TWO stunning blue eyes peer cautiously around the door before the chain is unlocked and the latch undone, and I come face to face with Patricia Cornwell.
As one of the world’s bestselling crime-thriller writers, it’s no surprise that she takes her security very seriously, although today she has only one bodyguard when we meet in a sunny room at a boutique London hotel.
“I have to be public to sell books. But I do know the downside of it, and how it can be very difficult,” she admits, flicking her blonde hair.
The Miami-born author, who is “happily married” to her partner, Dr Staci Gruber, certainly has had ups and downs in her experience with fame. It has been almost 20 years since her debut novel, Postmortem, which propelled her into super-stardom in the literary world.
“I remember all the times I couldn’t get published and I never, ever imagined being on the bestseller list,” says Cornwell.
The 53-year-old is now on her 34th book, and her latest novel, The Scarpetta Factor, is the 17th one featuring medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta.
“The pressure – and challenge – is to continue producing something of quality that is worthy of the position that I’m in, not to relax and say, ‘I’ve arrived’. I’ve got a lot to live up to now because I don’t want to write a book that’s bad,” she says.
The Scarpetta Factor, described by Cornwell as “vintage Scarpetta”, sees the medical examiner being baffled by a murder case – the dead body is telling a different story from the facts being presented to her.
“One of the things that makes Scarpetta really special is that she’s always going to see something in a different way. She’s going to see something that nobody else does,” Cornwell says.
“In typical fashion, this starts off focusing on a solitary case and, very quickly, expands into something much, much bigger and Scarpetta gets caught up in it and ends up being personally involved.”
Little details such as Scarpetta getting to grips with her BlackBerry and her niece, Lucy Farinelli, worried about money bring the book up to date with today’s tough times.
“I wanted to explore the financial situation. When I was in New York doing research last year, it was right when the economy completely crashed, and here I was, at Christmas time, looking at the devastation of the city,” she recalls.
“That was the beginning of a very painful time for people, and the world as we know it has changed. My characters are always rooted in the real world, so I thought, how will it impact them?”
Fans will also be glad to hear that Scarpetta is headed for the big screen and will be portrayed by Angelina Jolie.
“It’s more than a rumour, but it’s very early on in the process. The facts are, I have a deal with 20th Century Fox and the goal is that Angelina is going to play Scarpetta,” Cornwell reveals.
The author is satisfied with Angelina playing her title star, whom she affectionately refers to as a “mentor”.
“I think she can play anything she wants, and it’s not just because she’s a superstar. This is a very gifted, very intelligent person, and she’s a very fine actress – and a very courageous one, for that matter,” Cornwell says.
“When I saw her last April, I told her, ‘I hope Scarpetta takes you over like she has me, because if she does, you will play her the way she ought to be played’.”
The Scarpetta Factor, by Patricia Cornwell, is published by Little, Brown, priced £18.99.