There is a medical examiner who has been accompanying millions of readers into the darkest mysteries of the human soul for over thirty years. Is called Kay Scarpetta and is the protagonist of the successful thriller series created by American writer Patricia Cornwell. From March 11th this much-loved character also arrives on the small screen with the first television series dedicated to her, available on Prime Video. It’s up to you to interpret it Nicole Kidman, in the role of the brilliant forensic pathologist who, between autopsies, investigations and serial killers, searches for the truth hidden behind apparently inexplicable deaths.
Scarpetta, in the novels, works as a medical examiner in Virginia and she has become an iconic figure of contemporary thriller: a rational and determined woman, but also capable of humanity and compassion towards the victims. The television series takes up the atmosphere of the books and presents the world of forensic medicine with an international cast that also includes Jamie Lee Curtis, producer of the project, as well as Bobby Cannavale and Simon Baker.
However, Kay Scarpetta’s success arises above all from the pages of novels. Patricia Cornwell dedicated twenty-nine books to her over a period of over thirty years. The first, Postmortem, was released in 1994 and revolutionized the investigative thriller genre by introducing a forensic protagonist as the central figure of the investigation. Since then the saga has won readers all over the world: Cornwell’s novels have sold over 100 million copies, have been translated into 36 languages and published in more than 120 countries. The latest title to arrive in Italian bookstores is Lethal Cut, published in 2025.
A scene from the TV series Shoeairing on Prime Video.
Before becoming one of the queens of crime fiction, Patricia Cornwell he had a very different career. Graduated in English Literature from Davidson College in 1979, in the 1980s she worked as a crime reporter at the Charlotte Observer. It was precisely by following the bloody events that he developed an ever deeper interest in scientific investigations. Shortly thereafter he entered the medical examiner’s office in Richmond, Virginia, where he worked first as a computer technician and then as an analyst. A decisive experience: by closely observing the work of forensic pathologists, Kay Scarpetta’s idea was born.
Furthermore, not everyone knows that Cornwell she is also a descendant of the writer Harriet Beecher Stoweauthor of the famous novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
But Kay Scarpetta is not just a figment of the imagination. Cornwell is inspired by a real person: the doctor Marcella Farinelli Fierronow 85 years old, forensic pathologist and for years chief medical examiner of the State of Virginia. Born in 1941, Fierro was a pioneer in her field, among the first women certified in forensic pathology in the United States. Cornwell met her by working with her, as a computer analyst, in the medical examiner’s office and admiring her competence, determination and scientific rigor. And he benefited from valuable advice in writing his novels.
Then there is a curious detail that concerns the character’s identity. THEn a video interview with Repubblica the writer explained why Kay Scarpetta has Italian origins. “I love Italian culture,” Cornwell said. When he was creating the protagonist he had to choose her roots: he had also thought of a Spanish origin, but he wanted an identity capable of evoking warmth and joy in the doctor’s private life. So he imagined Scarpetta outside the morgue, in his home, growing aromatic herbs in the garden, cooking tasty dishes, listening to good music and sipping a glass of red wine. «I said to myself: it must be Italian». A trait that makes the character even more human and which today also returns in the new television series.
