True crime : a memoir by Patricia Daniels Cornwell

Who knew that the first book I’d pick up by Patricia Cornwell wouldn’t be one of the installments in her famous Scarpetta series, but her deeply personal memoir, True Crime?

Cornwell begins her story one winter morning when she wakes up to find her mother burning all of her and her brother's clothing in the living room fireplace, mumbling about the end of times. What follows are a series of tragic stories about her childhood: from being abandoned on Christmas Day by her father; being molested at five years old; living in an abusive foster home while her mother was admitted not once, but twice to a psychiatric hospital; getting admitted to that very same psychiatric hospital for an eating disorder; to being sexually abused as a young adult. Despite her traumatic upbringing, her life story continues as she begins her career working the crime beat at a local newspaper, becoming a volunteer police officer, and finally a technical writer and computer analyst at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where she recounts how her experiences at the OCME inspired her Scarpetta character and novels.

 Admittedly, the compelling nature of her memoir does take a slight turn after her rise to fame, as Cornwell proceeds to constantly name drop the celebrities and political figures she has come across, including George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Tom Clancy, Jodie Mitchell, Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman, and more. Despite this, True Crime was still a fascinating read, and while it was my first book by Cornwell, it won’t be my last.

Adult Non Fiction: pr8327633

This month's adult review was written by Julia Malott, Adult Print Selection Specialist at Library Bound.