We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.
When convicted killer Ronnie Joe Waddell is executed in Virginia’s electric chair, he becomes what should be a routine case for Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta. But after Waddell’s execution, everyone connected to him begins to die – including a member of Scarpetta’s staff. When crucial records disappear from her files, Scarpetta comes under fire for incomeptence. Caught in a web of political intrigue, she must fight to free herself from murderous insinuations and threats to her own life. She soon finds herself retracing Waddell’s bloody footprints, following a trail that might lead to long-hidden secrets deep within the state government. Either the truth will set her free – or unleash upon her a punishment both cruel and unusual.