Hornet's Nest

Rating:
Summary: did cornwell really write this book??
Review: i'm skeptical that patricia cornwell actually wrote this book. i think Putnam hired a third-rate ghost writer OR published a manuscript she wrote when she was 6. okay, so i didn't read the dust jacket to learn this book introduces a new cast of characters in charlotte, VA so it was a bit of a shock to meet some reporter dude named Andy Brazil, who's playing side-kick to deputy chief Virginia West. i don't mind my train derailed by a new characters, but the writing in this book is simply awful. granted, i read only 50 pages, so perhaps something magical happened on page 60, but i found the plot a flimsy backdrop for an inevitable sexual tangle between andy and virginia, who're both preternaturally attractive, according to their descriptions. i'm no prude or PC advocate, but i was disturbed by peeks of thinly-veiled homophobia -- and indeed the whole tone of the book (or the first 50 pages) seemed mean and rough, with little accompanying graces. again, thank god for the library, cos this book SUCKED and i experienced no qualms of regret giving up on it.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: This book obviously didn't have Kay Scarpetta as the main character and based on many of the previous reviews I guess some people had difficulty adjusting. The main characters in this book were Police Chief Judy Hammer, Deputy Chief Virginia West, and Andy Brazil the volunteer cop/newspaper reporter. I DID NOT LIKE the parts of the story where the cat's ESP led to solving part of the puzzle... stupid, unrealistic, oh really now! Also didn't see the reason for inclusion of Bubba in the story. It only seemed that PC wanted to add him as a red herring but wasn't successful in this regard so to me he was a waste of space (pages) in the book. Although the plot and characters were a bit of a stretch I thought they were interesting. And who's to say big business doesn't have control over most things in this world now. This was entertaining (with the exceptions noted above) and with the specific references to brands such as Izod, etc. you get a real feel for the characters in the book. Some feel the references were an unnecessary stress on product placement but I felt it added to the setting of city and era, and character development including economic and social status. If you're looking for light reading for the commute to work or for a lazy, rainy weekend, go ahead and buy this. If you're looking for a serious and technical, believable mystery, forget it! Hope this helps....