The Complete Patricia Cornwell Companion
By Glenn L. Feole, MD and Don Lasseter

     An interesting look into the life of #1 Best Selling Author Patricia Cornwell, as well as a look into her books and characters. “The Patricia Cornwell Companion” is an excellent guide for anyone who has ever read her books and loved the real life type character Ms. Cornwell created with Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

     This book includes a brief biography of the author and then a quite in depth look at her books, characters, and backgrounds. There are detailed chapters on each of her main characters in the Scarpetta series as well as including the characters Judy Hammer and Andy Brazil from the Brazil series. It also takes a peek at medical examiner language as well as police codes. Each of her best selling books is broken down, and details such as real places or celebrities that have been mentioned are detailed for you. This is a great way for a Patricia Cornwell fan to get a glimpse of not only her vast knowledge of history but also of current events. Timelines are provided as well as locales for each book. Ms. Cornwell writes in very accurate terms, as pointed out by the authors.

     While normally you might not find a statistical analysis of the deaths in the Patricia Cornwell books very interesting, it’s presented in a way that makes you just want to find out who and how they died, and what medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is working on in each book. This is a companion you’d love to have as you finish one of her books. It will give you a better understanding of what you've read and the ideas behind it, including if the story is related to actual crimes. A must read for Cornwell fans.