Rating: 
Summary: Her Best Effort in Years
Review: I have been a Cornwell fan since the beginning, but the Scarpetta series is wearing on me. It's getting less plausible as the years go on. Really, how many times can you package all of the crimes of the world into such a neat package. Point of Origin was so ludicrous at the end that I vowed that I would not read any more of those books. Ok, so Hornet's Nest wasn't a whole lot better, I admit. But at least the characters were new, and you felt as though she had renewed joy in writing. So I was at the bookstore the other day, and I thought, I'll give this one last try. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. Cornwell has taken these characters and filled them out in a nice story that has humor, drama, a nice mystery, and much more. If Cornwell's books are starting to wear a little thin on you, you ought to at least give this one a shot. It's worth the effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Major Disappointment
Review: I read Cornwell's Southern Cross with great anticipation. The reviews I had read were excellent--what a disappointment! The characters are one dimensional and uninteresting. Many of the characters had excellent potential if developed appropriately. This book could have been very good--but instead was a major disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Dinwiddie's Opinion
Review: Normally, I love Cornwell's books. After Hornet's Nest, which I loved, I was looking forward to the next....What a disappointment. I kept reading hoping it would get better. It finally got humorous and more interesting, but it wasn't worth the time I spent reading it when I could have read something else much better....
Rating:
Summary: A good page turner
Review: I liked this book - I finished it in two days. I found the characters both simple and deep, and I could even identify with a few of them. I enjoyed the way that every action my a seemingly minor character was justified by a short profile or history of that character. In addition, the dialogue was lively, and often funny. I liked reading this book. I would read it again. Did I learn anything? Not really - but I got a chance to escape for a few hours, which was my intention in reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely disappointing
Review: Customarily, I painstakingly evaluate the sources of reviews of those works that appear interesting before deciding to buy. In rare instances, including this author's work, however, I had developed the confidence to pick up her books simply upon seeing her name on the cover -- NO MORE! This effort in no way resembles Ms. Cornwell's other work; even the writing style is different. I am accustomed to enjoying a complex and intelligent approach to each plot and its characters through this author. This novel was, at best, completely silly. The characters were poorly drawn and shallow, the technique of using a pet's perspective was ridiculous in a work of this author's caliber, the narrative and dialog (and the plot for that matter) read like a really bad romance novel, and several technical details, including the website fiasco, were totally fabricated and misleading. Any attempt on this reader's part to explain possible reasons for this most disappointing departure from the author's usually much higher standards would be pure speculation, and have no place here.
Rating:
Summary: Not vintage Cornwell at all!
Review: I was surprised to say the least at this book. I love Patricia Cornwell books and have read almost all of them, but I was not impressed by this one. Hammer, West, and Brazil, who were introduced in Hornet's Nest, lost their likability in this book. Also, where did she get these names -- like Butner Fluck? The names, like the characters, were stereotypical and kind of ridiculous. I am hoping that this was meant to be a farce of some sort. I will not stop reading Cornwell, but this is a black mark on an otherwise spotless record.
Rating:
Summary: Big disappointment
Review: I kept reading, thinking I must be going crazy. Where did all of those great reviews come from? This book was one of the worst attempts at storytelling that I have ever encountered. I give "1 Star" only because there is no "0 Star" rating.
Rating:
Summary: save your money
Review: I've read several of Patricia Cornwell's books and customarily enjoy them. Southern Cross, however, was a different story. As a police officer for the past 12 years, I can say that, from a police perspective, this book was childish, stereotypic, and, in general, poorly informed. No police chief in any major city actually works cases. Save your money for a well-researched book.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: Having Not Read any of Patricia Cornwell's books for quite some time, i was reluctant to pick up Southern Cross because it did not look interesting. Instead, the storyline was funny, people being argumentive, misunderstood, while addressing a real concern - youth violence. I felt that the book read smoothly and had neat characters. Enjoyed it very much!
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time or money
Review: I read ALOT! I knew Patricia Cornwell was a best selling author, so I decided to give Southern Cross a try. BIG MISTAKE! This is one of the most terrible books I have ever had the misfortune to read. I read all of it thinking it would get better, but it never did. I, like another reviewer in this section, wonder if she got some unknown writer to write this book and put her name on it? I can't believe then publisher actually published this book. It really made no sense and was poorly written. I guess her other books are better. Lets hope so! Oh yes, I gave this book one star, simply because no zero was available!
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