Postmortem

Cornwell's debut and the first Kay Scarpetta novel; won the 1991 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The recognized true first edition is the US Charles Scribner's Sons printing (US publication preceded the UK). A UK Macdonald (London) edition also appeared in 1990 in a small printing and is highly sought, but the earlier claim that the UK edition is the 'true first' is contested and not the standard view; both editions are scarce in the first printing.