View source for Patricia Cornwell

{{Short description|American crime writer (born 1956)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name             = Patricia Cornwell
| image            = Patricia Cornwell in 2016.jpg
| caption          = Cornwell in 2016
| pseudonym        = 
| birth_name       = Patricia Carroll Daniels
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|1956|6|9}}
| birth_place      = [[Miami]], Florida, U.S.
| occupation       = [[Novelist]]
| period           = 1990–present
| education        = [[King University|King College]]<br>[[Davidson College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| genre            = [[Crime fiction]]
| spouse           = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Charles Cornwell|1980|1989|end=divorce}}
* {{marriage|[[Staci Gruber]]|2006}}
}}
| website          = {{URL|www.patriciacornwell.com}}
| influenced       = 
}}
'''Patricia Cornwell''' (born '''Patricia Carroll Daniels'''; June 9, 1956) is an American [[crime writer]]. She is known for her best-selling novels featuring [[medical examiner]] [[Kay Scarpetta]], of which the first was inspired by a series of sensational murders in [[Richmond, Virginia]], where most of the stories are set. The plots are notable for their emphasis on forensic science, which has influenced later TV treatments of police work. Cornwell has also accused [[Walter Sickert]] of carrying out the [[Jack the Ripper]] killings; Sickert is not considered a serious suspect by most who study the case, and strong evidence shows he spent most of 1888 outside the UK<ref name="Jones2021" /> and was in France at the time of most of the Ripper murders.<ref>Baron, Wendy (September 2004). [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/36083 "Sickert, Walter Richard (1860–1942)"]. ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]''. Accessed 18&nbsp;June 2008. (Subscription required)</ref><ref name="CJTR1">
{{cite web
 | last = Ryder
 | first = Stephen P.
 | title = Patricia Cornwell and Walter Sickert: A Primer
 | publisher = [[Casebook: Jack the Ripper]]
 | url = http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-pamandsickert.html
 | access-date =10 March 2008}}</ref><ref>Sturgis, Matthew (3&nbsp;November 2002). "Making a killing from the Ripper". ''[[The Sunday Times]]''</ref> Her books have sold more than 120 million copies.

==Early life==
A descendant of [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] and writer [[Harriet Beecher Stowe]],<ref>{{cite web|author=Patricia Cornwell Biography and Notes |url=https://www.biblio.com/cornwell-patricia/author/592?placement=last-name-C |title=Patricia Cornwell Biography and List of Works - Patricia Cornwell Books |publisher=Biblio.com |date=June 9, 1956 |access-date=January 30, 2012}}</ref> Cornwell was born on June 9, 1956, in [[Miami, Florida]], second of three children, to Marilyn (née Zenner) and Sam Daniels. Her father was one of the leading appellate lawyers in the United States and served as a law clerk to [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] Justice [[Hugo Black]]. Cornwell later traced her own motivations in life to the [[emotional abuse]] she says she suffered from her father, who walked out on the family on [[Christmas Day]] 1961. She has said, "He was on his deathbed. We knew it was the last time we were seeing each other; he grabbed my brother's hand and mouthed 'I love you,' but he never touched me. All he did was write on a legal pad 'How's work?'"<ref name = Times/>

In 1961, Marilyn left with three children in tow and moved to [[Montreat, North Carolina]]. [[Ruth Graham|Ruth Bell Graham]], wife of the evangelist [[Billy Graham]] took the wayward family in and arranged for Cornwell and her brothers, Jim and John, to be raised by Lenore and Manfred Saunders, who had recently returned from Africa.<ref name="terror" /> Marilyn Daniels, suffering from severe depression, was hospitalized. Cornwell turned to [[Ruth Bell Graham]] as an authority figure, and it was she who noticed that Cornwell's talent lay in writing and encouraged her literary efforts. A bright student, a capable cartoonist, and a talented athlete on the tennis court, Cornwell attended [[King University|King College]] in [[Bristol, Tennessee]] briefly before transferring to [[Davidson College]] on a tennis scholarship (which she later rejected), from which she graduated in 1979 with a [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in [[English studies|English]].

==Career==
{{BLP sources section|date= February 2017}}
In 1979, Cornwell began working as a reporter for ''[[The Charlotte Observer]],'' initially editing TV listings, then moving to features, and finally becoming a reporter covering crime. In 1980, she received the North Carolina Press Association's  Investigative Reporting Award for a series on prostitution. She continued at the newspaper until 1981, when she moved to [[Richmond, Virginia]] with her first husband, Charles Cornwell (married in 1980), who enrolled at the [[Union Theological Seminary in Virginia|Union Theological Seminary]]. The same year she began working on the biography of [[Ruth Bell Graham]], ''A Time for Remembering: The Ruth Bell Graham Story'' (renamed ''Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham'' in subsequent editions), which was published in 1983. The biography gained a Gold Medallion Book Award from the Evangelic Christian Publishers Association in 1985. However, it was a major blow to her friendship with Graham – they weren't on speaking terms for eight years following the book's publication.

In 1984, Cornwell began work on her first novel, about a male detective named Joe Constable. She also met Dr. [[Marcella Farinelli Fierro]], a [[medical examiner]] in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], who became the subsequent inspiration for the character of [[Dr. Kay Scarpetta]]. In 1985, she took a job at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of [[Virginia]]. She worked there for six years, first as a technical writer and then as a computer analyst. She also volunteered to work with the [[Richmond Police Department (Virginia)|Richmond Police Department]]. Cornwell wrote three novels that she says were rejected before the publication in 1990, of the first installment of her Scarpetta series, ''[[Postmortem (novel)|Postmortem]],'' based on real-life [[strangling]]s in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] in the summer of 1987. The novel won her various awards including the British [[John Creasey Award]], the French Prix du Roman d'Adventure and the American [[Edgar Award]] for [[Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel|Best First Novel.]]

===Scarpetta series===
{{main|Kay Scarpetta}}
The Scarpetta novels include a great deal of detail on [[forensic science]]. The initial resolution to the mystery is found in the forensic investigation of the murder victim's corpse, although Scarpetta does considerably more field investigation and confrontation with suspects than real-life medical examiners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/kay-scarpetta/|title=Kay Scarpetta|date=September 20, 2016|website=Book Series in Order|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref> The novels generally climax with action scenes in which Scarpetta and her associates confront, or are confronted by, the killer or killers, usually concluding with the death of the killer. The novels are considered to have influenced the development of popular [[TV series]] on forensics, both fictional, such as ''[[CSI: Crime Scene Investigation]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/flesh-and-blood-a-fascina_b_6145366|title=Flesh and Blood: A Fascinating Talk With Patricia Cornwell|last1=Rubinstein|first1=Mark|date=November 12, 2014|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref> and documentaries, such as ''[[Cold Case Files]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/best-selling-crime-novelist-patricia-cornwell-is-born|title=Best-selling crime novelist Patricia Cornwell is born|website=HISTORY|language=en|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref>

Other significant themes in the Scarpetta novels include health, individual safety and security, food, family, and the emerging sexual self-discovery of Scarpetta's niece. Often, conflicts and secret manipulations by Scarpetta's colleagues and staff are involved in the story-line and make the murder cases more complex. Although scenes from the novels take place in a variety of locations around the United States and (less commonly) internationally, they center around the city of [[Richmond, Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.howtoread.me/kay-scarpetta-reading-order/|title=Kay Scarpetta Reading Order: How to read Patricia Cornwell books?|date=September 27, 2017|website=How To Read Me|language=en-US|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref>

There are two marked style shifts in the Scarpetta novels. Starting from ''The Last Precinct'' (2000), the style changes from [[past tense]] to [[present tense]]. Starting from ''Blow Fly'' (2003), the style changes from a [[First-person narrative|first person]] to a [[Third-person narrative|third person]], omniscient, narrator.<ref name="Kidd" /> Events are even narrated from the viewpoint of the murderers. Before ''Blow Fly'' the events are seen through Scarpetta's eyes only, and other points of view only appear in letters that Scarpetta reads.

Cornwell shifted back to a first-person perspective in the Scarpetta novel ''Port Mortuary'' (2010).

===Andy Brazil/Judy Hammer series===
In addition to the Scarpetta novels, Cornwell has written three pseudo-police fictions, known as the Trooper Andy Brazil/Superintendent Judy Hammer series, which are set in [[North Carolina]], [[Virginia]], and off the mid-Atlantic coast. Besides the older-woman/younger-man premise, the books include themes of [[scatology]] and [[sepsis]].

===Jack the Ripper theorist===
Cornwell has been involved in a continuing, self-financed quest for evidence to support her theory that Victorian painter [[Walter Sickert]] was [[Jack the Ripper]]. In pursuit of this hypothesis, she has written two books: ''[[Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper—Case Closed]]'', published in 2002, and ''Ripper: The Secret Life Of Walter Sickert'', published in 2017. In total, she is said to have spent a reported $6m on Ripper-related research.<ref name="terror">{{cite news |last1=Saner |first1=Ermine |title=Interview 'I lived in a state of terror': Patricia Cornwell on childhood trauma, her new novel and the search for Bigfoot |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/20/i-lived-in-a-state-of-terror-patricia-cornwell-on-childhood-trauma-her-new-novel-and-the-search-for-bigfoot |access-date=April 25, 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=20 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104141646/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/20/i-lived-in-a-state-of-terror-patricia-cornwell-on-childhood-trauma-her-new-novel-and-the-search-for-bigfoot |archive-date=January 4, 2024}}</ref>

She wrote ''Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper—Case Closed'' to much controversy, especially within the British art world and among Ripperologists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artcyclopedia.com/feature-2002-11.html |title=November Article: Portrait of the Artist as a Serial Killer |publisher=Artcyclopedia.com |access-date=January 30, 2012}}</ref><ref name="casebook1">{{cite web|url=http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-artofmurder.html |title=Jack the Ripper - The Art of Murder |publisher=Casebook |access-date=January 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-pamandsickert.html |title=Jack the Ripper - Patricia Cornwell and Walter Sickert: A Primer |publisher=Casebook |access-date=January 30, 2012}}</ref> Cornwell denied being obsessed with Jack the Ripper in full-page ads in two British newspapers and has said the case was "far from closed".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/aug/25/patriciacornwell | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=The Grand Old Ripper | date=August 25, 2005 | access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4190572.stm | work=BBC News | title=Author denies 'Ripper' obsession | date=August 27, 2005 | access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref> In 2001, Cornwell was criticized for allegedly destroying one of Sickert's [[painting]]s in pursuit of the Ripper's identity.<ref name="guardianrip">{{cite news | last = Gibbons  | first = Fiachra | title = Does this painting by Walter Sickert reveal the identity of Jack the Ripper? Author rips up canvas in attempt to prove artist was killer | newspaper = The Guardian| date = December 8, 2001 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2001/dec/08/art.artsfeatures | access-date = October 20, 2009 | location=London}}</ref> She believed the well-known painter to be responsible for the string of murders and had purchased over 30 of his paintings and argued that they closely resembled the Ripper crime scenes.<ref name="guardianrip"/>  Cornwell also claimed a breakthrough: a letter written by someone purporting to be the killer had the same watermark as some of Sickert's writing paper.<ref name="guardianrip" /> Ripper experts noted, however, that there were hundreds of letters from different authors falsely claiming to be the killer, and the watermark in question was on a brand of stationery that was widely available.<ref name="casebook1"/>

French art expert [[:fr:Johann Naldi|Johann Naldi]] validates the author's theory, claiming to have found a portrait that he attributes to the French painter [[Jacques-Émile Blanche]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=De Boishue |first=Pierre |date=February 3, 2024 |title=Jack l'Éventreur : l'incroyable portrait qui relance l'enquête |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/histoire/archives/jack-l-eventreur-l-incroyable-portrait-qui-relance-l-enquete-20240203 |work=Le Figaro}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gandillot |first=Thierry |date=February 17, 2024 |title=Jack l'Éventreur. Et si c'était lui ? |url=https://lejournal.info/article/jack-leventreur-et-si-cetait-lui/ |work=Le Journal. info}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Isaac |first=Anne-Emmanuelle |date=February 14, 2024 |title=Jack l'Eventreur : le visage du célèbre tueur enfin révélé ? |url=https://video.lefigaro.fr/figaro/video/jack-leventreur-le-visage-du-celebre-tueur-enfin-revele-le-livre-de-johann-naldi/ |website=Le Figaro TV}}</ref> For Naldi, the discovery of this painting, which depicts a man who appears to share Sickert's features, is "visual confirmation of Patricia Cornwell's theory".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cauet |first=Ella |date=March 8, 2024 |title=L'identité de Jack L'Eventreur dévoilée dans un tableau ? |url=https://www.radioclassique.fr/culture/lidentite-de-jack-leventreur-devoilee-dans-un-tableau-le-galeriste-johann-naldi-raconte-son-enquete/ |work=Radio classique}}</ref>

=== TV appearance ===
She made a brief appearance on the police procedural drama ''[[Criminal Minds]]'' in the episode "[[Criminal Minds (season 7)|True Genius]]" as herself.

==Legal issues==
===DUI case===
On January 10, 1993, Cornwell crashed her Mercedes-Benz while under the influence of alcohol. She was convicted of drunk driving and sentenced to 28 days in a treatment center.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400E4D8143BF930A15750C0A961958260&sec=health&pagewanted=1 | work=The New York Times | title=New Chapter for a Serial Spender | first=Geraldine | last=Fabrikant | date=March 23, 1997}}</ref>

===Leslie Sachs case===
Leslie Sachs, author of ''The Virginia Ghost Murders'' (1998), claimed there were similarities between his novel and Cornwell's ''[[The Last Precinct (novel)|The Last Precinct]]''.<ref name="Kidd" /> In 2000, he sent letters to Cornwell's publisher, started a web page, and placed stickers on copies of his novel alleging that Cornwell was committing [[plagiarism]]. The [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia|U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia]] granted Cornwell a [[preliminary injunction]] against Sachs, opining that his claims were likely to be found baseless.<ref name=cyberlaw>{{cite web |url=http://www.prenhall.com/girasa/updates/ch10.html |title=Cyberlaw update - Chapter 10: Privacy Rights and Security Issues |website=Pearson Higher Education |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930020743/http://www.prenhall.com/girasa/updates/ch10.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref>

In 2007, during her [[Libel#Libel|libel]] suit against Sachs, Cornwell testified that Sachs had accused her in online postings of being a "Jew hater" and "neo-Nazi" who bribed judges, conspired to have him killed, and was under investigation by U.S. authorities.<ref name="Glaister">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/may/24/books.crimebooks |title=The plot thickens as crime writer Patricia Cornwell takes 'cyberstalker' to court |last=Glaister |first=Dan |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=May 24, 2007 |access-date=April 25, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526134325/http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2086748,00.html |archive-date=May 26, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2007/06/07/crime_novelist_tries_to_ward_off_internet_attacker/ |title=Crime novelist tries to ward off Internet attacker |last=Mehegan |first=David |website=[[Boston Globe]] |date=June 7, 2007 |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610015745/http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2007/06/07/crime_novelist_tries_to_ward_off_internet_attacker/ |archive-date=June 10, 2007}}</ref> The court permanently enjoined Sachs from making defamatory accusations against Cornwell and awarded Cornwell $37,780 in damages to cover the costs of defending herself against Sachs' internet attacks.<ref name="Heller">{{cite web |url=http://www.onpointnews.com/071224.asp |title=Defaulted Defamer Ordered to Pay Crime Author $35K |last=Heller |first=Matthew |date=December 24, 2007 |website=On Point |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102004951/http://www.onpointnews.com/071224.asp |archive-date=January 2, 2009}}</ref>

===Anchin, Block & Anchin===
In 2004, Cornwell assigned management of her financial matters to New York-based Anchin, Block & Anchin, managed by principal Evan Snapper. Agreeing to pay the firm a base rate of $40,000/month,<ref name=BGlobeFM/> her lawyer later claimed that Cornwell had hired Snapper to insulate herself from her money due to her ongoing mental health issues, and that Snapper knew this and took advantage of her over her four-and-a-half-year relationship with the company.<ref name=BGlobeFM>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/01/09/patricia-cornwell-case-that-reads-like-one-her-mysteries-sues-her-financial-management-firm-alleging-cost-her-tens-millions/zbm35N6sZXjRaOQOaVsvPO/story.html|title=Mystery novelist accuses her manager of betrayal|author=Milton J. Valencia|publisher=Boston Globe|date=January 9, 2012|access-date=January 13, 2012}}</ref>

Cornwell fired the firm after discovering in July 2009 that the net worth of her and her company, Cornwell Entertainment Inc., despite having above $10 million in earnings per year during the previous four years, was a little under $13 million, the equivalent of only one year's net income. After Cornwell filed the lawsuit, Snapper pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance regulations, having used some of the money to buy tickets for an [[Elton John]] concert benefitting [[Hillary Clinton]]. The court case opened in January 2013, with Cornwell suing the firm for a combined sum of $100 million.<ref name=BGlobeFM/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21010235|title=Crime novelist Patricia Cornwell sues finance firm|journal=BBC News|date=January 14, 2012|access-date=January 14, 2012}}</ref>  On February&nbsp;19, a Boston jury awarded Cornwell {{usd}}50.9 million (£33.4 million).<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9882052/Crime-writer-Patricia-Cornwell-wins-51m-lawsuit-against-accountants.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9882052/Crime-writer-Patricia-Cornwell-wins-51m-lawsuit-against-accountants.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Crime writer Patricia Cornwell wins $51m lawsuit against accountants |first=Mark |last=Hughes |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=February 20, 2013 |location=[[London, UK|London]] |access-date=June 20, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Personal life==

===Relationships===
On June 14, 1980, she married Charles L. Cornwell, who was 17 years her senior and one of her professors.<ref name="terror" /> The marriage occurred shortly before her graduation. Charles Cornwell later became a Christian preacher. In 1989, the couple separated, with Patricia retaining her married name after the divorce.<ref name="Kidd" />

Cornwell had a relationship with FBI agent Marguerite "Margo" Bennett, which earned headlines in 1989 after Bennett's husband attempted to kidnap his estranged wife.<ref name="Kidd" />

In 2006, Cornwell married [[Staci Gruber]], an associate professor of psychiatry at [[Harvard University]].<ref name="Kidd">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/dec/07/patricia-cornwell-interview |title="I created a monster": Interview with Patricia Cornwell |journal=The Guardian |last=Kidd |first=James |date=December 6, 2008 |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927123412/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/dec/07/patricia-cornwell-interview |archive-date=September 27, 2015}}</ref> However, she did not disclose news of her marriage until 2007.<ref name="rooted" /> Cornwell later stated that turning 50 had made her see the importance of speaking out for [[civil rights|equal rights]] and spoke of how [[Billie Jean King]] had helped her come to terms with talking about her sexuality publicly.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.advocate.com/news/daily-news/2009/10/20/patricia-cornwell-out-40-million |title=Patricia Cornwell out $40 million |publisher=Advocate |date=October 20, 2009 |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115235258/http://www.advocate.com/news/daily-news/2009/10/20/patricia-cornwell-out-40-million |archive-date=November 15, 2018}}</ref> She lives with Gruber in Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-12-01-patricia-cornwell_N.htm |title=Crime pays quite well for Patricia Cornwell |last=Memmott |first=Carol |website=USA Today |date=December 3, 2008 |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208041049/https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-12-01-patricia-cornwell_N.htm |archive-date=February 8, 2009}}</ref><ref name="rooted">{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3669542/Patricia-Cornwell-Finally-I-feel-rooted-somewhere.html |title=Patricia Cornwell: 'Finally, I feel rooted somewhere' |date=November 26, 2007 |website=Telegraph |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420213010/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3669542/Patricia-Cornwell-Finally-I-feel-rooted-somewhere.html |archive-date=April 20, 2009}}</ref>

Since childhood, Cornwell has been friends with the family of [[Evangelism|evangelist]] [[Billy Graham (evangelist)|Billy Graham]] and his wife [[Ruth Graham|Ruth Bell]], often serving as the family's unofficial spokesperson to the media.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/12/AR2006121201338.html|title=A Family at Cross-Purposes: Billy Graham's Sons Argue Over a Final Resting Place|first=Laura Sessions|last=Stepp|newspaper=Washington Post|date=December 13, 2006}}</ref>  She also wrote an authorized biography of Ruth Bell Graham. Cornwell was previously a personal friend of President [[George H. W. Bush]]. She referred to him as "Big George" and vacationed at the family's summer retreat in [[Kennebunkport, Maine]], but later distanced herself from the Bush family.<ref name="Kidd" />

===Health problems===
Cornwell has in the past suffered from [[anorexia nervosa]] and depression, which began in her late teens.<ref name = Times>{{cite news| url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/patricia-cornwell-when-i-was-outed-as-a-lesbian-i-didnt-leave-my-house-for-a-month-i-was-afraid-horrified-and-humiliated-35217938.html |title=Patricia Cornwell: "When I was Outed as a Lesbian I didn't leave my House for a Month - I was Afraid, Horrified, and Humiliated |website=Belfast Telegraph |date=November 16, 2016 |access-date=March 22, 2021}}</ref><ref name=tele-killer-queen>{{Cite news|author=Nigel Farndale |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6560751/Killer-Queen-Patricia-Cornwell-Interview.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6560751/Killer-Queen-Patricia-Cornwell-Interview.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Killer Queen: Patricia Cornwell Interview |publisher=Telegraph |date=November 16, 2009 |access-date=March 17, 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> She spoke openly in 2008-09 about her struggle with [[bipolar disorder]],<ref name=tele-killer-queen/><ref name="Kidd" /> but in 2015 said that she was misdiagnosed.<ref name="Cornwell">{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/patricia.cornwell/posts/10202752455965703|title=Facebook|last=Cornwell|first=Patricia|website=[[Facebook]]|date=January 24, 2015|access-date=January 24, 2015}}</ref>

===Political views===
Since 1998, Cornwell has donated at least $84,000 to the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] and $78,800 to the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], and has made individual contributions to Republican and Democratic [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] candidates, including [[George Allen (U.S. politician)|George Allen]], [[John Warner]], [[Orrin Hatch]], [[Hillary Clinton]], [[Nicola Tsongas]], [[Charles Robb]], and [[Mark Warner]].<ref name="newsmeat">{{cite web |url=http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Patricia_Cornwell.php |title=NEWSMEAT ▷ Patricia Cornwell's Federal Campaign Contribution Report |publisher=Newsmeat.com |access-date=January 30, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128010541/http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Patricia_Cornwell.php |archive-date=January 28, 2012 }}</ref>

Cornwell has spoken negatively of the [[presidency of George W. Bush]], saying, "I was supportive of young George W. Bush because I liked his family. I thought he was going to be another Big George. Boy, was I ever wrong. It's not a democracy so much as a theocracy, and those are not the principles this country was founded on."<ref name="Kidd" />

===Charity===
Cornwell has made several notable charitable donations, including funding the Virginia Institute for Forensic Science and Medicine,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.vcu.edu/article/Patricia_Cornwell_launches_Forensics_in_Literature_series |title=Patricia Cornwell Launches Forensic in Literature Series |last=Cichowski |first=Lorraine |date=March 1, 2002 |website=VCU News |access-date=March 21, 2021}}</ref> funding scholarships to the [[University of Tennessee]]'s National Forensics Academy and [[Davidson College]]'s Creative Writing Program (the result of which is the Patricia Cornwell Creative Writing Scholarship, awarded to one or two incoming freshmen), and donating her collection of [[Walter Sickert]] paintings to [[Harvard University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/harvard-to-get-paintings-by-artist-controversially-linked-to-ripper/ |title=Harvard to Get Paintings by Artist Controversially Linked to Ripper |date=August 20, 2006 |website=The Chronicle of Higher Education |access-date=March 21, 2021}}</ref> As a member of the Harvard-affiliated [[McLean Hospital]]'s National Council, she is an advocate for psychiatric research.  She has also made million-dollar donations to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice for the Crime Scene Academy<ref>{{cite web |url=http://johnjay.jjay.cuny.edu/newsroom/1274.php |title=Patricia Cornwell, Internationally Known #1 New York Times Bestselling Crime Writer, Donates $1 Million to John Jay College of Criminal Justice - Gift Will Establish New Cutting-Edge Crime Scene Academy |date=February 15, 2008 |website=John Jay College of Criminal Justice |access-date=March 21, 2021}}</ref> and to the Harvard Art Museum.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://harvardartmuseums.org/about/press-media/patricia-cornwell-conservation-scientist-is-established-at-the-harvard-art-museums-straus-center-for-conservation-and-technical-studies |title=Patricia Cornwell Conservation Scientist is Established at the Harvard Art Museum's Straus Center for conservation and Technical Studies |date=November 19, 2008 |website=Harvard Art Museum |access-date=March 22, 2021}}</ref> She donated funds to the Richmond City Police Dept. and neighboring Henrico County Police Dept. to purchase bullet-proof vests for the police dogs. Cornwell is also a major contributor at the Five Star level to the Veterans Village of San Diego, with lifetime giving of more than $250,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/patricia-cornwell-1-bestselling-author-launches-america-for-vets-a-national-campaign-that-will-deliver-everyday-supplies-to-veterans-in-need-through-veterans-village-of-san-diego-vvsd-109906724.html |title=Patricia Cornwell, #1 Bestselling Author, Launches 'America For Vets,' a National Campaign that Will Deliver Everyday Supplies to Veterans in Need Through Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) |date=November 22, 2010 |website=Cision PR Newswire |access-date=March 22, 2021}}</ref> The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]] trains investigators in the Scarpetta House, a full-scale apartment donated by Cornwell, in which crime scenes are staged.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Engelhaupt |first=Erika |title=Gory details: adventures from the dark side of science |title-link=Gory Details |date=2020 |publisher=National Geographic Partners, LLC |isbn=978-1-4262-2098-2 |location=Washington, DC}}</ref>

===Hobbies===
Patricia received her private helicopter license in 1999.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.flyingmag.com/patricia-cornwells-rotor-research/ |work=Flying Magazine |location=London |title=Patricia Cornwell's Rotor Research' |last=Pimentel |first=Dan |date=March 31, 2022 |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331132711/https://www.flyingmag.com/patricia-cornwells-rotor-research/ |archive-date=March 31, 2022}}</ref>

==Bibliography==

===Fiction series===
;'''Kay Scarpetta series:'''
# ''[[Postmortem (novel)|Postmortem]]'' (1990)
# ''[[Body of Evidence (novel)|Body of Evidence]]'' (1991)
# ''[[All That Remains (novel)|All That Remains]]'' (1992)
# ''[[Cruel and Unusual (novel)|Cruel and Unusual]]'' (1993)
# ''[[The Body Farm (novel)|The Body Farm]]'' (1994)
# ''[[From Potter's Field (novel)|From Potter's Field]]'' (1995)
# ''[[Cause of Death (novel)|Cause of Death]]'' (1996)
# ''[[Unnatural Exposure (novel)|Unnatural Exposure]]'' (1997)
# ''[[Point of Origin (novel)|Point of Origin]]'' (1998)
#*Scarpetta's Winter Table (1998)
# ''[[Black Notice (novel)|Black Notice]]'' (1999)
# ''[[The Last Precinct (novel)|The Last Precinct]]'' (2000)
# ''[[Blow Fly (novel)|Blow Fly]]'' (2003)
# ''[[Trace (novel)|Trace]]'' (2004)
# ''[[Predator (Cornwell novel)|Predator]]'' (2005)
# ''[[Book of the Dead (Cornwell novel)|Book of the Dead]]'' (2007)
# ''[[Scarpetta (novel)|Scarpetta]]'' (2008)
# ''The Scarpetta Factor'' (2009)
# ''Port Mortuary'' (2010)
# ''Red Mist'' (2011)
# ''[[The Bone Bed]]'' (2012)
# ''[[Dust (novel)|Dust]]'' (2013)
# ''Flesh and Blood ''(2014)
# ''Depraved Heart ''(2015)
# ''Chaos'' (2016)
# ''Autopsy'' (2021)
# ''Livid'' (2022)
# ''Unnatural Death'' (2023)
# ''Identity Unknown'' (2024)
# ''Sharp Force'' (2025)

;'''Andy Brazil / Judy Hammer series:'''
# ''[[Hornet's Nest (novel)|Hornet's Nest]]'' (1996)
# ''[[Southern Cross (novel)|Southern Cross]]'' (1998)
# ''Isle of Dogs'' (2001)

;'''Win Garano series:'''
# ''At Risk'' (2006)
# ''The Front'' (2008)

;'''Captain Chase series:'''
# ''Quantum'' (2019)[http://www.patriciacornwell.com/news/]
# ''Spin'' (2020)

===Children's books===
* ''Life's Little Fable'' (1999)

===Non-fiction===
* ''A Time for Remembering: The Ruth Graham Bell Story'' (1983) [Reprinted as ''An Uncommon Friend: The Authorized Biography of Ruth Graham Bell'' (1996) and ''Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham'' (1997)] Biography of [[Ruth Bell Graham]]
* ''Food to Die For: Secrets from Kay Scarpetta's Kitchen'' (2002)
* ''[[Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper—Case Closed]]'' (2002)
* ''Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert'' (2017)

===Omnibus===
* ''The First Scarpetta Collection. Postmortem and Body of Evidence'' (1995)
* ''A Scarpetta Omnibus: Postmortem, Body of Evidence, All that Remains'' (2000)
* ''A Second Scarpetta Omnibus: Cruel and Unusual, The Body Farm, From Potter's Field'' (2000)
* ''A Third Scarpetta Omnibus: Cause of Death, Unnatural Exposure & Point of Origin'' (2002)
* ''The Scarpetta Collection Volume 1: Postmortem and Body of Evidence'' (2003)
* ''The Scarpetta Collection Volume 2: All that Remains and Cruel and Unusual'' (2003)

==Awards==
* [[Evangelical Christian Publishers Association|ECPA]] Gold Medallion Book Award in the Biography/Autobiography category for ''A Time For Remembering'' (1985)<ref>[http://www.ecpa.org/christianbookawards/gm1985.php 1985 Gold Medallion Book Awards Winners], Evangelical Christian Publishers Association</ref>
* [[Edgar Award]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mysterynet.com/edgars/previous/firstnovel/ |title=Best First Mystery Novel by an American Author Edgar Award Winners and Nominees - Complete Lists |publisher=Mysterynet.com |access-date=March 23, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414222835/http://www.mysterynet.com/edgars/previous/firstnovel/ |archive-date=April 14, 2012 }}</ref> [[John Creasey Memorial Award]], [[1991 Anthony Award|Anthony Award]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bouchercon.info/nominees.html |title=Bouchercon World Mystery Convention : Anthony Awards Nominees |publisher=Bouchercon.info |date=October 2, 2003 |access-date=March 23, 2012 |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207060829/http://www.bouchercon.info/nominees.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Macavity Award]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mysteryreaders.org/macavity.html |title=Mystery Readers International's Macavity Awards |publisher=Mysteryreaders.org |access-date=March 23, 2012}}</ref> for ''[[Postmortem (novel)|Postmortem]]'' (1991) (Cornwell is the only author to receive these awards in a single year){{citation needed|date=March 2012}}
* [[Prix du Roman d'Adventures]] for ''[[Postmortem (novel)|Postmortem]]'' (1992)
* Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] (1995)<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=American Academy of Achievement|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}</ref>
* [[Gold Dagger]] for ''[[Cruel and Unusual (novel)|Cruel and Unusual]]'' (1993)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/index.html |title=THE CWA Dagger Awards Overview |publisher=Thecwa.co.uk |date=August 23, 2011 |access-date=January 30, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723043537/http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/index.html |archive-date=July 23, 2012 }}</ref>
* [[Sherlock Award]] for Best Detective for the character [[Kay Scarpetta]] (1999)<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/magazine/08funny_serial.html?ex=1144987200&en=706468b9fc6fb2bd&ei=5070 | work=The New York Times | title=At Risk | first=Patricia | last=Cornwell | date=January 8, 2006 | access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref>
* [[British Book Awards]]' Crime Thriller of the Year for ''Book of the Dead'' (2008) (Cornwell is the first American author to receive this award.)
* [[RBA Prize for Crime Writing]] 2011 for ''Red Mist'', the world's most lucrative crime fiction prize at €125,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eng.rba.es/Servicios/Premios/Premio-Internacional-de-Novela-Negra-RBA |title=The RBA International Thriller Prize |website=RBA |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310220029/http://eng.rba.es/Servicios/Premios/Premio-Internacional-de-Novela-Negra-RBA |archive-date=March 10, 2012 }}</ref>

==References==
<references />

===Sources===
* {{Cite book|title=The Unofficial Patricia Cornwell Companion|last=Beahm|first=George|publisher=St. Martin's Minotaur|year=2002|isbn=978-0-312-30732-5|location=[[New York City|New York]]|pages=[https://archive.org/details/unofficialpatric00beah/page/n22 3]–16|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/unofficialpatric00beah}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Library resources box|by=yes|about=no}}
* {{Official website}}

{{RBA Prize for Crime Writing}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornwell, Patricia}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century American women novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century American women novelists]]
[[Category:American lesbian writers]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ novelists]]
[[Category:American mystery writers]]
[[Category:American women journalists]]
[[Category:American women mystery writers]]
[[Category:Anthony Award winners]]
[[Category:Davidson College alumni]]
[[Category:Edgar Award winners]]
[[Category:Historians of Jack the Ripper]]
[[Category:King University alumni]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from Florida]]
[[Category:Macavity Award winners]]
[[Category:McLean Hospital people]]
[[Category:Novelists from Florida]]
[[Category:Novelists from Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Buncombe County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Writers from Miami]]
[[Category:Writers from Richmond, Virginia]]