Bloody Mary (Jack Daniels Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

J. A. Konrath (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1900 | Series: Jack Daniels Mysteries

tart with a tough but vulnerable Chicago cop. 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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Konrath's predictable sequel to Whiskey Sour (2004) is no more original than its predecessor. When two arms, sans body, turn up at a Chicago morgue, Det. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels is surprised to discover that the mysterious limbs are joined by her own handcuffs. The killer appears to have a grudge as well as unsettling access to Jack. The dual narrative alternately follows detective and murderer, leaving little to the imagination, particularly in the realm of gore. The author reveals so much about the crimes and their motivation that the plot loses steam until the fiend is caught (halfway through the novel) and the focus shifts to ensuring that he doesn't walk. The legal finagling is a bit far-fetched, but the battle of wills between the psychopath and the cop keeps the pages turning. And like any hard-boiled detective, Jack has a problematic personal life, juggling two unstable relationships and caring for her ailing mother. Konrath peppers the story with one-liners that are sometimes riotous, often groan-worthy and occasionally inappropriately blasé, but readers with a taste for the twisted should enjoy themselves.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Konrath's follow-up to Whiskey Sour (2004) uses a narrative strategy typical of serial-killer novels: multiple points of view contrasting the killer's perspective with that of the lead investigator. Konrath inserts a twist here, though, by having Chicago police lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels and her perpetually dieting partner, Herb Benedict, discover who the killer is halfway through the book. Case solved? Not so fast. The psychotic killer has convinced almost everyone he is innocent, and Jack and Herb must find another crime from the perp's past to sway the jury. An interesting subplot concerns Jack's current relationship with "safe" accountant Latham versus the rekindling of her feelings for ex-husband Alan, an unpredictable writer. Chicago native Konrath gets the city ambience just right but slips a bit with some predictable plot turns and an overabundance of gore. Still, her charismatic heroine wins the day. Readers will be ready for another Jack Daniels when they finish this one. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (January 1, 1900)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786890746
• ISBN-13: 978-0786890743
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top notch read!!, July 3, 2005

By 

Laurel Johnson (Kansas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bloody Mary (Jack Daniels Mysteries) (Hardcover)

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 are
a 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 to
the 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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BLOODY MARY ROCKS!, July 7, 2005

By 

William B. Crouch (Durango, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bloody Mary (Jack Daniels Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Pure and Simple. J.A. Konrath's followup to the amazing WHISKEY SOUR is even better than its predecessor. It's funnier, it has more twists and turns, the villain is even more frightening, and there's a cat named Mr. Friskers who has got to be the most evil feline I've ever encountered (on the page or in life). You'll love him. Buy this book. You won't be disappointed, aside from the fact that we all have to wait another year for our next date with Jack.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced read, July 4, 2005

By 

Robert Farley (Fairborn, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bloody Mary (Jack Daniels Mysteries) (Hardcover)

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.