Bestselling author Patricia Cornwell joins Tricia Friedman to discuss True Crime: A Memoir, her deeply personal account of the life behind the books. Cornwell is known around the world for the Kay Scarpetta series, which has sold millions of copies and helped shape the modern forensic thriller. Her memoir, published by Grand Central Publishing on May 5, 2026, turns that same investigative intensity toward her own story.

In this conversation, Cornwell talks about why now was the moment to write a memoir, how difficult personal experiences shaped her career, and what it means to tell the truth on the page. She reflects on writing, survival, research, violence, and the kind of curiosity that keeps a creative life moving.

In this episode

Tricia and Patricia Cornwell discuss:

The story behind True Crime: A Memoir

Why Cornwell chose to write about her own life now

How Kay Scarpetta changed the crime fiction landscape

The relationship between lived experience and fiction

Why curiosity matters to writers, investigators, and readers

How Cornwell thinks about truth, memory, research, and resilience

What readers may discover when they return to Scarpetta through the memoir

Get your copy of True Crime:

https://www.patriciacornwell.com/