Small Paperback, Good Condition, 1997, 440 pages, ISBN 0 7515 0206 8

Hornet’s Nest – Patricia Cornwell

Summertime, and the violence is swarming…

Deputy Chief Virginia West has a mood to match the heat in the city of Charlotte. Another out-of-town businessman has been found murderedn his hire car, a wise-ass detective has taken her parking slot, the new police headquarters still resembles a construction site and her boss is telling her to go out on patrol as escort to Andy Brazil, a rookie reporter in the local paper.

However, he’s not the only cause of West’s increased nicotine intake: departmental in-fighting, court appearances, her boss coping with an obese husband, and a never-ending stream of burglaries, busts and bodies.

With great style, humour and empathy Patricia Cornwell brings policing a city to three-dimensional life with verve and fast-moving tension. It is entertainment of the highest calibre.