By: Robert Farley

Robert Farley — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:46:26 +0000

Fast-paced read Score another winner for J.A. Konrath. Bloody Mary grabs the crime drama reader from the first page and never releases its hold through the rest of the book.Lt. Jacqueline Daniels is going through something of a mid-life crisis. Surrounded by friends and co-workers who mean well but who have the same kind of troubles, the last thing she needs is a crazed, limb-severing killer in town. And to make matters worse, the clues being left at the crime scenes are objects that once belonged to Daniels. The only thing more shocking and surprising is the identity of the killer.It looks like the crime is solved at one point, but then the legal system inserts it twist on the trial, expert witnesses get led down a merry path, and Daniels watches as everything falls apart around her.Konrath has masterfully written this sometimes gory tale in a way that leaves the reader as mystified in the beginning as the characters in the story. With a breathtaking ending, followed by a heartfelt decision or two from Daniels, this book provides as satisfying a read as any book can. Get it as soon as you can.

By: Laurel Johnson

Laurel Johnson — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:19:48 +0000

Top notch read!! This second in the Jack Daniels series is a top notch read from first page to last. The characters are deliciously human, the dialogue and graphic details realistic, and Konrath tops it off with a rousing plot. I couldn’t turn these pages fast enough!Lt. Jacqueline Daniels — better known as Jack to her friends — heads Chicago P.D.’s Violent Crimes Unit. She’s forty-something, divorced, and not exactly living la dolce vita. Jack’s life is in turmoil. She has a boyfriend who just may be the last good marriage prospect in the midwest. He wants Jack to move in with him. Complicating that romantic scenario area retired-cop mother needing full time care and an ex-husband who’s decided he can’t live without Jack. Lt. Daniels is a damn good cop, a hard nosed detective whose personal problems sometimes skew her concentration. Her partner, junk food afficionado Herb Benedict, brings problems of his own tothe office. He wants to lose weight and liven up his long term marriage with Viagra. The last thing these two partners need is a serial killer run amok in the Windy City.Their suspect is a maniacal butcher with the conscience and killing instincts of a shark. He’s a madman who blends into daily life invisibly thanks to a facade of normalcy. Halfway through the book we discover who this killer is, but that certainly does not detract from the suspense. Through one sizzling Chicago summer through most of a bitterly cold winter,Jack and Herb track down one disappointing lead after another. Meanwhile, the body count rises. Each butchered corpse is wearing some article that belongs to Jack. And each murder brings a demented killer closer to Jack’s front door.I like J.A. Konrath’s writing style. He combines grisly crime, solid police work, and forensics with appealing humor to build suspense in satisfying ways. Fans of the genre will do well to discover Konrath. And they certainly will find an intriguing mystery in Bloody Mary.

Comments on: Bloody Mary – A Thriller (Jack Daniels Mysteries)

By: Robert Farley

By: Laurel Johnson