| Kay Scarpetta | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Postmortem |
| Created by | Patricia Cornwell |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Medical Examiner |
| Nationality | American |
Kay Scarpetta is a fictional character inspired by former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro MD (retired).[1] She is the protagonist in a series of crime novels written by Patricia Cornwell noted for its use of recent forensic technology in Scarpetta's investigations.
The name Scarpetta is a diminutive, meaning Little Shoe, as revealed in the 2009 novel The Scarpetta Factor, which points out that the underlying pun is similar to Caligula, which means Little Boot in Latin. The novel features a website named Caligula, which is involved indirectly in the murder of a young woman.