Point of Origin

Point of Origin is a crime novel by the American writer Patricia Cornwell, published in 1998. It is the ninth book in the series centred on Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the chief medical examiner of Virginia who also works as a consulting pathologist for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The book belongs to the forensic thriller subgenre, in which scientific analysis of bodies and evidence drives the investigation.

The plot revolves around a series of fires that destroy homes and which, on closer examination, reveal that the victims were killed before the flames took hold. Scarpetta and her team must establish where the fires began and connect the cases, while the shadow of a killer who has operated for years across several countries emerges again in the United States. As is usual in the series, the novel combines technical expertise in charred remains and injuries with the personal tension surrounding the protagonist and her inner circle, including her niece Lucy, an ATF agent, and her colleague Benton Wesley of the FBI.

The novel also explores the rivalries and power struggles between police agencies, the media and public figures, lending background to the press pressure that surrounds investigations. Its structure alternates the progress of the inquiry with the growing confrontation with the antagonist, a woman who has been hostile to the protagonist since earlier instalments.

Like much of the series, Point of Origin helped consolidate Cornwell's reputation as one of the most widely read crime novelists of her era and helped popularise the image of forensic pathology and fire investigation in contemporary fiction.