There are some nasty rumours going around that Patricia
Cornwell has written a bad book. However, I read 'Hornet's Nest' at an
extremely rapid rate, which was not entirely due to a tight deadline.
Admittedly, I had only read one previous Cornwell novel, 'Cruel
and Unusual', and that was a tightly plotted thriller.
'Hornet's Nest' isn't, and is all the better for it. I can only think that the
negative reactions have been caused by Cornwell usurping expectations. She has reached
the stage of her career at which she can only feel shackled by genre. There are
a number of revelations here. The most obvious is that Cornwell is funny -
funny in the Pratchett way of making you laugh out loud in otherwise silent
staff rooms. What Cornwell achieves here is to effectively convey the
irrational thoughts which go through everyone's mind. So, there is no forensic
approach to the solving of the crime. In fact, I would go as far as to say that
Cornwell has gone some way to writing an entertaining literary novel, rather
than a conventional crime thriller. The only character who knows exactly what's
going on is the Deputy Police Chief's cat. In short, Cornwell's 'Hornet's Nest'
is nothing but cool. Read it, and you'll be pleasantly surprised, if more than
a little embarrassed by laughing on the tube.
Kevin Mahoney
