Hornet's Nest (novel)

For the 2007 novel, see The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest.

Hornet's Nest

First edition
Author	Patricia Cornwell
Language	English
Genre	Crime
Publisher	G. P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date	1997
Publication place	USA
Media type	Print
Pages	372
ISBN	978-0-425-16098-5
OCLC	38177366
Followed by	Southern Cross

Hornet's Nest (1997) is a book by author Patricia Cornwell, set in Charlotte, North Carolina, which was called "a hornet's nest of rebellion" by Cornwallis during the American Revolutionary War.

Plot summary

The author reveals the heart and soul of a metropolitan police department. With Charlotte as her simmering background, she propels us into the core of the force through the lives of a dynamic trio of heroes: Andy Brazil, an ambitious younger reporter for The Charlotte Observer and an eager - sometimes too eager - volunteer cop; Police Chief Judy Hammer, the professionally strong yet personally troubled guardian of Charlotte's law and order; and her deputy chief, Virginia West, a genuine head-turner who is married to her job. To walk the beat with Hammer, West, and Brazil is to learn the inner secrets of police work - the tension and the tedium, the hilarity and the heartbreak, the unexpected pump of adrenaline and the rush of courage that can lead to heroics ... or death.

Characters

• Virginia West – 42-year-old Deputy Chief.
• Judy Hammer – Chief of Police.
• Andy Brazil – Journalist & Volunteer Cop.

Adaptation

The book was adapted as a made-for-TV movie that premiered Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 8 p.m. exclusively on TNT. The television film adaptation starred Virginia Madsen, Sherry Stringfield, Michael Boatman, Robbie Amell, Jane McNeill, and Quentin Kerr.