By the creator of the "Kay Scarpetta" novels. Deputy Chief Virginia West likes and respects her boss, but she finds it hard to accept that a rookie reporter, Brazil, should ride on patrol with her as she investigates a series of murders where the killer paints his victims bright orange. 

          Meet the police department of Charlotte North Carolina. And find out why they call it the 'Hornets Nest of America.’ Andy Brazil, an ambitious young 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 heartbeat, the unexpected pump of adrenaline and the rush of courage that can lead to heroics… or death.