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 hometwon 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.