Book excerpt: The first book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell. Scarpetta is coming to the screen soon, starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis. 'America's most chilling writer of crime fiction' The Times A serial killer is on the loose in Richmond, Virginia. Three women have died, brutalised and strangled in their own bedroom. There is no pattern: the killer appears to strike at random - but always early on Saturday mornings. So when Dr Kay Scarpetta, chief medical officer, is awakened at 2.33 am, she knows the news is bad: there is a fourth victim. And she fears now for those that will follow unless she can dig up new forensic evidence to aid the police. But not everyone is pleased to see a woman in this powerful job. Someone may even want to ruin her career and reputation . . . If you're a fan of Patricia Cornwell's ground-breaking Kay Scarpetta series, don't miss her brand-new thriller Livid - out now. Praise for the groundbreaking series: 'One of the best crime writers writing today' Guardian 'Devilishly clever' Sunday Times 'The top gun in this field' Daily Telegraph 'Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns' Mirror 'The Agatha Christie of the DNA age' Express