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

帕特麗夏·康薇爾（Patricia Cornwell）：

美國著名作傢，被譽為“DNA時代的阿加莎·剋裏斯蒂”。

早期做過刑事新聞記者、州法醫辦公室檢驗記錄員與電腦分析員、裏士滿市義務警察，曾接受FBI特訓……麯摺而獨特的經曆，使她成功塑造齣一個與福爾摩斯齊名的首席女法醫——凱•斯卡佩塔。

正是到瞭康薇爾的筆下，“法醫”這個幕後角色纔第一次隆重走到颱前，不但使眾多斷頭無緒的案件初露真相的晨曦，甚至成為一批懸案解鎖的鑰匙。眾多媒體為此隆重報道：“斯卡佩塔和作傢共同開闢瞭一個時代，一個讓屍體開口說話的時代。”