Patricia Cornwell: The Original Crime Scene Investigation Expert

One of my friends introduced me to the Scarpetta series many years ago, when she gave me the first three books in a set. I was hooked, and have since read them all. As with any series, it's best to read the Scarpetta books in sequence. They're definitely not for the squeamish, but are well-researched and keep readers guessing until the end.

As her millions of fans know, Dr. Kay Scarpetta is a fabulous cook, especially when it comes to Italian cuisine. Capitalizing on this, Patricia Cornwell published a cookbook, Food to Die For, featuring dishes referenced in some of her novels. Recipes include: Miami-Style Chili with Beer (All That Remains), Grilled Grouper with Butter and Key Lime Juice (Cruel and Unusual), Jack Daniel's Chocolate Pecan Pie (The Body Farm), Lasagna with Marinara Sauce and Porcini Mushrooms (Cause of Death), Bev's Lump Crab Cakes (Unnatural Exposure), and Kay's Grilled Pizza with Sausage, Pepperoni, and Three Cheeses (Black Notice). In another volume, Scarpetta's Winter Table, the author combines a holiday-inspired short story with more favorites from Kay Scarpetta's kitchen. Two of these recipes—Pete Marino's 'Cause of Death' Eggnog and Lucy's Felonious Cookies are shared below.

Let's just say this eggnog packs a punch! Detective Pete Marino prefers to lace his with Virginia Lightning, but dark rum or bourbon will do nicely.

- Start with a dozen eggs, cracking each with violence
- Yolks go into a blender; whites into a mixing bowl
- Fold a pound of powdered sugar into the yolks
- Stir in dark rum, bourbon, or moonshine (if available)
- Refrigerate until egg yolk mixture is overpowered by the alcohol
- Pour into stainless steel bowl; beat in 2 quarts of whipping cream
- Return to fridge

Before serving:

- Whip egg whites until stiff
- Add to egg yolk mixture; churning with a hand mixer until frothy
- Pour into glasses; sprinkle liberally with cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly coat cookie sheets with cholesterol-free vegetable spray.

- Melt 1 cup of Breakstone butter in a deep Pyrex dish
- Stir in dark brown and white sugar, forming a thick paste
- Fold in 2 eggs
- Add enough flour to reach a moist, crumbly consistency
- Sprinkle in a teaspoon of baking soda
- Add vanilla to taste
- Knead in chopped pecans
- Add semi-sweet chocolate and butterscotch chips

Form small balls out of the cookie dough. Flatten just a little, and place several inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes; less if you prefer them chewy and moist. Enjoy them as Lucy does, warm from the oven and dipped in Bailey's Irish Cream.

Hornet's Nest introduced a new cast of characters with Charlotte, North Carolina as the backdrop. Andy Brazil, an ambitious, young newspaper reporter, discovers the inner secrets of police work through his relationship with Police Chief Judy Hammer. Later, with Southern Cross and Isle of Dogs, the setting shifts to the state of Virginia... first to Richmond, and later to the eccentric island of Tangier. Look for a cameo appearance by Dr. Kay Scarpetta!

Patricia Cornwell (born Patricia Carroll Daniels June 9, 1956) is a contemporary American crime writer. She is widely known for writing a popular series of novels featuring the heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner.

In 2002, Cornwell claimed to have solved the mystery of the Jack the Ripper murders by accusing noted painter Walter Sickert, though her conclusions and methods have been widely criticized.

A descendant of abolitionist and writer Harriet Beecher Stowe, Cornwell was born in Miami, Florida. Cornwell says that there are numerous links between herself and the main character in her novels, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a forensic pathologist. They are both Miami-born, divorced, and had difficult relationships with their late fathers.

Cornwell's father, Sam Daniels, was one of the leading appellate lawyers in the United States and served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black. Cornwell later traced her own motivations in life to the emotional abuse she says she suffered from her father, who she says walked out on the family on Christmas Day 1961.

In 1961, Cornwell's family moved to Montreat, North Carolina, where her mother was hospitalized for depression and the children were placed in the foster care system. By her late teens, she was anorexic and suffered from depression. Billy Graham's wife, Ruth Bell, encouraged Cornwell to write.

Shortly after graduating from Davidson College with a B.A. in English, she married one of her English professors, Charles Cornwell, who was 17 years her senior. Professor Cornwell left his tenured professorship to become a preacher and Patricia began writing a biography of Ruth Bell Graham.

In 1979, Cornwell started working as a reporter for The Charlotte Observer and soon began covering crime. Her biography of Ruth Bell Graham, A Time for Remembering (renamed Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham in subsequent editions), was published in 1983. In 1984, she took a job at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia. For six years she worked there, first as a technical writer and then as a computer analyst. She also volunteered to work with the Richmond Police Department.

Patricia Cornwell Official Website
Internet Movie Database ~ Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell Books Photograph by mirumir ~ Flickr
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