Internationally acclaimed as America’s preeminent crime writer for her peerless series, Patricia Cornwell has also established herself as a wry and witty observer of the grueling nature of police work, the mind-set of investigators, and the incredible obstacles faced by police officers and administrators trying to solve a case.

Following up on her sly crime satires Hornet’s Nest and Southern Cross -- both of which were No. 1 New York Times bestsellers -- Cornwell again takes us behind the Blue Wall with the latest Andy Brazil and Judy Hammer novel, Isle of Dogs. This time Brazil and Hammer are off to Richmond, Virginia, to clean up yet another police precinct troubled by all manner of corruption, bureaucracy, and “helpful” politicians and public officials.

There they find a dim-witted governor with a deranged plan to distract his constituents from real problems by setting up bogus speed traps throughout the state. When the first trap is planted on Tangier Island -- even though there are virtually no cars on the small, isolated, isle -- the outraged locals take their dentist hostage, secede from the Commonwealth, and declare civil war. And that’s just the start of the crazed, crime-ridden days ahead, as Brazil and Hammer struggle to maintain order while contending with nasty local politicking, a fickle and panicked public, and a government gone deliriously haywire.

This wry, witty, and knowing look at the behind-the-scenes turmoil of police departments -- and the lives of men and women in blue -- once again showcases Cornwell's darkly comic talents. Those talents may be less familiar to the legions of Kay Scarpetta fans out there, but they are no less powerful.