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Plot twist: Best-selling author Patricia Cornwell meets one of her biggest fans

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December 13, 2021 at 1:12 p.m. EST
Best-selling author Patricia Cornwell meets Wesley Thomas, who spent 29 years living on the streets of Washington. Cornwell read in John Kelly's column how Miriam's Kitchen helped Thomas find a home — and how her mysteries were his favorite books. (Photos by John Kelly/The Washington Post)

A lot of things helped Wesley Thomas survive 29 years living on Washington’s streets: the meals distributed by the charity Miriam’s Kitchen, the coins he’d panhandle around Foggy Bottom, his own hard-earned smarts.

On Friday afternoon, another lifesaver sat in a sun-filled room at Western Presbyterian Church waiting to meet him: best-selling thriller writer Patricia Cornwell.