Book Quiz with 10 questions about Author

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Books Quiz - Author - Patricia Cornwell (Questions)

Patricia Cornwell’s crime novels mix forensic detail with tense plotting. This quiz explores her Scarpetta series, characters and themes for keen mystery and thriller fans.

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Fascinating Fact:

Her debut Scarpetta novel Postmortem (1990) won major crime awards in Britain, France and the United States in the same year.

In Specialist Books, this quiz looks at crime writer Patricia Cornwell. You will explore her Kay Scarpetta novels, their forensic style, and how her work shaped modern crime fiction.

Key Terms

Forensic crime fiction: Crime stories that focus on scientific evidence, autopsies and lab work to help solve cases.
Kay Scarpetta: Patricia Cornwell’s fictional medical examiner who investigates murders using forensic science.
Medical examiner: A doctor who examines bodies, records causes of death and gives expert evidence in criminal cases.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

Who is Patricia Cornwell in crime fiction?

Patricia Cornwell is an American crime writer best known for her Kay Scarpetta novels. Her books use detailed forensic science to solve murders and helped popularise modern forensic thrillers.

What is the best order to read the Kay Scarpetta books?

Many readers start with Postmortem, the first Scarpetta novel, then follow publication order. Reading in order lets you watch characters and relationships develop over time.

What themes appear in Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta series?

The Scarpetta books explore justice, the impact of violent crime, advances in forensic science, ethical questions in law enforcement and the pressures on people who investigate murders.

Try These Related Quizzes

Cornwell is a descendant of which 19th century American writer?

[ ]	Stephen Crane
[ ]	Henry James
[ ]	Harriet Beecher Stowe
[ ]	Mark Twain

Cornwell was born in 1956 in which city in Florida?

[ ]	Everglades City
[ ]	Fort Lauderdale
[ ]	Miami
[ ]	Tallahassee

Which 1990 novel introduced Cornwell's best-known character Dr Kay Scarpetta?

[ ]	Autopsy
[ ]	Biopsy
[ ]	Morgue
[ ]	Postmortem

What is the name of the big cop who has a close relationship with Scarpetta?

[ ]	Pete Marengo
[ ]	Pete Marino
[ ]	Pete Morello
[ ]	Pete Morgano

Scarpetta is Chief Medical Examiner in which US state?

[ ]	Maryland
[ ]	Massachusetts
[ ]	New Jersey
[ ]	Virginia

What is the name of the police officer Cornwell introduced in her 1997 novel Hornet's Nest?

[ ]	Andy Brabazon
[ ]	Andy Braga
[ ]	Andy Braganza
[ ]	Andy Brazil

Cornwell's controversial 2002 book Portrait of a Killer presented her theory about which murderer?

[ ]	The Boston Strangler
[ ]	Jack the Ripper
[ ]	Son of Sam
[ ]	The Yorkshire Ripper

In 1993, Cornwell received a 28 day sentence for drunk driving after an evening out with which actress?

[ ]	Jodie Foster
[ ]	Demi Moore
[ ]	Meg Ryan
[ ]	Meryl Streep

What was Cornwell's surname at birth?

[ ]	Daniels
[ ]	Danton
[ ]	Danvers
[ ]	Davies

10.

What is the title of the second novel in the Kay Scarpetta series, published in 1991?

[ ]	Body of Evidence
[ ]	Circumstantial Evidence
[ ]	Inadmissable Evidence
[ ]	No Evidence

Books Quiz - Author - Patricia Cornwell (Answers)

Cornwell is a descendant of which 19th century American writer?

[ ]	Stephen Crane
[ ]	Henry James
[x]	Harriet Beecher Stowe
[ ]	Mark Twain

Stowe was the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin

Cornwell was born in 1956 in which city in Florida?

[ ]	Everglades City
[ ]	Fort Lauderdale
[x]	Miami
[ ]	Tallahassee

Patricia's father was one of the leading lawyers in the United States at the time

Which 1990 novel introduced Cornwell's best-known character Dr Kay Scarpetta?

[ ]	Autopsy
[ ]	Biopsy
[ ]	Morgue
[x]	Postmortem

Postmortem was Cornwell's first novel and it won the 1991 Edgar Award for Best First Novel

What is the name of the big cop who has a close relationship with Scarpetta?

[ ]	Pete Marengo
[x]	Pete Marino
[ ]	Pete Morello
[ ]	Pete Morgano

Marino is a detective sergeant in the Richmond Police Department

Scarpetta is Chief Medical Examiner in which US state?

[ ]	Maryland
[ ]	Massachusetts
[ ]	New Jersey
[x]	Virginia

She operates in Richmond, the state capital

What is the name of the police officer Cornwell introduced in her 1997 novel Hornet's Nest?

[ ]	Andy Brabazon
[ ]	Andy Braga
[ ]	Andy Braganza
[x]	Andy Brazil

Brazil is a state trooper who works alongside Judy Hammer, the superintendent of Virginia State Police

Cornwell's controversial 2002 book Portrait of a Killer presented her theory about which murderer?

[ ]	The Boston Strangler
[x]	Jack the Ripper
[ ]	Son of Sam
[ ]	The Yorkshire Ripper

Her theory was that the killer was the English painter Walter Sickert

In 1993, Cornwell received a 28 day sentence for drunk driving after an evening out with which actress?

[ ]	Jodie Foster
[x]	Demi Moore
[ ]	Meg Ryan
[ ]	Meryl Streep

Demi Moore was possibly going to star as Dr Kay Scarpetta, the heroine of Cornwell's novels, in a film