Postmortem | Themes & Symbolism

Postmortem Significant Topics

The overriding issue of the Scarpetta series is how Scarpetta views the world. She speaks of forensic matters with calm objectivity and confidence, with a composed veneer that covers internal hauntings and obsessions. The novel opens with a nightmare vision of a pale, deformed face, "an evil intelligence" staring in at her from the stormy night beyond her window. Her job has taught her that evil lurks in the outer world. She cannot leave such knowledge at the office with her files; it follows her, invades her thinking and her dreams. In a later scene with her mentor Dr. Fortosis, both pathologists sit in mute horror after they admit the ferocity of the latest attack, in which the killer repeatedly stabbed the victim's genital area. The only emotional reaction these professionals allow themselves is painful silence. After she returns to Richmond, Scarpetta reveals her unexpressed anxieties as she recoils in...
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