3.5 

True Crime

By Patricia Cornwell
True Crime by Patricia Cornwell digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Instant New York Times bestseller!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell finally tells the story that rivals all of the works that precede it: her own.

“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!” James Patterson

Patricia Cornwell is best known for her international bestselling thriller series about forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Every story comes from somewhere, and Scarpetta's began when Patricia Cornwell embedded herself in a morgue.

In this achingly honest memoir, Cornwell excavates her own life, detailing her traumatic childhood being raised by neglectful parents, her father abandoning the young family on Christmas day, her mother being institutionalized twice, an abusive foster family, and developing a parental relationship with evangelist Billy Graham’s wife Ruth. Cornwell depicts a harrowing hospitalization and near-death car accident. She unflinchingly shares overcoming obstacles that later gave her the ambition to become an award-winning police reporter. From there it was research in a medical examiner’s office that would turn into a full-time job. She would become a forensic expert and worldwide publishing phenomenon.

Cornwell leaves no stone unturned in this deeply candid account of her life, offering inspiring insight into what made her into the international sensation she is today.

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True Crime Reviews

3.5
“This will probably be more enjoyable for a fan of Patricia Cornwell books, but I picked it up because I love reading memoirs by writers. I was hoping that this would be an insight into her process, her experiences that she brings to narratives and her reflections on the industry. While we certainly did get elements of those things, we got a lot more of a personal biography. She wrote about her childhood for almost 50% of the book - and while that was quite interesting, it just wasn’t what I came to the book for. There was a bit of Hollywood name dropping too and not all of it felt relevant. She’s in interesting person who has had an exceptional life full of tragedy and love and adventures. I liked it enough but it just wasn’t focused on what I was hoping to read the most of.”

About Patricia Cornwell

Patricia Cornwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and widely considered one of the world's top crime writers. 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 Calli 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.

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