Rating: 
Summary: A sell-out
Review: Patricia Cornwell is a great author, as I have read all her books that preceded this. I was ready for a change from Kay Scarpetta, and kept an open mind - however this book just slagged on and it seemed too much like what I call the Microsoft Word macro 'what would a cheesy bestseller author say now' was in full-force. Like another one of my old faves, Dean Koontz, this novel was chock full of 'plug ins' that are rampant amongst the bestseller 'read em quick, I am going to keep you up, here comes something sleazy' disease. I am NOT an arrogant 'I don't read bestsellers' person, as I look to books for entertainment as opposed to the mass wasteland of TV - however I hate to see great authors stoop below what I think they are capable of - there is nothing like a great book - and this is one that is good, but only if you have nothing else left in your bookshelf to read!
Rating: 
Summary: More of a drama then a mystery. But still good!
Review: I know, I know, this wasn't a wild, suspenseful, psychotic Kay Scarpetta mystery but hey you gotta cut Cornwell some slack. She really put a good effort into the characters. I found myself making this book into a movie or T.V. drama. Casting the characters. The characters where so well done that she even had some passages from a cat's point of view. I admit that at half way through I almost stopped reading this. But it gets a lot better. I really wished that something more could have happend between Andy and Virginia. There were some bad things about this book. I didn't mind them that much but you might. 1st) The killers weren't introduced till 3/4 of the way in the book(which is usually how most Scarpetta mysteries are). They also didn't have a part in the story. In other words this was not a whodunit mystery.(which is also like Scarpetta) 2nd) I felt the book ended to fast. The killer's were only involved in the last 5 pages. So not a very suspensful climax. But anyway if you like the T.V. shows N.Y.P.D Blue, Pacific Blue, or Hawaii Five-0 you'd probably like this book a lot. I'm not saying if you don't like those T.V. you won't like this book. One more thing.....I read Southern Cross before Hornet's Nest and did not like it. But after I read Hornet's Nest I thought that maybe I would have liked Southern Cross a lot more better. But this is a good book for a rainy day or plane ride or just to read on your own time. I hated to see it end!
Rating: 
Summary: worst book by Patrucia Cornwell, aweful, can't even finish
Review: This is absolutly the worst book by Patricia Cornwell. Did she really write it or hire someone else to write it for her? How can the same person who wrote such books as Cruel and Unusual,All That Remains, etc. also wrote this horribly boring and disjointed book?
Rating:
Summary: Cornwell missed the mark on this one!
Review: I was disappointed in the story and found it slow and almost slogging at some points. I did not feel that the characters were well developed or that the dialogue was real. She usually does such a good job of letting us into the minds of her characters and I feel this was lacking in this particular book. Not her best effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Complex, and good
Review: I felt that this book had the greatest combination of action and personal issues. Unlike Unatural Exposure, the book dealt with personal issues and how it affected the characters involvement with the case. I really like this book and look forward to reading Southern Cross.
Rating:
Summary: Boring, shallow eratic characters, and a rushed ending.
Review: I admit that I like the Kay Scarpetta novels, and also like Ms. Cornwell's writing style. I had high hopes when obtaining this book that it would be the start of a new series of characters. I was not only disappointed with the characters, but with the pace and story line as well. Over all, I hate to say bad things, but this novel is frankly not even worth reading. Doubly so when you have the opportunity to read the Kay Scarpetta book which followed the release of this novel. A scary moment, there, when first opening the new Scarpetta novel where one wonders if the writer has lost the magic. This is apparently not the case, as it seems that 'Hornets Nest' was simply just a lousy book! Every writer should be entitled to a few though, so what the hell!
Rating:
Summary: Loved it! Read it in two days.
Review: I loved this book and was sorry to see it end. As someone mentioned in an earlier review, the trouble with the book is the people who have been reviewing it WISHING IT WAS A SCARPETTA BOOK. IT'S NOT A SCARPETTA BOOK! So, get over it.What it is is a witty, wry, humorous day-in-the-life sort of book about the Charlotte police department. I loved the strong female characters, who were at once tough and very human. If Ms. Cromwell had wanted to write a book that had one plotline, one crime to be solved, one viewpoint, she would have done so. She didn't. She came up with something delightfully different and this reader thought it was great!
Rating:
Summary: I finally understand the raves about Patricia Cornwell!
Review: It's not a Kay Scarpetta thriller--Thank Goodness! Instead of labyrinthine and unlikely plot twists, irritating and unlikeable characters, and completely flat character development, Patricia Cornwell has written an engrossing, human, and funny book! Don't expect a classic mystery. It's more of a slice of life of police enforcement in Charlotte, North Carolina. All of the characters, good and bad, come from families (good and bad), have connections, make mistakes, and do the best they can, even if the best they can is hanging out with homeboys and robbing Hardee's. Unfortunately for this book, if the Kay Scarpetta series has turned you off already, you are unlikely to bother with another Patricia Cornwell book. And if you've come to expect the over-written plot, flat pacing, and judgemental and irritating characters of the Kay Scarpetta works, you may find yourself in new territory with this one.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: The trouble with this book is that you expect Kay Scarpetta to pop up, but she doesn't. The characters aren't believable enough, the storyline doesn't hold your interest enough and you don't care if the characters live or die. This is a poor substitute to Kay Scarpetta mysteries, and the only redeeming feature about it is that it gives you something to do while you wait for the next Scarpetta book to come out. Having said that, I'd much rather wait longer for another Scarpetta book than have second-rate thrillers like these in between.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting change of pace for Cornwell
Review: I am a charlotte cop and I met miss Cornwell when she was researching the book in Charlotte. I am a huge fan of hers and love all the Kay Scarpetta novels. I was a little disapointed in the story line and the ending of Hornets Nest. It lacked a good plot, and just wasn't up to the standard that her past works have set for themselves. I was very pleased that she returned to Scarpetta. I liked the book cause it hit home for me in a lot of ways, and she got most of the cops perspective right, but all in all not a very good book from a very great writer.
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