Little Emily Steiner leaves a church meeting late one afternoon and strolls home along a lakeside path; a week later, her nude body is discovered bound in blaze-orange duct tape. Called in by the North Carolina authorities, forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta recognizes similarities to the gruesome work of a serial killer who has long eluded the F.B.I.

Only Scarpetta can interpret the forensic hieroglyphics at the Body Farm - an unusual laboratory equipped with fresh and rotting corpses - that reveal this case's horrific solution. The Body Farm is a stunning achievement from a bestselling author at the peak of her powers.

Patricia Cornwell's latest forensic thrillers featuring Chief Medical Examiner and forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta include: The Last Precinct, Black Notice and Point of Origin. Her first novel, Postmortem, was the only novel ever to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards and the French Prix du Roman d'Aventure in one year. Her fictional chief medical examiner, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, won the 1999 Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author. Cornwell divides her time between New York City and Richmond, Virginia.