia Cornwell - it's a privilege to have this behind the scenes look at one of the world's most successful crime writers. She paved the way for a whole new generation of authors. She is inspiring and awesome in the true meaning of those words and True Crime is, to no-one's surprise, a fascinating, insightful page-turner. I loved it.

A compulsive story

A riveting, emotionally draining gallop through [Patricia Cornwell's] complex life

[A] raw and riveting memoir [...] It's as gripping as her fiction

Patricia Cornwell turns the unflinching eye that made her Kay Scarpetta novels bestsellers on her own past

Surely a top title of the year. A memoir from one of the most popular crime writers of the last thirty years. Cornwell said she would never write her life story but fortunately for the many fans keen for this book she has relented. The multi-award winning novelist has delivered an early Christmas present for her many fans.

In 1990, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem , while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards, as well as the French Prix du Roman d'Aventures - the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.

Today, Cornwell's novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper's identity, cookbooks, a children's book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and three other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano, Andy Brazil, and Captain Callie Chase. Cornwell continues exploring the latest space-age technologies and threats relevant to contemporary life. Her interests range from the morgue to artificial intelligence and include visits to Interpol, the Pentagon, the U.S. Secret Service and NASA.

Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.