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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Graphic violence — a child murder; forensic examination; the executed killer's history
Language
Some
Moderate profanity
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild
Substance Use
None
No meaningful substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The impossible crime — a dead man's fingerprints at a murder scene; the forensic investigation; Scarpetta's growing unease
What this book is about
Temple Gault is executed by the state of Virginia for the murder of a teenage boy. Three weeks later, a boy is murdered in a manner identical to Gault's crimes — and forensic evidence points to Gault himself. Kay Scarpetta must determine how a dead man can be committing crimes. Cruel & Unusual is the fourth Scarpetta novel — introducing the character of Temple Gault, who becomes a major figure in the series.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Child murder — graphic forensic examination
An execution — the moral weight of capital punishment is part of the novel
Temple Gault — introduced here; a major villain in the series
Fourth in the Scarpetta series
Reader Verification
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