Hornet's Nest

Written by Patricia Cornwell

Narrated by Karen White

In this first title of a new mystery series, Cornwell introduces us to a dynamic trio of crime-solver in Charlotte, North Carolina: Andy Brazil, an eager young reporter; Judy Hammer, the city's police chief; and Virginia West. Hammer's deputy and a genuine head-turner. They're after a serial killer who pulls male out-of-towners from their rental cars, then mutilates, spray paints and shoots them, in that order. What the trio uncovers jolts them like the sting of the hornet—Charlotte's symbol.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Mar 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9780062376213

Patricia Cornwell

Patricia Cornwell is recognized as one of the world’s top bestselling crime authors with novels translated into thirty-six languages in more than 120 countries. Her novels have won numerous prestigious awards including the Edgar, the Creasey, the Anthony, the Macavity, and the Prix du Roman d’Aventure. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Patricia has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper, a biography, and three more fiction series among others. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the forensic technologies that inform her work. She was born in Miami, grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston. 

Reviews for Hornet's Nest

[djupstrom · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Just like all the rest of her books. No big surprises.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

For a suspense novel, the crime in Hornet's Nest really takes a back seat to the main characters' everyday problems. This reads more as a bad TV drama than a crime novel. Cornwell jumps between characters way too often and goes into too much depth for minor players. By the time the climax arrives, it seems rather anti-climatic, and the deus-ex-machina ending is very abrupt.

[babemuffin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book that I absolutely could not put down! I have to admit that I've read it years ago but have completely forgotten of. Patricia Cornwell is more well known for her Scarpetta series but the characters in this book & the plot are mesmerising.Andy Brazil is a reporter (just!) and a volunteer copper. Virginia West is the Deputy Chief of Police. How then did they end up riding a beat together? He's young, he's built, healthy & a looker. She's 42, refused to exercise (anymore), smokes abundantly but still a very attractive woman. How are they going to relate to each other? Furthermore, what kind of relationship will they have?

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Hornet’s Nest is a sloppy mess that doesn’t at all resemble Cornwell’s more mature Kay Scarpetta novels. I wouldn’t even think that it was written by Cornwell if it didn’t contain all of her amateurish idiosyncracies that can usually be overlooked in favor of a strong story, but not here. The story jumps from point of view to point of view without warning, sometimes within the same paragraph, getting into the brains of the most minor characters (even the cat!). The vague plot bumps and ambles along, wandering off along uninteresting side paths at the slightest provocation. The characters are emotional maelstroms, whirling from extreme to extreme at the drop of a hat. And the worst offense of all – Cornwell calls my hometown of Chapel Hill a “big city” when it is, of course, a “village.” The entire book resembles its title – a buzzing, chaotic mess, but with nothing at the center to hold it together. In fact, it reads like a first draft that Cornwell didn’t care enough about to whip into shape; unfortunately, she didn’t care enough about her readers to refrain from publishing it.

[candacevan_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I was not impressed by this book.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A relative sent me the whole collection of Patricia Cornwell, so I have quite a bit of reading. I have read the first two of the Scarpetta series, so I picked the first of the Andy Brazil series. The writing is good with vivid characters and settings. I was mildly surprised that the setting is Charlotte, NC, until I discovered that Cornwell grew up in North Carolina and worked at The Charlotte Observer. Cornwell presents the problems and joys of Charlotte, such as prostitution and the banking monopoly. The main character, Andy Brazil, is a likeable boy-toy that appeals to both men and women. But Andy seems to revolve in a different orbit than his peers and employers. Andy is intent on writing and on finding criminals. The story ends with Andy solving the Black Widow case, but with many questions still present. I am anxious to begin the second book of the series, Southern Cross.

[readingover50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[jepeters333 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an Andy Brazil (not Kay Scarpetta) mystery. Female police chief and deputy chief try to solve hourglass murders with help of newspaper reporter.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very good, very entertaining. A good mystery, good characters and a good sense of humor.

[rhea1023 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

HUH!?! How did this book get on the bestseller list? It was choppy and sporadic; thoughts were incomplete and too busy jumping from one character and scene to another that you never got a complete image of what the author was trying to get across. Then the main character was so overly emotional and sensitive that you just wanted to slap him. And don't get me started on the cat who was getting subliminal messages from the building and talking to its owner to pass on the important information. WOW!?! Talk about fiction.

[abycats_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Will freely admit that the interactions in the book are highly unlikely as are the characters but weeks after putting the book down they still stay in my mind. Certainly evokes a sense of place. Will be interested to read what she does with the successors.

[crewman_number_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Readable, but disappointing compared to Patricia Cornwall\'s other works. The subplots with the main character\'s psychic cat and her stormy romance with a young writer detracted a lot from an otherwise interesting plot.