"Full marks, as always, for the gripping forensic detail and beleagueredScarpetta's legendary toughness." Kirkus Reviews (starred review). Through six harrowing, expertly crafted crime novels, Patricia Cornwellhas earned an international following of passionate readers who are addicted toher singular blend of spellbinding storytelling, absorbing forensic detail, andcharacters who grow more complex and interesting with each book. NowCornwell submerges Dr. Kay Scarpetta in a labyrinthine case that wraps a webof danger around those closest to her and threatens to wreak fear and death farbeyond the confines of Virginia. New Year's Eve and the final murder scene of Virginia's bloodiest yearsince the Civil War takes Scarpetta thirty feet below the Elizabeth River's icysurface. A scuba diver, Ted Eddings, is dead, an investigative reporter who wasa favorite at the Medical Examiner's Office. Was Eddings probing the frigiddepths of the Inactive Ship Yard for a story, or simply diving for sunkentrinkets? And why did Scarpetta receive a phone call from someone reportingthe death before the police were notified? With the advent of a second murder--this one hitting even closer to home--the case envelops Scarpetta, her neice Lucy, and police captain Pete Marino ina world where both cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned detective workare critical offensive weapons. Together they follow the trail of death to a well ofviolence as dark and forbidding as the water that swirled over Ted Eddings. With Cause of Death, Patricia Cornwell brilliantly delivers thehigh-tension suspense that has secured her status as the best crime writer ofour time.