Scarpetta has been 37 years in the making, but why has it taken so long to get the hit character to screens?

Nicole Kidman as Kay Scarpetta in Scarpetta.

There's been fever pitch excitement building for the arrival of Scarpetta to Prime Video. Now the release date has finally arrived, making dreams come true for crime drama fans everywhere.

While many of those fans will be hugely familiar with Patricia Cornwell's source material, the 29-book Scarpetta series she's been penning since 1990, not as many will know that it's taken 37 years of failed attempts and disappointment to bring the hit character to screens.