Current Writers’ Sites
Lionel Shriver
Lionel Shriver is a writer whose fame is still emerging. Her talent is another story. Awesome.
Her best-known work is the 2003 book We Need to Talk about Kevin, featuring a school shooting. Shriver called it her make or break novel, given her lack of success to that point. My favorite (and I think her most important) is The Mandibles: A Family 2029, which provides a dystopian view of what might happen if the world abandons the dollar as its go-to currency. I’m tempted to buy a copy for every member of Congress. Another interesting book by Shriver is 2021’s Should We Stay or Should We Go, which addresses the issue of human decay and mortality. When Kay’s father dies of Alzheimer’s, she and her husband resolve to euthanize themselves when they turn 80. The book explores this decision through twelve chapters exploring the decision through parallel universes, with various interesting outcomes. Shriver’s latest book is the 2024 novel, Mania. While described as “tiresome” by the New York Times, I’m looking forward to it. As I read more of Shriver, I’m finding her the funniest writer (maybe second to Elinor Lipman) on this site. The Motion of the Body Through Space (2020) is utterly enjoyable and an astute send-up of the exercise culture of the newly converted. Do check your political correctness at the door.
Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for Olive Kitteridge, a collection of 13 short stories tied together by the title character, Olive. Olive is described in a later book as a bully by Lucy Barton, a recurring character in several later books including Strout’s most recent, Tell Me Everything, where Lucy is asking the question, “What does anyone’s life mean?” Tell Me Everything begins “This is the story of Bob Burgess, a tall, heavyset man who lives in the town of Crosby, Maine, and he is sixty-five years old at the time that we are speaking of him… and he would never believe that he had anything worthy in his life to document. But he does; we all do.” Lucy Barton got her own book, My Name is Lucy Barton in 2016, a thin volume examining Lucy’s relationship with her mother. The book was adapted to a one-woman play which starred Laura Linney. You can keep up with Elizabeth Strout through PenquinRandomHouse and her homepage.
Elinor Lipman
One of my favorite contemporary writers, Elinor Lipman makes comedy look easy, which is much more difficult than it appears. Her most recent book, Ms. Demeanor is a bestseller about a young (39) female lawyer on house arrest for a personal indiscretion. Camille Perri’s December 28, 2022 review in the New York Times notes that the protagonist, Jane Morgan, is thoroughly modern. Indeed, “Even by modern liberal standards, Jane’s actions test the limits of a sympathetic lead character.” Why?
“…Jane never struggles with guilt.” My other favorite Lipman books include The Inn at Lake Devine, (see Chapter 1), The Family Man, and The View from Penthouse B. By the way, Lipman does not consider herself a comic writer; others just take her that way. I certainly do. You can visit Elinor on Facebook for updates on her whereabouts.
Bonnie Garmus
Bonnie Garmus only has one novel to her credit; I am including her because she published it at age 66 and this is an inspiration to me. Also, what a novel! Lessons in Chemistry, became a runaway bestseller in 2022. The New York Times says that it is a “lesson in power.” Lessons in Chemistry was adapted as a series on Apple television starring Brie Larson in the fall of 2023. I thought Larson was excellent though I didn’t see the necessity to develop some plot lines that weren’t in the book. Still, worth watching. I have re-read the book, and it has moved into my top ten all-time list! Garmus’s first book (still unpublished) was rejected 98 times according to this People article.
Shari Lapena
Shari Lapena is a Canadian writer who is best known for her book The Couple Next Door, which is being released as a six-part series on STARZ in 2024. I was introduced to her work with her 2023 novel Everyone Here is Lying, which I read in one day. It is my favorite of her books. Lapena is a former schoolteacher/lawyer whose first book was “Things Go Flying,” which was published in paperback in 2008 and is hard to find. And “Who wouldn’t be drawn to a book called Not a Happy Family?” wrote Elisabeth Egan in her August 5, 2021 New York Times book review. Her latest is What Have You Done? which is a one-sit-down read.
AnneTyler.com
Anne Tyler’s website is like the author, unassuming yet surprisingly rewarding. Noodle around for a while and you’ll find some interesting insights into her books. Tyler’s best work was in the 1980’s. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982), The Accidental Tourist (1985), and Breathing Lessons (1988) were all finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Breathing Lessons won the prize in 1989. My favorite is The Accidental Tourist, which was made into a wonderful film starring William Hurt and Geena Davis. BTW, The Accidental Tourist is on the top ten list of my favorite books of all time. Tyler’s most recent book is 2022’s French Braid. Tyler is now 83.
Jennifer Weiner
For years, Jennifer Weiner complained that the New York Times only reviewed books by men. Well, that’s changed. Catherine Neuman has a favorable New York Times review of Weiner’s new book, The Breakaway (Aug 23, 2023). Weiner exploded onto the literary scene in 2001 with the publication of Good in Bed, a runaway bestseller with three million copies in print. Weiner’s books tend to focus on plus-sized women, that is to say, normal people who read books. I’ve enjoyed many of Weiner’s books, including All Fall Down, The Summer Place, Big Summer, and In Her Shoes, which was made into a film starring Cameron Diaz.
Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman is best known for his book A Man Called Ove. The book was made into the Oscar winning film of the same name in 2015 (Best Foreign Film). The 2015 Swedish movie was remade in 2022 with Tom Hanks in the title role (now Otto). Backman’s novels read very differently as he uses different translators, but his humor and whimsy seem to come through regardless. Backman’s book, Anxious People, was also a New York Times Best Seller. Alexandra Alter of the Times also has a good 2016 article on Backman as an “overnight success.”
Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver is an accomplished novelist, essayist, and poet. Her novel “Demon Copperhead” won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Her 1998 novel “The Poisonwood Bible” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It is now required reading in some high schools. Kingsolver’s website has a separate FAQ on the Poisonwood Bible. The New York Times 1998 review of The Poisonwood Bible casts it as “an old-fashioned 19th-century novel, a Hawthornean tale of sin and redemption, and the ‘dark necessity’ of history.” Phyliss Richardson of the Los Angeles Times wrote differently, focusing on “the rape of undeveloped countries, the exploitation of primitive peoples, [and] the destruction of ancient traditions…” This authorized website is very informative. and also has helpful information about writing. (Also see her HarperCollins page.)
Kim Stanley Robinson
Kim Stanley Robinson is often hailed as our greatest living science fiction author. He is certainly my number one. His 2015 novel Aurora is one of my top ten favorite books. I’ve read it cover to cover three times and picked it up and leafed through it more times than I can count. Other favorites include his Mars trilogy, which starts with Red Mars (1992) and the beginning of the colonization of Mars in 2026. (While we won’t send 100 people to Mars in 2026, the book is still worth a read. There were several efforts to make a television series of Red Mars, but none have panned out thus far.) Robinson is “hard” science fiction; his science fiction is realistic, no warp drives or time travel. One of the things that I find compelling about Aurora is that the science is plausible. The spaceship never reaches more than 1/10th the speed of light and the problems associated with that, and interstellar travel are spelled out in detail. Robinson’s latest is the 2020 book The Ministry for the Future. You can read the harrowing Chapter 1 of The Ministry for the Future in this excerpt from Orion Magazine. Honestly, though, the book is a slog. Follow him on Facebook.
Amor Towles
Amor Towles is the author of A Gentleman in Moscow, one of my ten favorite books. I’ve also read and greatly enjoyed his two other best-sellers, The Lincoln Highway, and Rules of Civility, his first novel. The Rules of Civility come from George Washington’s Rules of Civility which are in the public domain. The set of rules linked here (from Project Gutenberg) were compiled by Moncure Daniel Conway. The rules originated with French Jesuits. The rules figure prominently in Towles’ book (and in George Washington’s life). A Showtime series of A Gentleman in Moscow was released in March 2024. His latest book is Table for Two, a set of short stories and a novella which features a delightful follow-up to Rules of Civility and its heroine, Evelyn Ross.
Anne Patchett
My favorite book by Anne Patchett, hands down, is State of Wonder. While the book received mixed reviews, I found it extremely compelling. Another favorite is “The Dutch House.” Her latest is “Tom Lake,” which was well reviewed. Patchett’s breakthrough novel was “Bel Canto.” Made into a movie starring Julianne Moore in 2018, “Bel Canto,” the film, was a flop, grossing only $350,264. Patchett owns and operates Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennesse. For a personal insight into Patchett, see her New Yorker article “How to Practice: I wanted to get rid of my possessions, because possessions stood between me and death“. It is apropos of little regarding the public domain but a lot regarding holding on to things too long.
Anne Patchett’s Blog, “Musing”
Anne’s blog is not updated frequently, but the material there contains treasures, such as interviews with other authors.
Richard Russo
Richard Russo is the author of one of my top ten books, Empire Falls. Empire Falls won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was made into an excellent mini-series starring Ed Harris. Russo’s 1998 book, Straight Man, was also made into a mini-series titled Lucky Hank. Russo’s most recent book is 2023’s Somebody’s Fool, which is a sequel to his earlier books 1993’s Nobody’s Fool, and Everybody’s Fool (2016). These books have grown on me over time and now rank among my favorites. Nobody’s Fool was made into an excellent movie starring Paul Newman. The entire trilogy is in print at Penguin Random House. Also noteworthy is Bridge of Sighs (2008). Russo’s 2020 novel, Chances Are is worth a read, and is a departure from his usual formula. Russo’s 2010 That Old Cape Magic is sited in Cape Cod and is a good summer read.
Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith is an English author of literary fiction, now teaching at New York University. Her best-known book is On Beauty, which has some elements of autobiography. On Beauty was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. Smith’s first book was the well-received White Teeth, which looks at immigration in Great Britain, and the irrevocable changes that it has brought. Smith’s realism seems always to be edged with humor and love. Smith’s most recent book, 2023’s The Fraud is a work of historical fiction that was well-reviewed. Smith is optimistic about the Labour party’s recent victory in Great Britain. Read her thoughts on taking back her country in this July 2, 2024, issue of The Guardian.
Kristin Hannah
One of today’s top authors is Kristin Hannah. See her new book The Women, which focuses on women in Viet Nam. Her bestseller, The Four Winds, is reminiscent of The Grapes of Wrath. Her best-known book is likely The Nightingale, which was made into a film in 2018. She is a favorite of my wife, who is re-reading The Nightingale.
See the Jan. 29, 2021 New York Times article by Elisabeth Egan “Kristin Hannah Reinvented Herself. She Thinks America Can Do the Same.”
Rumaan Alam
Rumaan Alam is the author of the well-received Entitlement and Leave the World Behind. Entitlement illustrates how extreme wealth bends the reality of those close to it. Having worked with philanthropies, I found the observations about the staffs to be spot on, though protagonist Brooke Orr’s ultimate fate departed from the reality that I experienced. I did find myself wondering if Alam found out that he had just missed out on a McArthur genius grant. Well, maybe next year. Leave the World Behind is better known than Entitlement, due to the hit movie of the same name.
Beatriz Williams
Primarily a writer of historical fiction, Williams is also a skilled practitioner of the beach read, such as The Beach at Summerly and Cocoa Beach. “Beach reach” hardly does Williams justice, though I love a good one.
I just finished The Wicked City, set alternately in 1924 and 1998. This is a good example of her historical fiction, focusing on West Virginia bootleggers and the efforts of prohibitionists to subdue them. I enjoyed even more her 2024 book, Husbands and Lovers, which is set in the present (2022) and Cairo in 1951. In both books, there is a carefully crafted connection between the eras.
Louise Gluck, Winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize for Literature Winner
Read some of Louise Gluck’s poem’s for free on her Weebly.com page.
In 2020, Louise Gluck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Many of her poems can be read for free at the links provided above. Also see Katy Waldman’s October 15, 2020 New Yorker article “Louise Gluck, Whisperer of the Seasons“.
Douglas C. Waller
Douglas C. Waller is a respected journalist and bestselling author. His 2019 book “Lincoln’s Spies” is available in print from Simon and Shuster and via Kindle. A previous book “Wild Bill Donovan: The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage” was a New York Times Best Seller. One of my favorite Waller books is “Big Red: The Three-Month Voyage of a Trident Nuclear Submarine” which chronicles Waller’s three-month journey on the USS Nebraska for a three-month patrol under the Atlantic Ocean. Waller has a new book coming out in April 2025, The Determined Spy: The Turbulent Life and Times of CIA Pioneer Frank Wisner.
The Late Anita Shreve
I hesitate to list a dead author, but why not? This is, after all, principally a site about literature in the public domain, where all the authors are dead. Shreve died of cancer in 2018 and her last book, The Stars are Fire, was the first book of her 17 that I read. In May of 2024 I read her 2003 book, Body Surfing, and I decided then that I needed to read more by this fine author. Only then did I learn that she had died. I’ll post more of her books as I read them. Her best-known book is The Pilot’s Wife, a 1998 novel and an Oprah Book Club selection which was made into a television movie. Her 2000 novel, The Weight of Water was made into a film starring Sean Penn. Her Facebook page lives on; it’s impossible to shut these things down. Shreve never became a huge star, perhaps because of the troubling subjects she addressed. Shreve’s 2004 book, Light on Snow, may be my favorite.
Heather Webber
I’ve only read one of her books, so maybe I’m premature putting Heather Webber on my website. That said, I very much enjoyed At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities. You’re not going to find this reviewed by The New York Times or The Washington Post. Rather, Chic Lit Cafe is at the upper end of the reviewers. Webber would qualify, I guess, as a cozy mystery writer. She has been nominated twice for Agatha awards. Still, I liked this book. I’m not sure how it got on my radar screen, but I’m glad it did and I’m going to give Webber another go. What can I say. I like what I like.
My Ten Favorite Books (Not the necessarily the greatest books ever written, just my favorites): these are books that I would be happy re-reading at any time.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
This is Number 1 on my list. First line: “In the roads where the teams moved, where the wheels milled the ground and the hooves of the horses beat the ground, the dirt crust broke and the dust formed.” This is the great American novel. It was made into an excellent movie starring Henry Fonda. The image to the left is the 75th Anniversary hardcover edition, which is in print from Penguin Random House. In about 15 years this will be available in the public domain. Read three times and counting.
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
Of course, this isn’t a novel, but I’ve included it anyway. Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff was made into the best movie of any of the books on my top ten list. The Grapes of Wrath is a close second. First line: “Within five minutes, or ten minutes, no more than that, three of the others had called her on the telephone to ask her if she had heard that something had happened out there.” The 1979 book was a follow-up to a 1972 piece that Wolfe wrote for Rolling Stone on NASA’s last mission to the Moon. Wolfe followed that with a four-part series in 1973 entitled “Post-Orbital Remorse” about depression experienced by astronauts after returning from space. BTW, The Right Stuff appears on The Guardian”s (Robert McCrum) list at #7 on the best 100 non-fiction books of all time.
The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
The Foundation Trilogy is one of the most influential series of science fiction works ever written. It was the inspiration for Star Wars and countless other science fiction works. First line: “His name was Gaal Dornick and he was just a country boy who had never seen Trantor before.” Eventually, Asimov wrote seven Foundation novels. Apple TV has created a Foundation series starring Jared Harris which I’ve tried unsuccessfully to watch. I’ve read the Foundation novels multiple times and that’s what I’m recommending here.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
One of the two best new books I’ve read in the past ten years. First line: “Back in 1961, when women wore shirtwaist dresses and joined garden clubs and drove legions of children around in seatbelt-less cars without giving it a second thought; back before anyone knew there’d even be a sixties movement, much less one that its participants would spend the next sixty years chronicling; back when the big wars were over and the secret wars had just begun and people were starting to think fresh and believe everything was possible, the thirty-year-old mother of Madeline Zott rose before dawn every morning and felt certain of just one thing: her life was over.” So there, any first sentence can work. yLessons in Chemistry has been made into a series on Apple television starring Brie Larson (fall of 2023). Larson is excellent. However, sometimes I wondered if the screenwriters read the book, as there is a substantial subplot that is not in the book. A good article on the differences between the book and the television show was written by Emma Fraser for Elle. Fraser applauds many of the changes. As I thought the book was perfect, I differ. But I come to praise the book, not make light of the Apple television show.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
(See Amor Towles above.) This is such a delightful book. I’ve read it three times. Warning: it starts slow. A Paramount Plus and Showtime series of A Gentleman in Moscow was released in March 2024.
First Lines (from the trial): “Prosecutor Vysinsky: State your name.
Rostov: Count Alexander Ilyic Rostov, recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt.”
The book A Gentleman in Moscow is available from PenguinRandomHouse and elsewhere.
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
(See Richard Russo above.) Empire Falls won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was made into an excellent mini-series starring Ed Harris. First line (from the Prologue): “Compared to the Whiting mansion in town, the house Charles Beaumont Whiting built a decade after his return to Maine was modest.”
Janet Maslin, writing in her May 10, 2001, New York Times review wrote, “Empire Falls, Me., is another of those hapless little backwaters that Richard Russo summons so well. Business is lousy, the citizenry is dispirited, and the high school art teacher cannot name a single difference between Andrew Wyeth and Jackson Pollock. So, the place isn’t much, but don’t be fooled. Mr. Russo, the author of Nobody’s Fool, Straight Man‘ and other wry, tragicomic small-town stories, has turned Empire Falls into the setting for a rich, humorous, elegantly constructed novel rooted in the bedrock traditions of American fiction. Needless to say, this is easily Mr. Russo’s most seductive book thus far.” Empire Falls is in print by Penguin Random House.
State of Wonder by Anne Patchett
(See Anne Patchett above.) In her New York Times review of June 1, 2011, Janet Maslin asked “Will Perilous Trek to Amazon Reveal Heart of Darkness?” Here are the book’s first two lines: “The news of Anders Eckman’s death came by way of Aerogram, a piece of bright blue airmail paper that served as both the stationary and, when folded over and sealed along the edges, the envelope. Who even knew they still made such things?” This remains my favorite Anne Patchett novel, which shows how relative taste is. I found the plot and the writing compelling. Perhaps it was the science fiction component that appealed to me.
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
(See Kim Stanley Robinson above.) First line: “Freya and her father go sailing.” The cover to the left is from the German edition of the book. It’s interesting to me how covers vary from market to market. I found this one especially beautiful. I liked that the multi-generational Stanford torus spaceship is well illustrated on the cover. The vehicle is traveling to the Tau Ceti system where an Earth analog is thought to exist. There are challenges along the way and once the 7th generation of the crew arrives. Why so long, when the ship is traveling at 108,000,000 kilometers per hour? Well, that’s still only 10 percent of the speed of light and Tau Ceti is 12 light years from our Solar System. Plus, you have to slow down as you approach the planet. Aurora is still in print from Hachette Book Group.
The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
(See Anne Tyler above.) My favorite Anne Tyler book is “The Accidental Tourist,” which was made into a wonderful film starring the late William Hurt and Geena Davis. “The Accidental Tourist” is on the top ten list of my favorite books of all time. The book has aged some as the premise is pre-internet and Macon’s job likely doesn’t exist today. Well, maybe he could be an influencer. First line: “They were supposed to stay at the beach a week, but neither of them had the heart for it and they decided to come back early.” Each time I read this I discover new levels of sadness, meaning, humor and hope. Purchase from Penguin Random House.
The Horatio Hornblower Books by C.S. Forester
I haven’t read these in years, but I’ve read the series three times. Once as a boy. Once in the Army. Once in my forties and fifties. The series begins with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. This link for the Hornblower books is the NLS (National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled). It serves people who are blind and visually impaired, deafblind, people with disabilities, educators, veterans, people with physical disabilities, family friends and caregivers, parents and guardians and others. The first Hornblower book, Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, was published in 1950, so it will be a few years before it is available on Project Gutenberg. It is available to our Canadian friends on Faded Page, however, as are the other books in the Hornblower saga. Fans of C.S. Forester know that he also wrote the acclaimed “African Queen” in 1935, also the well-regarded “The Good Sheperd,” which was the basis for Tom Hank’s film “Greyhound.” Hornblower has been the subject of several films.
The Sparrow and Children of God by Mary Doria Russell
These two books should be considered as one work since they constitute two parts of one whole. They include the most realistic depiction of interstellar flight that I have come across (harnessing an asteroid and improving it to become a spacecraft). I also like the role that the Catholic Church plays in the colonization of space. The Sparrow is the better of the two books, but it is incomplete without its sequel. Children of God is powerful, but not a standalone novel. Russell considers herself a writer emeritus, which is unfortunate because I miss her voice. There has been talk for years of a miniseries of The Sparrow and it was reported in 2021 that the writer behind The Queen’s Gambit was developing something, but nothing has come of it yet. Russell herself says she is glad the stories remain books.
Top Ten Emeritus List
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
“Who is John Galt?” is the famous opening line. This book used to be rated at the very top of most “Top 100” book lists, but it has fallen out of favor, mainly because it is a favorite of the right. Also, I think people started reading it. This is the only book on my list that I haven’t re-read in the past ten years, so I’m giving it emeritus status. Maybe it will drop off my list when I do re-reread it. I still remember it as a powerful statement. There have been several screen adaptations of Atlas Shrugged, the most recent in 2011-2114. None of the films were very good. “Atlas Shrugged” is still in print by Penguin Random House for $40 (paperback), the hefty price reflects the fact that it is 1200 pages long, which is one reason why I haven’t re-read it. Published in 1957, it will be a long time before “Atlas Shrugged” is available in the public domain. Fortunately, it is in all libraries, is still in print, and can be had on Amazon for as little as $5.00 with very good copies going for $10.00 or less. Unless you’re a very fast reader, you may want to buy your own copy, though the library will likely be able to renew it as demand will probably be light. The Ayn Rand Institute will send students free Google Play copies of Rand’s books on request. Also, I’ve found a readable copy (891 pages of typewritten copy) of “Atlas Shrugged” on the Internet Archive that can be read for free, despite its not being in the public domain. Rand’s “The Fountainhead” is also available on Internet Archive, but the copy there is a microfiche of a hardcopy book, and it’s not a pleasure to read. However, after a few pages, it’s not bad. That said, you’ll find it at the library with no trouble. “The Fountainhead” too is still in print at Penguin Random House.
Speaking of the Best 100 Books of All Time, There’s Disagreement
The Guardian’s List of the Top 100 Novels of All Time
You’ll find many books in the public domain on The Guardian’s List of the Top 100 Novels of All Time. Holding down the top five spots are: (1) Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes, (2) Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, (3) Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, (4) Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift and (5) Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. (All links are to Project Gutenberg.) In fact, the majority of the books on this list by Robert McCrum are in the public domain. Robert McCrum is an English writer and editor, long associated with The Observer and the Faber & Faber. He is the co-writer of the television series “The Story of English.”
The Modern Library 100 Best Novels of All Time
Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels of All Time is a somewhat more modern list, but still features classics, with many in the public domain. The top five are Ulysses by James Joyce, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Joyce and Fitzgerald links are to Project Gutenberg. Nabokov and Huxley links are to the Internet Archive.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (see above)
When Breath Becomes Air– Paul Kalanithi (suggested by Kim Jonas Shumadine)
Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Steward (suggested by Kimberly M. Sarte
Writers’ Sites Under Development
Patricia Cornwell
We’re going to count Patricia Cornwell as a Richmond writer because she used to live here and we met her at Second Presbyterian Church where her former husband, Charles Cornwell was associate minister. Further, Dr. Kay Scarpetta is back in Richmond in “Autopsy” which is the 25th book in the series. A friend of ours, Gary O’Neal, says that Cornwell assisted David Baldacci, another Richmond writer, get his first book published, by asking her publisher to take a look at his first novel. It helps when you know someone who takes the time to give you a hand.
