SOUTHERN CROSS
by Patricia Cornwell
Widowed of the pusillanimous husband who worshiped her from afar in her debut (Hornet’s Nest, 1997), Charlotte (N.C.) Police Chief Judy Hammer, backed up by Charlotte transplants Virginia West and Andy Brazil, travels to more familiar Cornwell territory—Richmond, Virginia, home turf to Dr. Kay Scarpetta (Point of Origin, 1998, etc.)—to clean up a police force that needs a crusading woman’s touch. (Literary Guild/Mystery Guild main selection)