From Publishers Weekly Cornwell combines bone-rattling suspense with an insider's view of forensic science as her sleuth， Richmond， Va.， medical examiner Kay Scarpetta， investigates a series of grim murders of young couples. A 13-week PW bestseller， a Mystery Guild selection and a Literary Guild featured alternate in cloth. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information， Inc. From School Library Journal YA-- The decomposed bodies of Fred Cheyney and Deborah Harvey don't show up for months， well into Dr. Kay Scarpetta's account of her investigation into their disappearance. The two lovers are the fifth pair in a string of mysterious ``couple murders，'' all bearing the same characteristics: two young people completely vanish， leaving behind an abandoned car and no clues about their fate. Months later the skeletal remains are found by hunters in remote wooded locales， and no evidence about the causes of death can be discovered. At the same time， the FBI appears to be foiling attempts to discover the identity of the murderer by withholding crime-scene information， and Kay's old friend Abby， a newspaper reporter， complicates matters by conducting her own search for the truth. This rich brew makes for a compelling story to which Cornwell has added such stand-bys from her two previous Scarpetta novels as Pete Marino， a middle-aged police detective， and Benton Wesley， an FBI investigator who knows how to keep a secret. Mystery-loving YAs and fans of Cornwell's previous novels will enjoy her latest.- Carolyn E. Gecan， Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech， Fairfax County， VACopyright 1992 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. See all Editorial Reviews

帕特丽夏·康薇尔（Patricia Cornwell）：

美国著名作家，被誉为“DNA时代的阿加莎·克里斯蒂”。

早期做过刑事新闻记者、州法医办公室检验记录员与电脑分析员、里士满市义务警察，曾接受FBI特训……曲折而独特的经历，使她成功塑造出一个与福尔摩斯齐名的首席女法医——凯•斯卡佩塔。

正是到了康薇尔的笔下，“法医”这个幕后角色才第一次隆重走到台前，不但使众多断头无绪的案件初露真相的晨曦，甚至成为一批悬案解锁的钥匙。众多媒体为此隆重报道：“斯卡佩塔和作家共同开辟了一个时代，一个让尸体开口说话的时代。”