Patricia Cornwell returns to form in 'Scarpetta' and funds real-life science.  Patricia Cornwell's name comes with more than a whiff of myth and expectation. Almost every woman writing thrillers with extreme violence gets compared to Cornwell's bestselling work featuring forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta. Interviews focus less on the books and more on Cornwell's Armani suits, personal security concerns or her obsession with solving the Jack the Ripper murders. And the publishing industry's current grim fortunes lend an air of urgency to last week's publication of "Scarpetta."  More