Amazon.com: Crime School (9780091794583): Carol O'Connell: Books

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23 Reviews

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

Average Customer Review

3.7 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another hit in the Mallory series, September 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Crime School: A Mallory Novel (Hardcover)

This 6th in the series (following Mallory's Oracle, The Man Who Cast Two Shadows, Killing Critics, Stone Angel, and (for me)the disappointing Shell Game)expands the character and pysche of the troubled Sgt. Kathleen Mallory. This borderline pysocopath/sociopath cop battles her own personal demons of murder, betrayal, and revenge as she sets out to stop a serial killer. The similarities between the killer and the cop are both subtle and striking. We learn more about her twisted childhood and her relationship with Riker and Charles Butler. I thought this book was a fascinating portrayal of a very disturbing woman. The story was fast-paced and very suspenseful. I suggest that readers finish the earlier volumes in the series to better understand Mallory's background.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another haunting Mallory mystery, May 2, 2005

By

Laurie Fletcher "Laurie Fletcher" (Casper, Wyoming, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Crime School (Kathleen Mallory Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

What is it about Carol O'Connell's Kathy Mallory series? Kathy Mallory is about the least sympathetic heroine of any genre...a genuine anti-anti-anti heroine. And O'Connell's writing is moody and rough - kind of like its places-you've-never-been-in-New York setting. These are never easy reads and yet I can't put them down, especially Crime School. I think it may be because I like Charles Butler and Detective Riker so very much. And because they love Mallory despite everything. And because I want her to finally pay attention to Charles (which she never will). As usual, O'Connell's plots fly all around the past and present and you have to hang on for dear life. And, as usual, you end up wanting to know more. But isn't that the hallmark of a good book? I still think that O'Connell's best book was the standalone (not of the Mallory series) "Judas Child", wherein again she specializes in wounded characters. Who knows where these twisted humans come from in Carol O'Connell's brain, but she certainly does give them convincing life.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mallory's world is *always* fascinating- a winner!, July 20, 2003

By

"lynkfri13" (Waltham, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crime School: A Mallory Novel (Hardcover)

*~*~*~*~*
*
Mallory (don't call her "Kathy" if you want to live), is a unique detective hero. She's an NYPD "Special Crimes" Detective, who makes her own rules, takes no hostages, and can make you believe she'd kill for her own sense of justice.

~ * ~ Mallory was taken in at age 10 ?? by an NYPD cop, who found her as a tough street kid, apparently a "throwaway". In earlier novels she is eerily without the type of "consicence" we recognize though we can sympathize with her ruthless pursuit of justice, especially in avenging her foster father's death.

In the novel, "Stone Angel", we learned a little about how she came to live on the New York streets.

In this story we learn more about her life on the streets, when a prostitute is found hanged at an arson scene. Riker, Mallory
s partner, a friend of Mallory's father, recognizes the victim as a woman who once gave sporadic shelter and comfort to Mallory as a child.

Mallory has a score to settle with the victim, but she is no less driven to find the killer, terrorizing firefighters and rookie detectives,and walking right over supervising officers's command.

This entry was wonderful for the haunting, yet strangely compelling back story of that illuminates the child Kathy's quest for a sense "home" and "comfort" with the prostitutes, drug dealers, and theives on the streets.

Supporting cast Detective Riker, and genius consultant Charles Butler are written very well, and their dedication to a strange blend of love, healthy fear, and protectiveness of Mallory is just wonderful.

I recommend "Stone Angel" as a companion to the story, together, they offer a wonderful portrait of our herione.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars No Charm This (3rd) Time...
This is my third Mallory novel, and I thought her character would be easier to handle, but I was wrong. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Barbara

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read
This is the first of the "Mallory" series that I read, I guess you could say this is the one that hooked me. Read more

Published on August 26, 2009 by Gail R. Ware

4.0 out of 5 stars Once a sociopath, alway a good read.
Despite all the quibbling about how confusing O'Connell's writing can be, the often trite situations and escapes, I'm madly in love with Mallory (at 79 I'm entitled to act weird)... Read more

Published on March 8, 2006 by custerslastsound

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
This is one of the better books in the series though the writing was a little confusing some times. Mallory came out a little more in this book to me. Read more

Published on November 1, 2005 by Breeze

1.0 out of 5 stars Confusing for the most part
Not the best crime book I've ever read. Uses a lot of references to the past which becomes confusing. No satisfaction when the crime is solved; more like "Who cares?"

Published on January 28, 2005 by S. Lancaster

5.0 out of 5 stars Memorable
I love the Kathy Mallory series, but this one tops the chart. Although I read it over a year ago, I can still recall every plot element. Read more

Published on December 15, 2004 by conoisseur

1.0 out of 5 stars Vague characters in a predictable police drama
What a waste of time and money! I bought this book per a bookseller's recommendations and don't understand what the hype is all about! Read more

Published on March 24, 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars I don't get it...
Maybe I've read a different book than other reviewers, but this book is just plain awful! The cliches are waist deep, the characters are about as deep as a puddle, and the... Read more

Published on March 11, 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars Apparantly a much-loved heroine, but not by me...not yet
I wonder if I'm not a masochist. I hated this ... from the first book and while other readers gave up on her after a couple of books, I kept plodding away. Read more

Published on January 6, 2004 by Neal C. Reynolds

4.0 out of 5 stars Time for there to be some movement now.
I really enjoyed reading Crime School, but this is the last Mallory novel I think I'm going to be able to read without her showing some signs of personal growth. Read more

Published on November 24, 2003 by frumiousb

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
GREENWICH VILLAGE HAD LOST ITS EDGE LONG AGO, becoming a stately old lady among New York neighborhoods. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
gray canvas bag, police aide, cork wall, book salon, hanged woman, incident room, retired detective, bright yellow hair, squad room

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Natalie Homer, Charles Butler, New York, Jack Coffey, Stella Small, Kennedy Harper, Ronald Deluthe, Lars Geldorf, Lieutenant Coffey, Louis Markowitz, Wichita Kid, Kathy Mallory, Lieutenant Loman, Susan Qualen, Duck Boy, Frankie Delight, Special Crimes Unit, Tall Sally, Alice White, Lou Markowitz, Sergeant Riker, Sheriff Peety, Alan Parris, Detective Janos, East Village

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