On the trail of a serial killer, Dr Kay Scarpetta follows the forensic footprints of a victim's life unconvinced that the murder is the work of the same killer. She begins to believe someone is on the point of releasing the smallpox virus back into a world which has destroyed all vaccine stocks.

Patricia Cornwell (born Patricia Carroll Daniels June 9, 1956) is a contemporary American crime writer. She is widely known for writing a popular series of novels featuring the heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner.