The Last Precinct

The Last Precinct is a crime novel by American author Patricia Cornwell, the eleventh book in her Dr. Kay Scarpetta series. It picks up after the death of Diane Bray and an apparent attack on Scarpetta by Jean-Baptiste Chandonne in her own house at the end of Black Notice.

The story concentrates on uncovering the full truth behind Chandonne's killings. Scarpetta also falls under suspicion for Bray's death, given their known rivalry and public confrontations. Torn between clearing her name and her instinct to lash out even at those trying to help her, she sifts through forensic evidence that seems to connect Chandonne to past events in her life, including the murder of her lover, Benton Wesley. A major new character, Jaime Berger of the New York District Attorney's Office, believes Chandonne killed a woman in New York two years before he arrived in Virginia. Scarpetta must also confront her own fears, misconceptions and motives in learning to work with another capable woman.

The novel was also the subject of litigation: Dr. Leslie Sachs, author of The Virginia Ghost Murders (1998), claimed similarities between his book and Cornwell's and accused her of plagiarism. Cornwell obtained a preliminary injunction against him, and the court found his claims baseless.