Friday, July 22, 2011

Book Review: Bloody Mary by J.A. Konrath

  • Bloody Mary

  • By: J.A. Konrath

  • Pub. Date: July 2005

  • Publisher: Hyperion

  • Format: Hardcover , 320pp

  • Series: Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels Series #2

  • ISBN-13: 9781401300890

  • ISBN: 1401300898

  • Source: Library










  • Synopsis:

    Start with a tough but vulnerable Chicago cop. Stir in a psychopath with a unique mental condition that programs him to kill. Add a hyperactive cat, an ailing mother, a jealous boyfriend, a high-maintenance ex-husband, and a partner in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Mix with equal parts humor and suspense, and enjoy Bloody Mary.
    When Jack receives a report of an excess of body parts appearing at the Cook County Morgue, she hopes it’s only a miscount. It’s not. Even worse, these extra limbs seem to be accessorized with Jack’s handcuffs.
    Someone has plans for Jack. Very bad plans. Plans that involve everything and everyone that she cares about.
    Jack must put her train wreck of a personal life on hold to catch an elusive, brilliant maniac - a maniac for whom getting caught is only the beginning…

    My Review:

    I had a hard time finishing this book... although I did finish it in a day.

    I love the Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series because it's a little mystery with a lot of humor and great characters. While I realized right from the first book in the Jack Daniels series that this series was a lot darker than the Plum series, I still thought that I would enjoy it because of the potential in the secondary characters. However, even though I still like the secondary characters, like Herb, Jack's partner, Harry McGlade, Jack's former partner, and Jack's mom, I can't handle the villians.

    Konrath's villians are much more twisted and gruesome than Evanovich's. In Bloody Mary, a serial killer is out hacking up women; he's also a cop that is close to Jack. I'm not sure how much of a mystery the suspect was suppose to be but I knew immediately who the killer was. The more interesting part was the second half of the book, after Jack had caught the guy and he was on trial. The murderer is a seriously horrible and twisted individual. He puts on a good show at the trial and is actually set free.

    I liked the overall plot of Bloody Mary and the funny characters (listed above) but I can't handle the books if they're all about a serial killer who tortures women. I read the prologue to the third in the series, Rusty Nail, and it's clear that the next villain is also a serial killer, although I don't know who his target is... but I'd have to guess that it's women. I don't think I will be continuing this series. I recommend this series for someone who wants something darker than the Plum series. In my opinion, the first book started out the series well but I don't think the mystery was as good in the second book and the villains all seem to be the exact same type- sociopaths who displayed symptoms of it in childhood but never got caught until they showed up in Chicago and became involved with Jack Daniels.

    My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

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