Patricia Cornwell is one of my favorite authors. I have tried to read everything she has written and loved all of it. I have followed the thrilling cases of her ongoing character, Dr. Kay Scarpetta who is present in most of her novels that I have read and loved. So, when I saw a novel I ... Read review
Advantages: None that I can see Disadvantages: Poor plot, bad characters, no real ending
Patricia Cornwell is one of my favorite authors. I have tried to read everything she has written and loved all of it. I have followed the thrilling cases of her ongoing character, Dr. Kay Scarpetta who is present in most of her novels that I have read and loved. So, when I saw a novel I hadn’t read yet, I didn’t read the inside dust cover to see what it was about. I just expected Dr. Scarpetta to appear on the first page and thrill me ... ...not to happen. After the first 20 pages, I realized that my much admired doctor was not going to make an appearance.
When you find a favorite author, especially one who writes a series with one main character, I think it is sometimes hard to read other books by the author that step outside what you have known them for. However, having an open mind, I decided that I would read the book anyway. After all, I like her writing style and ... more
Patricia Cornwell is one of my favorite authors. I have tried to read everything she has written and loved all of it. I have followed the thrilling cases of her ongoing character, Dr. Kay Scarpetta who is present in most of her novels that I have read and loved. So, when I saw a novel I hadn’t read yet, I didn’t read the inside dust cover to see what it was about. I just expected Dr. Scarpetta to appear on the first page and thrill me with another tale of suspense and crime. However, this was not to happen. After the first 20 pages, I realized that my much admired doctor was not going to make an appearance.
When you find a favorite author, especially one who writes a series with one main character, I think it is sometimes hard to read other books by the author that step outside what you have known them for. However, having an open mind, I decided that I would read the book anyway. After all, I like her writing style and the first pages were promising. I would see where she goes with it. It was still a crime novel. Cornwell developed the two main characters in the beginning very well. I settled in for a good read, convinced that I would have another great Cornwell novel on my hands. However, this was not to happen either.
As I turned page after page, I found more characters introduced. And more, and more. And more story threads were being woven in. Which would be fine. There is nothing better in a crime novel to have tangled threads interwoven throughout the tale. Too many suspects, too many twists, those can be a great thing in a mystery. However, Cornwell missed one BIG point in this story. In the end, you have to wrap it up neatly in a pretty box and actually resolve all of the strings that you started. That is where this book sadly falls down, among other things. Too many of the characters had no use and could have been left out. Many of the threads she introduced ended up dangling at the end like an annoying hang nail.
The crime itself in this novel seems to have been added as an afterthought. There is suppose to be a serial killer on the loose. However, the murders were not focused on and it appears that every couple of chapters, Cornwell remembered it was suppose to be a crime novel and kills off another business man. Add in a few crime scene details and then get back to the mindless exploration of other characters. There is little or no development of the serial killer’s character at all or the crimes they commit. Instead, we meet a redneck named Bubba who has nothing to do with the story. Or an old lady who they have to arrest who is confused and drunk. Why in the world would three pages be dedicated to this old lady? Why are we subjected to several different episodes with Bubba., who wants revenge due to a scene early in the book? Yet, he really has nothing to do with the story. I felt that we would have been much better served if she had gone into greater detail about the serial crimes that were present.
It also seems that Cornwell decided to use this book as a pet peeve pulpit. Using her characters to take a stand on feminist outrages, social injustices and stereotypical beliefs. Thrown in also are odd story lines that seem sadly out of place. Cornwell’s use of description usually is sharp and focused with purpose. Unfortunately, in this book, her descriptions seem to be oddly placed on things such as the weapons they use and a great deal of background history on unnecessary characters. One of the worst occurrences was West’s cat, Niles. We are subjected to several scenes where we were given insight into the cat’s thoughts and actions. It seems at several points in the story we are needlessly subjected to insight of the cat’s lineage and history. Why? I have no clue. Now, there is a small part the cat played in supposedly solving part of the crime, but it’s a real reach. It seemed that Cornwell was clasping at straws to try and even tie in any of the loose story lines, and failed miserably.
All in all, I seriously feel like this novel was a lost cause. With too many story lines, too many characters, too much detail where it wasn’t necessary I found myself reading on and on wondering if she was ever going to make a point or tie up any of the strings. The sad part is, she didn’t. Cornwell is so well known for her knowledge of crime and the political and police system. She is also great at keeping you on the edge of your seat. None of those skills were shown in this novel. Instead she seemed to meander around with her characters and have very little substance to the story. Compared to the other novels I have read by Cornwell, this was a very pale shadow. I can say that I will never again read this book. However, I have not given up on Cornwell, as I feel she is one of the best American crime writers. I have just started another book by Cornwell today. It once again stars my favorite character, Dr. Scarpetta. So I am hoping this one will go much better, but I’ll let you know.
Hornets Nest marks Patricia Corwell's first attempt to move away from her hugely successful series of novels about Dr. Kay Scarpetta. These would have to rank amongst my favourite novels of all time and she won the Golden Dagger(crime fiction's highest accolade) for her efforts with these. It is hard then to imagine how such an excellent author could manage to come up with a novel as poor as this one - or the follow up Southern Cross... We are sent ... ...novel - in particular the police headquarters of Charlotte. The plot revolves around three main characters: Judy Hammer: Chief of Police Virginia West: Deputy Chief Andy Brazil: Crime reporter and volunteer cop. We may as well forget the plot because the novel basically revolves around these three with a bit a police work getting in the way occassionally. We are constantly told about their thoughts, feelings and emotions to the point where we could ...
wampyrii 01.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hornet's Nest - Patricia Cornwell
...for a roller-coaster ride with Hornet's Nest. First and foremost, it's a much better book than Cornwell's penned for a couple of years. It's full of character, humor and action. Unfortunately, it's just so unbelievable in its basic premise that it's difficult to take seriously. Hornet's Nest is billed as being a realistic novel which explores the inner workings of a modern, big city police department. Yet, all of the top cops are female. Now, women ... ...crime scenes. It's where she first made her name in classics such as Cruel and Unusual and All That Remains. Since then she's wandered off track. While Hornet's Nest is an attempt to shake off the blues, there's still a way to travel before Cornwell gets back in tune. ...
Mohammed 26.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hornet's Nest - Patricia Cornwell
Advantages: None that I am aware of Disadvantages: too many to mention
I was very disappointed with this book. After having read the Kay Scarpetta books I decided to buy the books in this series. I was aware that the main character was Andy Brazil in this story and settle down for a good read (so I thought). It was not easy to read and I felt very frustrated with the novel. In a nutshell this book was shoddily written. There seemed too many characters and too many subplots. It was as though the author of this book had ... ...to kill off a few people, just for the sake of it. There was no cohesion and structure.
I am a Patricia Cornwell fan and have read all of the Kay Scarpetta books to date, but I could not believe what was happening when I read the Hornets nest. This book is definitely not up to Cornwell's usual high standard. Has anyone ever heard of ghost writers ?? ...
starfly978 19.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hornet's Nest - Patricia Cornwell
as a keen pc fan i bought this book as soon as it was released and began reading straight away. as soon as i began i realised this was not as good as her other books. i persevered and read it from cover to cover and i can now confirm that i wish i had not done this. it did not improve in the slightest and i cannot believe it is the same author that has written this book . she is normally v good. get another book to read avoid this one at all costs ...
alancornet 23.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Hornet's Nest - Patricia Cornwell
Advantages: I USED IT TO LIGHT THE FIRE Disadvantages: IT TOOK TWO ATTEMPTS TO GET IT GOING
I LOVE PATRICIA CORNWELLS CRIME WRITING STYLE. HOWEVER, I WAS TOTALLY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS ATTEMPT. WHAT WAS SHE DOING FILLING IN TIME, SHE NEEDED THE MONEY??? I HAVE NEVER BEEN THIS BORED IN ALL MY LIFE. IT IS NOT AN EASY READ LIKE HER OTHER NOVELS BUT I DID READ IT TO THE END AND THEN ITS SEQUAL THINKING IT CANT BE AS BAD AS THE FIRST BUT OH DEAR IT WAS. I HOPED THAT THE STORY WOULD PICK UP, KEEP ME ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT BUT IT FAILED MISERABLY. ...
jaynee29 22.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Hornet's Nest - Patricia Cornwell
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Advantages: Makes a good door-stop Disadvantages: No clearly defined plot
"High-octane performance" The Times
"Fast-moving, gripping and hugely entertaining" Sunday Telegraph
Pah! Perhaps if you're an amoeba! PatriciaCornwell fans beware! You'll easily mistake this long winded-drivel for a new writer. Yes, its really that bad!
Gone are the days of Dr Kay Scarpetta, gruesome autopsies and vicious murderers. Well, sort of. Southern Cross is based on a different kind of heroine, Police Chief Judy Hammer. I'd also like to point out that this is the second novel featuring said Police Chief. I was unaware of this and so continued to read Southern Cross as a single novel. For anyone who is still interested, the first in the series is called HornetsNest. I am personally taking a break from PatriciaCornwell but I'm sure that I'll have to read HornetsNest sometime in the near future.
Along side ...
I have read all of PatriciaCornwell's fiction (including the excrable Hornet's Nest and Southern Cross) and I have been disappointed by the last few Kay Scarpetta books. Black Notice represents something of a return to form in that the claustrophobic atmosphere of paranioa mixed with real threat is once again built and maintained for much of the book. Long-time fans will find the offbeat behaviour of familiar characters intriguing, and although the romantic aspects are flat and unconvincing, and the ending rushed, overall this revived my waning faith in a once great thriller writer. If you've been disappointed by the past few efforts (or put off by her ludicrous attempts at comedy in the non-Scarpetta books) this one is worth picking up. Whatever you might think of Kay Scarpetta as a character, the tension and atmosphere of the story ...
Advantages: A well-known author Disadvantages: Huge disappointment if familiar with her other novels
Having really enjoyed PatriciaCornwell's previous novels, I was so looking forward to her new novel coming out and I purchased it the very first day.
I sat down all prepared for a whole new novel filled with her normal well-written prose, brilliant plots and characters that instantly formed a vivid picture in your head.
But what a disppointment!! The novel focusing on her character Virginia Hammer and her assistant Andy is set on a little island - The Isle of Dogs.
The plot in this novel is somewhat unclear and when reading it, you get the feeling that it is not the same PatriciaCornwell that you are used to from "Hornet's Nest" and the Kay Scarpetta novels.
"The Isle of Dogs" is greatly spoiled by the introduction of talking trouts and crabs which makes the credibility of the novel crash to the ground. ...
From the author of CAUSE OF DEATH and FROM POTTER'S FIELD, a crime novel featuring Deputy Chief Virginia West. Faced with an increasing number of visiting businessmen to her city being murdered, she has the added complication of having a rookie reporter ride with her in a bid to better relations with the public.
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