It's the 12th bestseller for Patricia Cornwell and Kay Scarpetta, her forensic expert/investigator. Blow Fly landed at the top of the national fiction bestseller charts its first week out. Putnam 's first printing was 1.1 million copies; a second trip to press is already in the works. The book was launched October 13 with author appearances on Imus in the Morning, Good Morning America and CBS-TV's Weekend Early Show, as well as a national television satellite tour. Cornwell is doing book signings in seven cities. She sells well in international ports, too—so far there have been rights sales in eight countries. Blow Fly's combined opening-week tally at Barnes & Noble, Borders and Waldenbooks is considerably higher than for her 2001 novel, Isle of Dogs (not a Scarpetta title); about 44,500 vs. about 18,600, and only slightly below The Last Precinct (the 11th Scarpetta, published in 2000). The latter sold about 46,000 copies the first week at the same outlets. Since 1996, all of Cornwell's titles have landed in the #1 spot in their first week in the stores.