Patricia Cornwell has a sixth sense about the men and women in blue. In Hornet's Nest, her page-turning novel about crime and police in Charlotte, North Carolina, Cornwell moved behind the badges of these real-life heroes to uncover flesh-and-blood characters who strode through her pages to reveal vulnerable, passionate, brave, sometimes doubting, always fascinating figures.
In Southern Cross, Cornwell takes us even closer to the personal and professional lives of big-city police, in a story of corruption, scandal, and robberies that escalate to murder. This time, her setting is Richmond, Virginia, where Charlotte Police Chief Judy Hammer has been brought by an NIJ grant to clean up the police force. Reeling from the recent death of her husband, and resented by the police force, city manager, and mayor of Richmond, Hammer is joined by her deputy chief Virginia West and rookie Andy Brazil on the most difficult assignment of her career. In the face of overwhelming public scrutiny, the trio must bring truth, order, and sanity to a city in trouble.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Unlike Cornwell's usual fare, Southern Cross is driven almost exclusively by an interest in these strange personalities and their surreal hometown, rather than in fast-paced thrills. The novel becomes a satire on city politics, Southern culture, the ever-tense relationship between the police and the public, and the struggles of the average man and woman with computer technology. Cornwell does fall down in a few places. First, her description of the computer virus that somehow infects police department Web sites from Richmond to New York seems a bit far-fetched. Also, her narrative, divided among three major characters, loses its focus and sags at several points. In the end, though, Southern Cross is redeemed by Cornwell's inimitable renderings of police work and the quotidian life of Richmond's many odd denizens. --Patrick O'Kelley
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 3.25
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Buy for Great customer experience. Seller Inventory # GoldenDragon0425172546
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0425172546
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0425172546
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0425172546
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0425172546
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. reissue edition. 432 pages. 7.00x3.75x0.75 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # 0425172546
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Brand New Copy. Seller Inventory # BBB_new0425172546
Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 0.49. Seller Inventory # Q-0425172546