Rating: 
Summary: this book could be summed up in one word, boring.
Review: i couldn't follow the plot of this book. in fact after reading it, i wasn't even sure what the plot was. i regret buying this book. it took me forever to finish it. i haven't given up hope for particia cornwell. i agree with her other fans...kay scarpetta is the only way to go.
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Summary: Was this book written by Patricia Cornwell?!?
Review: I couldn't find anything to like about the characters and the plot was hard to follow. I am a Patricia Cornwell devotee, but Hornet's Nest and Southern Cross are certainly below her caliber.
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Summary: Hi-five, Pat! A brilliant departure from Scarpetta!
Review: Patricia Cornwell gambled... and won! Why is everyone whining about the fact she is doing the Hornet's Nest/Southern Cross series in third-person? It's fantastic! Don't get me wrong - I was skeptical at first, since I am a die-hard Scarpetta fan. But the genius in this new style, this new group of diverse characters, was immediatley apparent. This series frees Cornwell to show her incredible comedic abilities. Ms. Cornwell skillfully conveys the thoughts and personalities of each character, often so humorously that this reader found herself wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks. It is this humorous approach that makes Cornwell's descriptions of specific criminal acts and tragic events so startling and heartbreaking. The extreme contrast makes for a perfect symmetry.To all the "nay-sayers" who have shredded a most amazing author to bits for this series, I say, "Small minds insist upon upholding what is familiar and constant. Rigid minds resist change. Thank God Patricia Cornwell is neither small nor rigid. May she never allow herself to boxed in by public opinion."
Rating:
Summary: worse than Hornests Nest
Review: In the lat three months I have read every Kay Scarpetta book and finished all of them in a matter of hours. When I got to Hornets Nest I was very disappointed, so disappointed that I have reservations on buying Southern Cross. Now after reading the reviews I would not spend good money on it, I will wait to get it second hand. PLEASE BRING BACK KAY SCARPETTA PLEASE.
Rating: 
Summary: Patricia is slipping
Review: I have enjoyed Patricia Cornwell's books for years despite some annoyance at technical innaccuracies. I keep buying despite my impression that the last few titles have steadily declined in quality. This is not a good book. In Hornet's Nest, Cornwell introduced a new set of characters. Fair enough, even if these characters included cats that talk, sort of. In Sourthern Cross, we now have not only a cat that carries on conversations with itself but some mangy mutt too. I was never able to tell through the book if the characters, such as Bubba, were meant to be satirical or if Cornwell is really that cynical about men and Southerners. Alas, I think maybe Cornwell just doesn't like men period. The book is poorly researched even while the plot is faintly interesting. A running theme throughout Cornwell's novels is a high degree of computer savvy by the protagonists. Unfortunately, Cornwell's research seems to only go as far as learning some of the buzzwords without understanding what they mean. Just as she has FBI super-geek Lucy solemnly pronouncing ridiculous statements about software, programming, etc., so too do we have characters in Southern Cross. A central theme is an utterly unbelievable virus mysteriously implanted into a Web page. Of course, the pets have to get into the act. One of the central dilemnas towards the middle of the book is how a computer that had been turned off was now on when the good police chief arrives home. The pets make a big show of trying to tell their masters that they did not put the virus in the computer and did not turn the computer on. Worse, after we suffer the indignities of listening to the pets and their masters whine about how the computer got turned on, Cornwell just drops the whole line. As in her last book, Point of Origin, it is one of several lines in the book that is left unresolved. Oh, well. Cornwell is a talented writer who needs to get back to the basics of her earlier books which really were well plotted and made for great reading if you overlooked some of the poorly researched technical details.
Rating: 
Summary: Much Potential for more character development!! More please!
Review: This book shows Cornwell's potential for getting beyond the run of the mill crime drama and going for the broad brush. I am in the minority it seems, but I see much potential here. The police story side of the novel was a little weak, not enough depth, but the other stories show promise. I especially liked the story of Smoke and Weed, the juveniles flirting with disaster. Cornwell should explore more of this kind of writing, with an eye toward the kind of scope of Tom Wolfe's recent "A Man in Full". She can do it!
Rating:
Summary: Boo! Hiss!
Review: Totally disappointing! I rarely do not finish a book I start, but this one was torture! I simply couldn't finish it. I wish Ms. Cornwell would get back to the style of some of her earlier publications such as Post Mortem, etc. I was so excited to see a new book by her and so let down with the finished product.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: As a died in the wool Caldwell fan, I coundn't believe this book. It just was not Caldwell. Her stab at humor fell totally flat. Hornet's Nest was enjoyable, but I am having problems wading through Southern Cross. Please bring back more of the strong stories a la Kay Scarpetta.
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Summary: Dr. Scarpetta was greatly missed
Review: While the story was interesting, it just was not up to Patricia Cornwell usual standard. The story line simply did not come together as well as some of her other books.
Rating:
Summary: Not her best.
Review: I hesitated to read this book after seeing all of the reviews here at Amazon. I too, was disappointed, but not to the extent of some of the other readers. It's just different than her other novels. I'm glad that I gave it a try.
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