
Chaos
Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Book 24
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $21.59
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Susan Ericksen
About this listen
Fear is a force of nature.
Number one New York Times best-selling author Patricia Cornwell delivers the 24th engrossing thriller in her high-stakes series starring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta.
In the quiet of twilight, on an early autumn day, 26-year-old Elisa Vandersteel is killed while riding her bicycle along the Charles River. It appears she was struck by lightning - except the weather is perfectly clear with not a cloud in sight. Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the Cambridge Forensic Center's director and chief, decides at the scene that this is no accidental Act of God.
Her investigation becomes complicated when she begins receiving a flurry of bizarre poems from an anonymous cyberbully who calls himself Tailend Charlie. Though subsequent lab results support Scarpetta's conclusions, the threatening messages don't stop. When the tenth poem arrives exactly 24 hours after Elisa's death, Scarpetta begins to suspect the harasser is involved, and sounds the alarm to her investigative partner, Pete Marino, and her husband, FBI analyst Benton Wesley.
She also enlists the help of her niece, Lucy. But to Scarpetta's surprise, tracking the slippery Tailend Charlie is nearly impossible, even for someone as brilliant as her niece. Also, Lucy can't explain how this anonymous nemesis could have access to private information. To make matters worse, a venomous media is whipping the public into a frenzy, questioning the seasoned forensics chief's judgment and "a quack cause of death on a par with spontaneous combustion".
"With her world-renowned, best-selling thriller series Patricia Cornwell has created a character so real, so compelling, so driven that readers have to remind themselves that Scarpetta is just a product of an author's imagination." (USA Today)
©2016 Patricia Cornwell (P)2019 HarperAudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Autopsy
- A Scarpetta Novel
- By: Patricia Cornwell
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta has come almost full circle, returning to Virginia, the state where she launched her storied career, as the chief medical examiner. Finding herself the new girl in town once again after being away for many years, she’s inherited both an overbearing secretary and a legacy of neglect and potential corruption.
-
-
C’mon now!!!
- By will on 12-01-21
-
Hornet's Nest
- By: Patricia Cornwell
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this first title of a new mystery series, Cornwell introduces us to a dynamic trio of crime solvers in Charlotte, North Carolina: Andy Brazil, an eager young reporter; Judy Hammer, the city's police chief; and Virginia West, Hammer's deputy and a genuine head turner. They're after a serial killer who pulls male out-of-towners from their rental cars and then mutilates, spray paints, and shoots them, in that order. What the trio uncovers jolts them like the sting of the hornet - Charlotte's symbol.
-
-
Not Up To Usual Cornwell Standards
- By Jane Salley on 05-30-15
-
Ripper
- The Secret Life of Walter Sickert
- By: Patricia Cornwell
- Narrated by: Mary Stuart Masterson
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vain and charismatic Walter Sickert made a name for himself as a painter in Victorian London. But the ghoulish nature of his art - as well as extensive evidence - points to another name, one that's left its bloody mark on the pages of history: Jack the Ripper. Cornwell has collected never-before-seen archival material - including a rare mortuary photo, personal correspondence and a will with a mysterious autopsy clause - and applied cutting-edge forensic science to open an old crime to new scrutiny.
-
-
I thought this was a new book.
- By Stephanie on 03-01-17
-
Naked in Death
- In Death, Book 1
- By: J. D. Robb
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she’s seen it all - and knows her survival depends on her instincts. And she’s going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire - and a suspect in Eve’s murder investigation.
-
-
Don't Judge the Series by the First Book!
- By Fee on 03-10-12
By: J. D. Robb
-
First Blood
- By: Angela Marsons
- Narrated by: Jan Cramer
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the darkness of a cold December morning, Detective Kim Stone steps through the doors of Halesowen Police Station. She’s about to meet her team for the first time. When the body of a young man is found beheaded and staked to the ground in a secluded area of the Clent Hills, Kim and her new squad rush to the crime scene. This audio edition includes exclusive bonus content.
-
-
Detective Kim Stone Book 12
- By Wayne on 12-10-19
By: Angela Marsons
-
Deja Dead
- By: Kathy Reichs
- Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's June in Montreal, and Dr. Temperance Brennan, who has left a shaky marriage back home in North Carolina to take on the challenging assignment of Director of Forensic Anthropology for the province of Quebec, looks forward to a relaxing weekend in beautiful Quebec City. First, though, she must stop at a newly uncovered burial site in the heart of the city. The remains are probably old and only of archeological interest, but Tempe must make sure they're not a case for the police. One look at the decomposed and decapitated corpse, stored neatly in plastic bags, tells her she'll spend the weekend in the crime lab.
-
-
Perplexed over other reviews about the narrator
- By R. Klein on 04-26-14
By: Kathy Reichs
-
Autopsy
- A Scarpetta Novel
- By: Patricia Cornwell
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta has come almost full circle, returning to Virginia, the state where she launched her storied career, as the chief medical examiner. Finding herself the new girl in town once again after being away for many years, she’s inherited both an overbearing secretary and a legacy of neglect and potential corruption.
-
-
C’mon now!!!
- By will on 12-01-21
-
Hornet's Nest
- By: Patricia Cornwell
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this first title of a new mystery series, Cornwell introduces us to a dynamic trio of crime solvers in Charlotte, North Carolina: Andy Brazil, an eager young reporter; Judy Hammer, the city's police chief; and Virginia West, Hammer's deputy and a genuine head turner. They're after a serial killer who pulls male out-of-towners from their rental cars and then mutilates, spray paints, and shoots them, in that order. What the trio uncovers jolts them like the sting of the hornet - Charlotte's symbol.
-
-
Not Up To Usual Cornwell Standards
- By Jane Salley on 05-30-15
-
Ripper
- The Secret Life of Walter Sickert
- By: Patricia Cornwell
- Narrated by: Mary Stuart Masterson
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vain and charismatic Walter Sickert made a name for himself as a painter in Victorian London. But the ghoulish nature of his art - as well as extensive evidence - points to another name, one that's left its bloody mark on the pages of history: Jack the Ripper. Cornwell has collected never-before-seen archival material - including a rare mortuary photo, personal correspondence and a will with a mysterious autopsy clause - and applied cutting-edge forensic science to open an old crime to new scrutiny.
-
-
I thought this was a new book.
- By Stephanie on 03-01-17
-
Naked in Death
- In Death, Book 1
- By: J. D. Robb
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she’s seen it all - and knows her survival depends on her instincts. And she’s going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire - and a suspect in Eve’s murder investigation.
-
-
Don't Judge the Series by the First Book!
- By Fee on 03-10-12
By: J. D. Robb
-
First Blood
- By: Angela Marsons
- Narrated by: Jan Cramer
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the darkness of a cold December morning, Detective Kim Stone steps through the doors of Halesowen Police Station. She’s about to meet her team for the first time. When the body of a young man is found beheaded and staked to the ground in a secluded area of the Clent Hills, Kim and her new squad rush to the crime scene. This audio edition includes exclusive bonus content.
-
-
Detective Kim Stone Book 12
- By Wayne on 12-10-19
By: Angela Marsons
-
Deja Dead
- By: Kathy Reichs
- Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's June in Montreal, and Dr. Temperance Brennan, who has left a shaky marriage back home in North Carolina to take on the challenging assignment of Director of Forensic Anthropology for the province of Quebec, looks forward to a relaxing weekend in beautiful Quebec City. First, though, she must stop at a newly uncovered burial site in the heart of the city. The remains are probably old and only of archeological interest, but Tempe must make sure they're not a case for the police. One look at the decomposed and decapitated corpse, stored neatly in plastic bags, tells her she'll spend the weekend in the crime lab.
-
-
Perplexed over other reviews about the narrator
- By R. Klein on 04-26-14
By: Kathy Reichs
-
Time of Justice
- Mara Brent Legal Thriller Series, Book 1
- By: Robin James
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This trial should be a slam-dunk. A faceless powerbroker has other ideas.... Small-town prosecutor Mara Brent must be tough as nails to succeed in her male-dominated profession. But she harbors a soft spot for the victims who rely on her courtroom skill, especially the wheelchair-bound rape survivor she’s known since her first day on the job. So when her friend’s unsolved case reopens with a DNA match and an arrest, she’s determined to finally bring a monster to justice.
-
-
This one’s a WOW!!!!
- By shelley on 05-04-20
By: Robin James
-
The Surgeon
- A Rizzoli and Isles Novel, Book 1
- By: Tess Gerritsen
- Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He slips into their homes at night and walks silently into bedrooms where women lie sleeping, unaware of the horrors they soon will endure. The precision of the killer's methods suggests he is a deranged man of medicine, propelling the Boston newspapers and the frightened public to name him "The Surgeon". The cops' only clue rests with another surgeon, the victim of a nearly identical crime. Two years ago, Dr. Catherine Cordell fought back and killed her attacker before he could complete his assault.
-
-
Audible needs to re-record this book.
- By Kim on 05-31-21
By: Tess Gerritsen
-
Triptych
- By: Karin Slaughter
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Atlanta's wealthiest suburbs to its stark inner-city housing projects, a killer has crossed the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries, too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael's lover before she became his enemy.
-
-
Spoiler Alert
- By Patricia on 12-13-15
By: Karin Slaughter
-
One for the Money: International Edition
- Stephanie Plum Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Janet Evanovich
- Narrated by: C. J. Critt
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You've lost your job as a department store lingerie buyer, your car's been repossessed, and most of your furniture and small appliances have been sold off to pay last month's rent. Now the rent is due again. And you live in New Jersey. What do you do? If you're Stephanie Plum, you become a bounty hunter. But not just a nickel-and-dime bounty hunter - you go after the big money. That means a cop gone bad.
-
-
I couldn't finish it
- By Jordan Cave on 06-11-22
By: Janet Evanovich
-
The Bone Hacker
- A Temperance Brennan Novel
- By: Kathy Reichs
- Narrated by: Linda Emond
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Called in to examine what is left of a person thought to have been struck by lightning, Tempe traces an unusual tattoo to its source and is soon embroiled in something much larger. Young men—tourists—have been disappearing on the islands of Turks and Caicos. Seven years earlier, the first victim was found in a strange location with his left hand hacked off; subsequently, two other visitors vanished without a trace. But recently, tantalizing leads have emerged.
-
-
Best one yet.
- By Amy on 08-05-23
By: Kathy Reichs
-
The Body Reader
- Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Anne Frasier
- Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three years, Detective Jude Fontaine was kept from the outside world. Held in an underground cell, her only contact was with her sadistic captor, and reading his face was her entire existence. Learning his every line, every movement, and every flicker of thought is what kept her alive. After her experience with isolation and torture, she is left with a fierce desire for justice - and a heightened ability to interpret the body language of both the living and the dead.
-
-
Go Jude!
- By AudioAddict on 01-21-17
By: Anne Frasier
-
Abducted
- Lizzy Gardner, Book 1
- By: T. R. Ragan
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Escaping from a madman should have been the end of her nightmare. Instead it was only the beginning...Lizzy Gardner was just seventeen when she was kidnapped by the psychopath known as Spiderman, a serial killer terrorizing her California hometown. Imprisoned and tormented for months, Lizzy narrowly escaped with her life and Spiderman vanished without a trace. But if she thought he would forget her, she was dead wrong.
-
-
Good story but pretty disturbing torture scenes.
- By Sarah on 10-26-13
By: T. R. Ragan
-
Play Dead
- Elise Sandburg, Book 1
- By: Anne Frasier
- Narrated by: Natalie Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No one is more familiar with Savannah's dark side than homicide detective and native resident Elise Sandburg. She's been haunted for years by her own mysterious past: She was abandoned as a baby in one of the city's ancient cemeteries, and it’s rumored that she is the illegitimate daughter of an infamous Savannah witch doctor. The local Gullah culture of voodoo and magic is one that few outsiders can understand, least of all Elise’s new partner.
-
-
Fun listen
- By Carol & Mike Doran on 03-24-15
By: Anne Frasier
-
Emerald City Thrillers, Books 1-5
- By: Audrey J. Cole
- Narrated by: Marcio Catalano, Veronica Pace, Patrick Zeller
- Length: 26 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From USA Today best-selling author Audrey J. Cole—the first five books in the Emerald City Thriller series.
-
-
So worth listening to
- By PattyH on 02-16-21
By: Audrey J. Cole
-
Killing Trail
- A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery, Book 1
- By: Margaret Mizushima
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a young girl is found dead in the mountains outside Timber Creek, lifelong resident Officer Mattie Cobb and her partner, K-9 police dog Robo, are assigned to the case that has rocked the small Colorado town. With the help of Cole Walker, a local veterinarian and single father, Mattie and Robo must track down the truth before it claims another victim. But the more Mattie investigates, the more she realizes how many secrets her town holds. And the key may be Cole's daughter, who knows more than she's saying.
-
-
For GSD or any dog-lover as well as crime fans
- By GSDNH on 10-14-16
-
Don't Even Breathe
- Maggie Novak Thriller, Book 1
- By: Keith Houghton
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Florida homicide detective Maggie Novak has seen hundreds of brutal murder cases, but when she is called out to investigate the charred remains of a young woman, in what appears to be a Halloween prank gone wrong, she is confronted with a twenty-year-old secret. The body is formally identified as that of school counselor Dana Cullen, but a distinguishing mark makes Maggie look again. She believes it is the body of her school friend Rita, who perished in a fire twenty years ago. Maggie’s hunt for the truth behind the murder takes her back to a cruel high school trick.
-
-
SUSPENSE end to end... FREE with Kindle Unlimited.
- By shelley on 04-05-19
By: Keith Houghton
-
From Potter's Field
- Kay Scarpetta Mysteries, Book 6
- By: Patricia Cornwell
- Narrated by: C.J. Critt
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An unidentified nude female sits propped against a fountain in Central Park. There are no signs of struggle. When Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her colleagues Benton Wesley and Pete Marino arrive on the scene, they instantly recognize the signature of serial killer Temple Brooks Gault. Scarpetta, on assignment with the FBI, visits the New York City morgue on Christmas morning, where she must use her forensic expertise to give a name to the nameless—a difficult task. But as she sorts through conflicting forensic clues, Gault claims his next victim.
-
-
Hopefully the Hump has Been Maneuvered Over
- By CaptiveBooks on 08-09-23