Rating: 
Summary: I CAN'T UNDERSTAND, WHY IS PATRICIA CORNWELL SO SUCCESSFUL?
Review: I have not read other Patricia Cornwell books, so I can't compare to her Kay Scarpetta books. I can say how dissappointed I was in this book, and happy to see that others agree with me. Characters were sort of interesting, yet I didn't care about them at all. Why is everyone so emotionally stunted? Isn't it interesting that her female characters are all forty-soemthing, smarter than everyone else, and extremely beautiful and Cornwell is also in her forties? Yeesh what an ego. Her male characters, including Brazil were from Mars, since I have not met anyone on earth like them. Plot - what plot? The ending was quite silly, and the person who killed everyone was someone I didn't care about (hate or otherwise) even remotely. And what was with that cat? I'm a cat lover and I didn't get him at all. I will have to be alone on an island bored to tears before I give her another try, even with Kay Scarpetta...who I bet is 40 something, beautiful and smarter than everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Hornet's Nest - not so hot
Review: I've read almost everything Patricia Cornwall has written, and I must say that Hornet's Nest was a big letdown. I can appreciate her moving away from the Kay Scarpetta character, but this book just didn't fly with me. They main story line was good, but the resolution to the crime was weak at best. I felt that there were too many issues jammed together to provide good thriller reading. The cat's pseudo-psychic abilities proved to be a rather lame attempt at bringing closure to the various issues which had popped up in the story. Immediately upon finishing the book, I wanted to send Patricia an e-mail - I felt that her editor and any manuscript readers working for her had let her down in allowing this book to fly as-is. A major re-write would be a benefit.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing book
Review: Being an avid Patricia Cornwell reader, I was very disappointed with Hornet's Nest. I was expecting the novel to be an interesting and exciting read, however, found it to be convoluted and often times confusing. I finished the book only because I felt I had to give it a chance to get better. It didn't. I would suggest that Ms. Cornwell stick with Dr. Kay Scarpetta - she has found her niche there and has yet to disappoint in that area (let's hope she never does)
Rating:
Summary: Like the characters, hate the book
Review: It seems to me that Cornwall divies up Dr. Kay Scarpetta's character to create Judy Hammer and Virginia West. I enjoyed them, and while I am clear on their eating habits, clothing preferences and fast food obsessions, I never got to the core of what made these characters tick. They were enjoyable none-the-less. It is the sloppy, poorly conceived and terribly paced story line that destroys the experience. The book felt as though it went directly from legal pad to printing press with no editing or revision. I am a recent Cornwall fan and have read most of her oeuvre since September. They have been spellbinding, well-paced and consistently innovative. Hornet's Nest was none of these. I feel cheated.
Rating: 
Summary: Liked it a lot
Review: It was a nice break from the Scarpetta novels, which I love. Different, interesting characters, a wacky cat only cat lovers will appreciate. Didn't know what would really happen until the last page--she had a nice sense of doom and gloom running throughtout which helped keep you wondering.
Rating:
Summary: At least she didn't spell her own name wrong.
Review: Hornet's Nest finally came out in paperback, so I bought it. I had heard terrible things about it. Turns out they were being kind. VERY kind. This is a new series for her. A police department in Charlotte. A strong but beautiful female chief of police. A strong but beautiful female head of detectives. A weak but beautiful female head of patrol. A strong, though sneaky, beautiful female District Attorney. And a whole bunch of loser men who would have trouble keeping their clothing dry when they go to the men's room. All the citizens in the town drive pickup trucks with Confederate flags on the bumper, have two dogs in the back, and are named Bubba. There is no real dialogue with a Bubba character, presumably because he is too busy trying to figure out if a divorce means his wife is no longer his cousin. If you can get by the cardboard people, there is no real mystery. Fairly early in the book, Cornwell tells the reader who does it, not that you really care, most of the people in the town are so boring they deserve to die. There is no real action, no love interest between characters remotely human, and generally no discernable reason why anyone should waste their time on this book.
Rating: 
Summary: New, interesting characters catch the same old bad guys
Review: Serial killer stories are in vogue, and "Hornet's Nest" is standard issue. What makes the book readable isn't the search for the killer, but rather the intertwining of the main characters' lives. Dedicated Kay Scarpetta fans could easily be bored with this story. However, I still recommend reading it, because these new characters are indeed quite interesting. Women who work in male-dominated jobs may especially appreciate this story. Unlike the somewhat exalted life of Dr.Scarpetta of previous books, we are introduced to working-class women with the very real working-class dilemmas of stereotyping and harassment. Don't worry... Like Dr.Scarpetta, they are iron-tough, at least on the job. The heroins, Police Chief Judy Hammer and Deputy Virginia West, are an odd duo. Judy is a no-nonsense, health-conscious, pinstripe-pantsuit woman. Virginia is perfectly content with fast food, cigarettes, and her police uniform. Judy is all business; Virginia focuses on her primal instincts. They share a simple goal: to catch the bad guys. Both are dedicated police officers who'll do whatever it takes to get the job done. The main male character is Andy Brazil, a young, talented reporter whose eagerness gets him into perilous situations. At first glance, these characters also seem standard issue, but Cornwell makes them interesting. There is a tiny part of the storyline that tells us what Virginia West's cat is thinking, and goes on with some ancient cat spirit nonsense. This has no place whatsoever in the story, but don't let it distract you. Thankfully, it is rarely mentioned and can be easily ignored. Perhaps Ms. Cornwell spent more time on character development in this book because it is the beginning of a new storyline; we will expect much more from future books in this series.
Rating:
Summary: The worst novel I've ever read!
Review: This has to be a book written by Cornwell when she was high school. It's juvenile, absolutely preposterous, and numbingly boring. I didn't expect a Scarpetta look-alike when I picked it up but I also didn't expect to read such drivel. I was so glad that I checked it out at the library instead of spending any money on it.
Rating:
Summary: The worst book that Patricia Cornwell could write
Review: I love Patricia Cornwell ideas, i love her books but Hornet's Nest is not the right evolution; i mean that is only an attemption of licterature and it is not what the author can really do. Previous books are the result of a smart mind that uses the words of a poet and spots the human fears. Hornet's Nest is only the shadow of all that.
Rating:
Summary: Nice story but Ending Sucks!
Review: Hornet's Nest is a good story, but compared to her previous books, this one is not as exciting, and is slow moving. I loved her previous novels and I wasn't disappointed because her novel didn't feature Kay. I enjoy reading a good story especially one featuring female heroines, so as far as good stories go, this one makes it. It didn't have the same thrilling tension her previous books have had. The relationships between the characters Judy and Virginia,especially with Brazil were shakey, and just when I thought she was developing a relationship, the book ends! This is the second book, Cause of Death being the first that I am totally disappointed with the ending. I wanted to throw the book across the room and rant and rave about the ending. It was like she said, "Here's my story, now I'm done." I am a fan and own all of her books, but I tell you I am afraid to read her newest. I do not want to read the book only to be cut off at the end. There is no resoloution. It is fine to leave the ending open for a possible continuation, or a second story based on the characters, but don't cheat us on a well developed, ending that resolves the story! If she keeps ending her books like the first episode of a two day T.V. mini-series, she will certainly loose a fan in me.
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