Customer Reviews

Dirty Martini (Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While the titles of J. A. Konrath's series featuring Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels are all named after drinks --- WHISKEY SOUR, BLOODY MARY, RUSTY NAIL and the recently-released DIRTY MARTINI --- these aren't lighthearted stories about wasting away in Margaritaville. The novels are set in Chicago, and the crimes and its perpetrators are dark indeed.

DIRTY MARTINI had me on the edge of my seat --- not once, but twice. I won't go into too much detail, but the first time was when Daniels was in a house and the second time was when she was in a truck. Upon completion of the book, I thought I was going to require cardioversion to get my heart working properly again.

Between those two scenes, however, is one heck of a story, expertly plotted and wonderfully told. Konrath starts off by introducing The Chemist, a twisted genius who plans to take revenge on the City of Chicago by poisoning its food supply. Quite honestly, the author's step-by-step description of what The Chemist does, and how he does it, is enough to make me, a city boy through and through, get a complete library of The Mother Earth News, move to the country and become entirely self-sufficient. That is even before you get to the aforementioned "house" and "truck."

Meanwhile, Daniels's boyfriend has proposed, but she is afraid to say "yes," even though she wants to. She then discovers that her long-deceased father isn't dead at all. Those are relatively minor problems, however, compared to what The Chemist has planned, which is to hold Chicago for ransom. How do you catch somebody who is a master of disguise, two steps ahead of you and capable of murder performed in unexpected ways? Maybe you don't. Perhaps this is the last book in the series. You'll have to read to find out.

Mystery, action, suspense and, perhaps, redemption. Oh, and a bit of very well-written erotica as well. All this is to be had in DIRTY MARTINI. One cannot reasonably ask for more, or for better, than Konrath and Daniels straight up.

One more thing. At the very end of the book, Konrath gives thanks, by name, to every single bookseller he met while on his book tour for RUSTY NAIL. A cynic would call that a smart marketing move, but I call it "class" with a capital C. If you need one more reason to read DIRTY MARTINI, that is it.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Over the last year or so J.A. Konrath has become one of my favorite authors to read. He has a great way of making his characters stand out, and adds a great mix of humor, horror, and thrill to all his novels. I really enjoy reading the Jack Daniels series and have read all four so far, and look forward to reading all the future titles. This in my opinion is the best book of the series to date. I can definitely tell that JA is getting better at the writers craft the more work he produces. You will definitely want to check this title out! Happy Reading!

Lt. Jack Daniels of the Chicago PD is back. This time she is in charge of a case involving a killer who murders by toxic poisons. He kills by infecting supermarket produce, by directly injecting poisons into his victims by an airgun or even by spiking drinks in bars. The killer is nicknamed `The Chemist' because of the numerous chemical poisons he uses. The Chemist wants two million dollars in order to stop the killings and he wants Jack to deliver the money to him. The only problem is the killer has one more spectacular massacre before he quits. Jack must stop him or thousands of innocent lives will be lost.
I have loved the books in the Jack Daniels series. They are very funny and actually quite suspenseful. Joe Konrath could be accused of writing a chicklit-style book if it weren't for his very dark vision and his very funny, yet very black humor. The book has a lot going for it. The characters are a odd bunch and seemingly real. The dialogue is outrageously funny and the plot is fast and furiously paced.
Brilliance Audio uses two narrators to tell the story, Dick Hill and Susie Breck. Both are exceptional readers with many different voices in their armamentarium. They bring the characters very much to life. Well recommended.

I got started on this 'Jack Daniels' series just by accident and now it's become one of my absolute FAVORITES!! I do audio books-unabridged versions-and these are really done well, with both a male and female readers doing the characters.

The main character is Jacqueline(Jack) Daniels, a female Lutenient with the Chicago PD. These stories move along very well, have original and well-written storylines, keep up a good suspense throughout, and add a bit of light humor.

I would absolutely recommend all of his books in this series: Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, and the latest--Dirty Martini (released 7/3/07).

I can't wait until the next one in this series and hope it's sooner than the usual year wait!!

Five reasons to hoist a dirty martini in salute of J.A. Konrath's "Dirty Martini":

1) For once a book delivered on its promise of being "a real page turner". Between the multi-chapter booby-trapped house sequence at the beginning of the book and the multi-chapter race-against-time truck sequence near the end, you really gotta watch out for paper cuts as you burn through the pages.

2) Though I also enjoyed the previous entry in this series, "Rusty Nail", I'm glad this new entry is more of a mix of laughs and thriller-style scares than laughs and gross-out scares. That's not to say that Mr. Konrath has watered down the edgy, eye-opening stuff this time, but has rather given us a better pedigree of thrills. Anyone can do spurting blood and torture scenes. It takes a skillful writer to scare, jolt, and involve without all the blood. Make no mistake, I don't mind the occasional gross-out scene, if that's what's called for at a certain point (I just watched John Carpenter's "The Thing" for the umpteenth time on DVD the other night, after all), but it's good to know that Mr. Konrath won't automatically go for the blood as a short cut to create a memorable scene.

3) A really well-crafted plot supports all the scares and jolts. You know how the producers of the "Die Hard" movies always buy the rights to various thriller novels and then re-tool them into John McClane "Die Hard" movies? Well, this is exactly the novel they should secure if they want to make a follow up to "Live Free or Die Hard". With the booby-trapped house and speeding truck sequences I already mentioned, and the creative, elaborate plan that the villain known as "The Chemist" puts together to terrorize Chicago, this is exactly the sort of story that would set a movie screen on fire. Of course, I'd rather see this as a "Lt. Jack Daniels" movie, but I'd settle for making it into a McClane/"Die Hard" piece. It would rival the first, classic "Die Hard" in quality. But the point is, of course, that you can enjoy this great plot now in book form, and with its intended central heroine.

4) The characterizations and heart aren't left behind. Once again, we really care about Jack Daniels and her friends, making the dangerous scenes feel even more dangerous, but also making the quiet scenes real page turners in their own right. If you're at all familiar with Mr. Konrath's, uh... let's just say, slightly bawdy... sense of humor from his web site, you might wonder where he finds all the sensitivity and emotional depth when his writing calls for it. But, wherever he gets it from, it's here.

5) A big infusion of "I gotta see what happens next" permeates the book, so that we not only have to see what's going to happen within the pages of this novel, but more than ever want to see what's going to happen in the next book, "Fuzzy Navel" (that's the title, according to the author's web site). And it's to Mr. Konrath's credit that much of this quality is generated by what's going on in Jack Daniels' life as the book progresses, not from some overt cliffhanger at the end of the book. The book's thriller plot ends quites satisfyingly, so it's Jack and her latest personal developments- which are quite compelling and imaginative- that make us want to come back for more.

Anyway, enough verbiage. Mr. Konrath wrote a great book and I wanted to return the favor and tell a few folks about it. But now's the time for me to shut up, finish my drink, and let you procure your own copy so you can have some fun, too.

This writing is the equivalent of McDonalds or candy, lightweight and enjoyable if you dont expect too much.
Many of the situations are just too unbelievable and stretch things way too far, just to make a humorous point.
Some of the things, like Jack "finally" realizing the true target is astounding that it took so long.
Many of her "escapes" from danger are just way too far fetched. She is the only one who survies the house that was a trap??? come on! Nobody else thought to hold their breath? The experts all were just dumb and could not survive, but Jack she can survive anything!!!!!!! It takes away the suspense, because you know no matter how illogical how crazy the situation the writer will get jack out of it.
The characters are cartoonish, the storyline very formulaic. The reliance ont he standard "male chauvanist pig" and fat people as the source of humor shows a shallowness to the humor.
The conclusion was a huge let down.
They just happen to "miss" the blatant evidence and clues that were in front of their face? Nobody figured that one out? then suddenly this careful bad guy leaves a finger print- how convenient!
I give it 3 stars because i did actually laugh a few times, but as far as literature and skillful writing- NOPE!

I have read all these, one after the other. I am not going to comment on individual titles, but I enjoyed them all - witness buying them all! These are good thrillers, great characters, and lots of drama, if a little far fetched at times. I give them 5 stars although they would not be my favourite in this genre they are none the less excellent examples of this type of fiction and I doubt you will regret the purchase.

Author J.A. Konrath knows exactly what he's doing.

With three great rounds under his belt already, Konrath steps up to the tee box the way Tiger Woods does on a Sunday, and hits the longest, straightest drive anyone could expect. Dirty Martini is the fourth installment in the Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels detective series. The Chicago Homicide Detective has previously gone toe-to-toe with serial killers, psychopaths and revenge artists. This time around, she's matching wits with a serial poisoner calling himself The Chemist.

As the criminal begins killing civilians around the city, it's up to Jack to find him, identify him and stop him. This time around, she's without the help of her rotund partner, Herb Benedict, who has chosen a transfer to Robbery. Her support system is run into the ground, friends are hard to come by, and the Mayor's Public Relations goon is proving to be a big obstacle.

Konrath has an amazing feel for how to pace a story. Dirty Martini gives you a great cyclical experience; drama and violence, a huge laugh, then a bread crumb. Down that glass and prepare for the next, each dose building to a heart-pumping conclusion.

Fans of the series will be stunned at how much the beloved heroine suffers to do what she feels is right. From cockroaches to mousetraps to an anal-retentive policeman on a scooter, there's no stopping the hair-raising hijinx. Half the time, readers will be holding their stomachs from the nauseous events. The other half they'll be holding their sides from laughing so hard.

The material in Dirty Martini, as in Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary and Rusty Nail before it, is deeply researched. After one read, you'd assume Konrath was writing his dissertation on chemical warfare instead of a cop novel. It's the attention to detail, as well as the deeply rooted connection to the Windy City, that put readers right into the scenes.

Daniels' fans will be delighted with the buffet of emotions provided by Dirty Martini, and they won't be the only ones. Readers can enjoy this book even if it's the first contact they have with Jack, Herb and Jack's ex-partner Harry McGlade. The events are fast-paced. The characters are sincere (even when the craziest of happenings are surrounding them) and Jack is a dynamic and dedicated detective readers can really get behind.

Konrath has poured out another fine brew. This one is not to be missed.

Dirty Martini is another great addition in J.A. Konrath's awesome Jack Daniel's detective series. Fans of his previous works will not be disappointed. One moment you mouth is agape in horror and the next you are laughing out loud. Great read, lots of fun and impossible to put down!

Good Stuff:

JA Konrath has done it again! Just an awesome novel with terrific suspense.

This series is a great example of the police procedural/detective genre. Unlike many of these types of books, the mysteries are well-thought out, executed with precision, and the main detective doesn't magically jump to a conclusion that leads her to the bad guy.

Also, unlike many in this genre, the reader actually has a chance to figure the mystery out before the main character. Why is that a good thing? Well, because if the reader can do it, then obviously, there is enough material for the 'good guy' to do it without divine intervention. Sure, the reader gets to see the 'bad guy's' perspective at times, but Konrath ensure that we are given just enough, but not too much.

Bad Stuff:

The only downside was regarding Jack's personal life. I just felt that her attraction to another man at a certain point in time was unrealistic. I can't explain why the timing was an issue because I don't want to give a spoiler.

However, this didn't 'spoil' the book for me at all.

Will appeal to:

Readers of the Stephanie Plum Series and people who enjoy police procedurals.

Unlike the previous books in this series, this one did not have a lot of graphic blood and guts.