Writer Patricia Cornwell digs for dinosaurs as part of research

American thriller writer Patricia Cornwell dug for dinosaurs while researching her latest novel about forensic pathologist and crime-buster Kay Scarpetta.

The Bone Bed, the 20th novel in the series, is in Singapore stores now. It features a paleontologist who disappears from the wilds of Canada and was inspired by a trip Cornwell took in July last year to Alberta, where the remains of prehistoric animals have been found.

Being out in the middle of nowhere sparked a book idea, says Cornwell, 56, over the phone from the United Kingdom, where she was on a book tour earlier this month.

"Because it was so remote, the campsite was so isolated and dark, it was pouring with rain and muddy, I thought: 'You know, this would be an ideal place for someone to disappear.'"