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Summary: Is this really Patricia Cornwell?
Review: I could not believe this was the same author who wrote all those wonderful Kay Scarpetta books. This book is terrible. Let me backtrack: In the very beginning, we are introduced to several characters such as Popeye, our main character's dog, who is presented as though she can think like a human. Some of the story lines come from the dog's mouth; " Popeye licked her owner's face and felt pity. Popeye knew her owner was denying the grief and the guilt she felt about her late husband's death." (How in the world could a dog, even stretching your imagination, know THAT?) Later, we meet Niles the cat, who has the same uncanny ability as Popeye the dog. There are other characters: Bubba (real name: But Fluck, wife's name is Honey), Smudge, Gig Dan, Smoke, Weed Gardener, Divinity, Wally Fling, Captain Cloud, Mr. Curry, Mr. Pretty, Mrs. Fan, ad nauseum. We are expected to accept these characters as real people. Each time I came across a new name, I took the book less and less seriously. We then meet the chairman of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Crime Commission (whose name is okay but suspiciously similar to Amelia Earhart), Lelia Ehrhart, who talks like this: " You're hanging out by a thread on a limb all alone on this one!". The only explanation we get is that Ms. Ehrhart was raised in Vienna and Yugoslavia and does not speak English well. I re-read several paragraphs, thinking my eyes had finally bought the farm, when I realized this was intentional. The plot? You won't be sure what it is until well past half of the book, but it goes something like this: Police chief Judy Hammer (groan) is tasked to clean up the city of Richmond, Virginia in the span of a one year term. She is assisted by Officer Andy Brazil and Deputy Chief Virginia West. As a team, they will clean up Richmond and fix all of the police department's problems, with an ultimate goal of uniting all the police departments in the South, an okay (but just okay) beginning plot until you find they have one year to do this. Then you find that they intend to do it with a computer system, (ho hum). There is, in all this, a murder, and it is told with the usual Patricia Cornwell aplomb, but there is never any mystery and this is not a whodunit. I gave it two stars because despite the distracting names and animal characterization, there WAS a story, albeit a small one. I ended up really liking the character "Weed", but found the villain too villainous to be believable. I think Patricia Cornwell should stick to Kay Scarpetta.
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Summary: Not my favorite Cornwell read
Review: This one misses the mark for me. Try another like the Body Farm to enjoy this talented writer. From Potter's Field was also a good read.
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Summary: The "Plan 9 From Outer Space" of detective fiction.
Review: Southern Cross is too ridiculous to be a detective novel, to violent to be a comic novel. This is my first venture into Cornwell. I have been told that her Scarpetta novels are better. I may try one of them one day, but I am too astounded by this book to try another or her soon.Starting with a character named Buttner (called Butt) Fluck, aka Bubba, a blue-blooded southern aristocrat with an Austrian accent who speaks English like Chico Marx, and a thoroughly dislikable bad guy who is a well dressed, well groomed white guy with suspicious eyes, who gets sexually aroused by robbing and later by killing people. When one watches a farce on stage, on knows that all of the characters are going to interact with each other and there will be no outside characters. Southern Cross is just such a farce. The coincidences never stop.
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Summary: Cornwall has some fun doing something different
Review: It's clear that fans of Patricia Cornwall's boilerplate Scarpetta mysteries are not comfortable with *Southern Cross*, which represents a very different sort of book. Cornwall has written a tongue-in-cheek farce that builds it appeal on the basis of its satirical excesses and goofy characters more than on the intricacy or plausability of its plot. Personally, I think it works overall, and I enjoyed the ride through its 380 pages of silliness. Whereas die-hard Scarpetta devotees apparently turn up their noses at *Southern Cross*, those who enjoy the mystery-with-humor subgenre exemplified by the works of Carl Hiaasen should consider giving this book a try.
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Summary: terrable bad bad book
Review: YUK. Will never read another by this author. Took it back to the store and was told alot of people did the same.
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Summary: A Lifelong Richmonder chimes in
Review: Let's see -- I thought that the book was enjoyable, an easy read. It reflects some of the needless frustrations of administering the city. Ms. Cornwell has good information here. I am more irritated than amused when she gets things wrong -- like referring to Oregon Hill as Oregon Hills -- but I figure she spends most of her days in NYC and has a second-hand relationship with Richmond. But, so it goes. Richmond is a sour and dying little town, sadly, and this Ms. Cornwell also captures well. It's a shame. It was a great place to grow up in the fifties and sixties. It just isn't a great place to live anymore. I think there are likely millions of people that could echo that statement about their own hometowns. I read this because a friend -- now in San Francisco, and who would want to live there??? -- sent it to me. I have never been able to make it past the first two or three chapters in anything else by Ms. Cornwell that I've picked up. This held me from the start. One of the things that I found most appealing is her efforts to sidestep -- or at least not succumb to -- stereotypes. E.g., Bubba, the character that was most susceptible to the indignities of Political Correctness, was portrayed with a bit of sympathy and perhaps even fondness. Plus, anything that has the Battle flag on the cover, I am honor-bound to love. You see, I'm a Bubba, myself.
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Summary: It's a comedy people...lighten up
Review: Unlike many other readers I LOVED this book. What confuses me is why so many people couldn't figure out this book was meant to be funny. For the love of God, she writes about what a dog is thinking in this book. I don't understand why so many people thought this novel was meant to be read in the same tone of her Scarpetta novels. I did not buy this book expecting to read a Kay Scarpetta type novel . If Ms. Cornwell wanted to write a Scarpetta novel that is what she would have done. She would not have created a new set of characters. Further, I find it necessary to state the somehow forgotten fact that Ms. Cornwell is a writer of stories. Just because she has created one character that so many people love does not mean she is doomed to spend the rest of her life writing about that one character, or even typecast to only be able to write serial killer driven novels. I was pleasantly surprised that she had this novel (and the series) in her. Not many writers can flawlessly write books that make you want to sleep with your night light on then turn and write a book that makes you laugh out loud. I apologize if I seem to be bashing previous reviewers because I am not. I'm simply wearied by all of the current Cornwell bashing. It somehow seems to have become the vogue thing to insult Ms. Cornwell and everything she does. I, however, remain a fan of hers and plan to continue buying her books.
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Summary: weed
Review: Despite all the negative reviews, I recommend this book. I felt for Weed and hated Smoke, as anybody who has ever been bullied hates bullies. Maybe not the best of Cornwell's novels, but a gripping read all the same. Try it. To the reviewer who will never read another Cornwell because she didn't like this one, I feel sad for you.
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Summary: A "Tongue in Cheek" thriller
Review: Set in Richmond Virginia, "Southern Cross" is Patricia Cornwell's sequel to "Hornet's Nest" and features the three main characters of that novel, Police Chief Judy Hammer, Deputy Chief Virginia West and Officer Andy Brazil. The story also includes a raft of criminals and border line crims with endearing names such as Bubba, Fluck, Muskrat, Divinity, Smoke, Beeper, Sick, Dog, Pigeon, Weed and Weed's late brother Twister. Plenty of animals featue in this book too with almost more-human names than some of the actual humans. Try Half Shell, Tree Buster, Niles and Popeye. One of the charms of this book is the easy-to-read and fascinating historical backdrop of the city of Richmond and the state of Virginia. Going back to 1607 we hear about British explorers, local Indians, African slaves, Thomas Jefferson, tobacco and the American Civil War to name just a few. However, this is a crime book and a sad tale of young no-hoper gang members, middle aged "simple" characters who enjoy nothing more than huntin', fishin' and guns, and middle class citizens of Richmond whose characters are all delightfully painted by Cornwell. Cleverly, the paths of all these characters including our 3 police officers, become crossed in the final few chapters as the story reaches its climax. This book has a delightful comedy style in one way and yet contains its fair share of murder and violence. The plot is well thought out and presented and should provide plenty of entertainment to new and established Cornwell readers, although those expecting to find a Kay Scarpetta type thriller may well be disappointed.
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Summary: A failed exercise....
Review: .
This book struck me as a failed attempt by Patricia Cornwell to publicly flex her literary muscles. She tries to write dialog like Elmore Leonard, and she takes every opportunity to show off her knowledge of minutiae regarding automobile mechanics and other things. Like the one that's in the book, this dog does not hunt. Her characters are all stereotypes; there is not one that is the least bit interesting or complex. The dialog is garbage. The story line is not believable; it is, however, predictable. The suspense is not suspenseful. I do believe that Patricia is a very smart, very capable woman. No doubt about that. I also believe she *could* be a good writer. She just needs to stop trying so hard to show off how smart and capable she is while imitating other writers. In short, I think she needs to find herself and come to peace with what she finds. Then maybe she'll write a good novel
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