ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- When Patricia Cornwell began writing thriller novels , she ruled the world of forensic science . `` I 'm very interested in what motivates people , why they do what they do , how they do it , '' Patricia Cornwell said . `` I could treat readers in each book to some new aspect that they would n't be familiar with , '' Cornwell said . Now the author is bombarded with `` CSI '' -like information from every side -- from `` Bones '' to `` Forensic Files '' to , well , `` CSI . '' `` It 's like you create this monster and find out it 's living in the house with you , and it 's banished you to a room because it has more power than you , '' she said . Cornwell knew she had to adapt to the changing entertainment climate . `` One of the questions I really did ask myself was , 'What 's the one thing I have no one else does ? ' `` The answer was chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta , Cornwell 's heroine . Scarpetta is independent , feisty and someone Cornwell knows better than she knows herself . To honor that close relationship , Cornwell decided to name her 16th book in the series after its main character , titling it simply `` Scarpetta . '' `` I realized , here it is 2008 . I finished my first book 20 years ago in 1988 . This is a really big anniversary , '' Cornwell said . In the novel , Scarpetta leaves South Carolina for New York , where the NYPD has asked her to examine an injured psychiatric patient . The patient has a graphic tale to tell -- one of paranoia and murder . The novelist said her books all have two things in common : First , of course , is a plot twist that allows Scarpetta to make a Sherlock Holmes-like deduction . The second is intriguing character interaction . `` What 's going on with them in this book ? What are they doing with or to each other ? Who 's in love ? Who is n't ? Who 's on the outs with whom ? Because I hope , in the end , [ my books ] are like high-level , crime soap operas . '' With two decades of character history , Cornwell has a lot to work with in that area . But her books are also full of intellectual fodder . Scarpetta is a disciplined academic -- a scientist with a law degree . Cornwell spent six years working in a medical examiner 's office before writing her first book , and she continues to spend time with professionals to keep up on new forensic technology . In recent weeks she has researched an autopsy in Florida and worked with the National Forensic Academy . If she 's going to write about trace evidence , she believes , she 's going to go to a trace evidence lab . `` I was never a scientific person , '' Cornwell said . `` When I got interested in science I had to learn it after the fact ... and that was good because I had already learned how to describe things , how to ask questions the audience would want answered . I was much better able to translate things into a language someone else could grasp . '' Her dedication to understanding her subject translates into other areas as well . Cornwell became a helicopter pilot , a certified scuba diver and qualified for a motorcycle license , all because she was writing about characters who were doing those things . Fans appreciate Cornwell 's enthusiasm and writing style , pushing 12 of her novels onto USA Today 's best-seller lists . But Cornwell said `` Scarpetta '' is actually more uplifting than her last couple of books , which took on a more twisted aura . `` I 'm glad because I think we live in very dark times and no one wants to read a depressing book now . '' Still , Cornwell has been delving deeper into her characters ' minds with each new book , and `` Scarpetta '' wo n't alter that trend . `` I 'm very interested in what motivates people , why they do what they do , how they do it , '' she said . `` It probably has something to do with where I am in life . I 'm 52 years old and I think differently than I did at 42 . '' Fans have asked if this is Cornwell 's last book in the series -- noting that the title `` Scarpetta '' is very ominous-sounding . But she promises to keep writing as long as the characters let her . `` It 's certainly not by intention to be the last book , '' she said . `` I wanted to make this a very special book . I decided that early in the writing process . I wanted to make it longer , a richer book , a feast for the fans . So no , this is n't the last book about Scarpetta . '' Which sounds , well , ominous . Kay Scarpetta , watch out .
Patricia Cornwell releases 16th book about Kay Scarpetta called `` Scarpetta '' Scarpetta leaves South Carolina for new case in New York . Cornwell enjoys exploring her characters ' minds and criminal psychology . Author still spends time researching forensic science .