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Andy Brazil

by Patricia Cornwell

The Andy Brazil series by Patricia Cornwell has 3 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Hornet's Nest (1997).

Books
3 books
First published
1997
Status
completed
Last checked

Start here: Hornet's Nest (1997) — then read straight through in publication order.

Cover of Hornet's Nest, the first book in Andy Brazil

Reading order

The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.

  1. Hornet's Nest

    Novel

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  2. Southern Cross

    Novel

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  3. Isle of Dogs

    Novel

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About the Andy Brazil series

Before she wrote Kay Scarpetta full-time, and in parallel with the Scarpetta novels, Patricia Cornwell built a second, smaller series around Judy Hammer, a tough, reform-minded police chief, and Andy Brazil, the ambitious young newspaper reporter she takes under her wing as a volunteer police officer. Hornet's Nest (1997) opens in Charlotte, North Carolina, following Hammer as she takes over a demoralized police department and Brazil as he rides along chasing both a story and a new calling; the tone is looser and more satirical than the Scarpetta books, with real interest in local media, small-city politics and police-department culture rather than pure forensic procedure.

Southern Cross (1998) relocates Hammer to Richmond, Virginia, to clean up another troubled department, with Brazil again in tow, while Isle of Dogs (2001) pushes further into comic-thriller territory as Hammer becomes head of the Virginia State Police and Brazil graduates to state trooper, tangling with a broadly satirized governor and a wildlife-poaching plot on Tangier Island. The trilogy is a genuine change of pace from Scarpetta's autopsy-table intensity — sharper-edged social comedy wrapped around crime plots — and, having ended at three books, stands as a complete, self-contained detour in Cornwell's bibliography.

How to read this series

Read in publication order: Hornet's Nest, Southern Cross, Isle of Dogs. Judy Hammer's career (Charlotte, then Richmond, then the Virginia State Police) and Andy Brazil's rise from ride-along reporter to sworn officer track continuously across the three books, and the satirical tone escalates as the series goes on — Isle of Dogs in particular leans hard into farce. The trilogy is complete and shares no characters or continuity with Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta or Win Garano series.

Frequently asked questions

How many Andy Brazil books are there?

Three: Hornet's Nest (1997), Southern Cross (1998) and Isle of Dogs (2001). The trilogy is complete.

What order should I read the Andy Brazil books in?

Publication order: Hornet's Nest, then Southern Cross, then Isle of Dogs. Judy Hammer's career and Andy Brazil's progression from reporter to officer carry forward across all three.

Is Andy Brazil connected to Kay Scarpetta?

No — the Andy Brazil trilogy is a separate Patricia Cornwell series with different lead characters and no crossover continuity with the Kay Scarpetta novels.

Is the Andy Brazil series finished?

Yes. Cornwell ended it at three books with Isle of Dogs (2001) and has not returned to Judy Hammer or Andy Brazil since.

Is Andy Brazil more comedic than Cornwell's other books?

Yes — the trilogy leans into social satire and dark comedy, especially by Isle of Dogs, in contrast to the more clinical, forensic tone of the Scarpetta novels.

Reading order last verified .