“Postmortem” by Patricia Cornwell (post 1): In first novel featuring Dr. Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner, a serial killer, Mr. Nobody, terrorizes the city

The Author

In a video interview, Cornwell describes her creative process and relationship with her characters (1). In a newspaper interview, “I grew up with fear,” she gives some insight into her background (2). Wikipedia provides an overview of the author, who has sold more than one hundred million books (3).

The Novel

In the first ninety pages, first-person narrator, Dr. Scarpetta, is medical examiner on the case of an unidentified serial killer who is terrorizing the city, and is “…an obsession of mine. Mr. Nobody” (1, p. 4). Since that way of referring to the killer is only tentative, I’m not sure whether to relate it to past posts on the namelessness of alternate personalities.

Aside from that, the only things so far to suggest that Scarpetta might have multiple personality—which, as far as I know, has never been attributed to this character—are the following two passing remarks by Scarpetta:

“At the same time I think a part of me knew” (1, p. 70). People with undiagnosed multiple personality may feel they have distinguishable “parts” (personalities) that know things.

“…I heard myself say” (1, p. 87), implies two thinking “parts” (personalities), the hearer and the sayer.

1. Video Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZUKsX8oKKM

2. Newspaper interview https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/01/patricia-cornwell-i-grew-up-with-fear

3. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Cornwell

4. Patricia Cornwell. Postmortem [1990]. New York, Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster, 2017.