The third Scarpetta novel All That Remains (1992) offers Cornwell's fullest treatment of the investigation of serial murder. The killer preys upon couples.

His career lasts for years, and the novel dramatizes the months-long ordeal of Scarpetta's involvement. Through Scarpetta's personal detection, the authorities gradually focus on a good suspect.

This novel introduces to the series a much broader political dimension than before. One of the victims is the daughter of the federal Drug Czar, and the killing may be linked to the Czar's activities. Or the deaths may be the work of a rogue military man who is being protected by the federal government. The fourth novel Cruel and Unusual continues to exploit the possibility of wider political corruption through Scarpetta's delving of how officials in Virginia's government are somehow linked with the release of a murderous prisoner — Temple Gault, whose presence haunts The Body...