Die Tote ohne Namen

Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the chief medical examiner of Virginia, wants to complete one last autopsy before flying to Miami to celebrate Christmas with her family. But her plans are disrupted: a naked female corpse with a shaved head is found in the snowy Central Park. The murder clearly bears the signature of Scarpetta's longtime nemesis, Temple Gault, a highly intelligent, sadistic serial killer. Despite her guilty conscience—her mother is in the hospital, and her sister is blaming her—Scarpetta must put her Christmas visit on hold and travel to New York for the investigation. Gault doesn't even try to cover his tracks. On the contrary: he sends Scarpetta messages, murders police officers in her vicinity, and shows her just how close he can get. Because in truth, he is targeting the medical examiner herself.