Patricia Cornwell Red Mist B&N December 2011

It was a dark and stormy night…well it was dark…and wet...although not really stormy...and this is the wrong kind of intro for this author.

While I never read one of her books, I do know Patricia Cornwell is a big name author.  My wife even surprised me by telling me the name of the main character: Scarpetta.  Patricia Cornwell is part of the culture and I wanted her autograph.

I got to the book store late and was basically at the back of the line.  I had still had some spare time and I spent it reading while I waited for the Red Mist signing to start.

When Patricia Cornwell arrived she spoke for a few minutes; telling us that she never planned on writing for a living. Tennis pro was the first thing in her mind.  She mentioned her first 2 books didn’t sell and after working for 6 years did she came to write her third book which was a murder mystery.

She quickly let the audience pepper here with questions. Someone asked who Patricia would want to do the autopsy on her.  After she paused for the slightest of seconds, Patricia asked back why the audience member wanted her dead.  Then Patricia stipulated it needed to be Scarpetta.

Once the line got going, the line moved very fast. They had an official photographer taking shots which kept bog downs to a minimum.  So while I didn’t get one of my patented ‘slightly out of focus profile’ shots, I did get a shot with me in it (again sans smile).

She has a nice easy smile and looked me in the eyes.  I mentioned I liked her yellow tinted eyeglasses but I’m not sure she heard because of the process to move people along. She signed and they snapped a photo and I was gone.

Painless.

I do know she has a lot of fans that brought bags, boxes, and suitcase full of books to get signed.  They waited until the end which was better as they could get their books signed and not feel rushed.  This way they also got a chance to exchange a few words with Patricia who seemed ready and willing to spend the time with each and everyone one.

So to spoil the ending, the butler killed the master of the manor...or maybe the official photographer…

I know, wrong type of mystery - you don’t need to worry about me spilling any spoilers.

AH