I started reading this book expecting a high-powered police thriller but—after a few chapters— was surprised to find it more of a hilarious satire on the entire political system in the city of Charlotte, Virginia. The main characters are hysterical. First, there’s Andy Brazil, a young, athletic reporter who is intelligent and driven yet nieve and sulky. His sometimes partner, Deputy Chief, Virginia West, is an older woman who’s attractive, challenging, and knows how to handle herself. The two are drawn together yet always at odds. Next is Judy Hammer, the Chief of Police. She is often described as an angel by the public and is known for her fairmindedness and ability to get things done. What happens in this story is comparable to blind people stumbling around in the dark and occasionally solving crimes. Patricia Cornwell has a knack for getting into people’s heads and demonstrating their vulnerabilities. The result is very entertaining. ( )

Patricia Cornwell's "The Hornet's Nest" has a rough start, but the flow improves as the book progresses. She's writing for the beginning of a series, so she's not as concerned about a quick pace. It is always about the people with Cornwell, and she doesn't disappoint. I care about Andy Brazil enough to want to read more. ( )

Deputy Chief Virginia West mag und respektiert ihren Chef, Hammer, aber angesichts der Tatsache, dass in ihrer Stadt immer mehr besuchende Geschäftsleute von einem Verrückten ermordet werden, der seine Opfer gerne hellorange anmalt, fällt es ihr schwer, Hammers Edikt zu akzeptieren, dass ein junger Reporter mit ihr auf Patrouille gehen soll, um die Beziehungen zu ihren Bürgern zu verbessern. Ihre schlimmsten Befürchtungen werden bestätigt, als die Reporterin aus Brasilien bei ihrem ersten Ausflug auf den Knopf drückt, um den Stiefelauslöser statt der Sirene zu aktivieren. Er ist nicht der einzige Schandfleck in ihrem Leben: Ihre Katze ist ängstlich, ihre Hormone verhalten sich falsch, ihr Gegenüber in der uniformierten Division benimmt sich wie ein Esel, der Funker ist entschlossen, ihr ein Bein zu stellen, der Staatsanwalt steckt mitten in einem heißen Kampf mit dem Zeitplan der Gerichtsverhandlung. Und immer wieder tauchen orangefarbene Leichen auf ihrem Revier auf.

I picked this up thinking it would be a Kay Scarpetta mystery, and it took me a couple of chapters to figure it out. I enjoyed meeting new characters and found this book to be a refreshing change from the Scarpetta series. The characters were very complex. The budding relationship between Virginia West and Andy Brazil was fun to watch develop. But by the end of the book, I was tired of the constant miscommunications and misunderstandings between them. I get that they are both emotionally damaged individuals, but do they have to keep thinking the other one was using them and/or ignoring them? I also didn't like the way the author kept saying that others thought the main characters were gay, when neither of the were. Is this a particular pet peeve of the author? Still, I really enjoyed this book, and want to read the next in the series. I want to find out what happens to Brazil and West. ( )

enjoyed this departure from the Kay Scarpetta stories. The theme that persisted through this book was the inability of any of the characters to say what they were thinking. They were all so obsessed with their own feelings and images that they missed important clues as to what was going on around them. Even the most honest and sensitive person, Andy Brazil, seemed to be lost at times in his own miserable world and incapable of admitting his feelings.
The serial killer/murder mystery was of secondary importance in this story. The real tragedy was the way intelligent, reasonably likable people completely misread each other's needs and feelings. I actually was hoping to see more of Hammer and West in future stories; as improbable as it might seem to have women in a major city occupying such authoritative positions, it was refreshing to see police work done with a degree of sensitivity. ( )