3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
fine serial killer tale that pays homage to Hitchcock, April 21, 2007
Without a second thought beyond the usual that the lunatics have found email, San Francisco Bulletin reviewer Carroll Quint deletes the message referencing the brutal stabbing of actor Montgomery Hines in his shower. He also tosses into the trash basket an email re the murder of screenwriter Charlie Reeder, whom Carroll found dead; the murder weapon being a leg of lamb.
However, upon further reflection, Carroll reconsiders that both emails were from apparently the same person, Thanatos obviously named for the Greek god of death; and that the emails tie to Hitchcock movies. Carroll regrets tossing the two emails, but has mixed feelings about receiving a third. On the one hand, it might provide a clue to the Hitchcock killer while on the other another person isdead. He need not worry as Thanatos sends more emails with references to The 39 Steps and Frenzy while his mom advises him the killer is in plain sight like the midgets in Casablanca.
The fun in this fine serial killer tale is with the homage to Hitchcock and the trouble with the law that Carroll is in as the police assume the reporter is the killer while also suspecting he stole a valuable necklace from arts patron Gineen Rosenberry. The whodunit takes a back seat to the Hitchcockian references that will remind the older readers of Vincent Price's Theatre of Blood yet the audience will enjoy Carroll's investigation to prove he committed no crimes other than perhaps some poor reviewing (I plead the fifth).
Harriet Klausner
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Humor and suspense mixed well for your enjoyment, June 4, 2007
Kennealy was a fireman, policeman, and a private investigator for over 20 years. He has written 10 Nick Polo mysteries, and various thrillers set around the world under different names. He is a San Francisco native, just like the character in this book, Carroll Quint.
Quint is the entertainment editor for the San Francisco Bulletin, writing movie and theatre reviews. He is at Gineen Rosenberry's party to celebrate the opening of the play she bankrolled, a revival of Camelot starring the older actor Peter Liddell. Liddell takes issue with some of Quint's negative reviews, and takes a swing at him, resulting in a bloody nose. Quint staggers off without his glasses to the upstairs bath, off Gineen's bedroom, where she joins him eventually and ministers to his nose. Eventually he sneaks out the back way to avoid Liddell's bodyguards.
The buzz at the party had all been about the grisly murder of retired actor Montgomery Hines, who had been slashed while in his shower--a killing remarkably like the murder in Hitchcock's Psycho.
The next day Quint is under investigation for the theft of Gineen's $600,000 ruby necklace. Next, he gets a phone message from old acquaintance, Charlie Reeder, a retired screenwriter, who asks him to come immediately to his home on the ocean. When Quint does, he discovers Reeder, dead, on the deck covered with birds that are attacking him. Quint becomes suspect number one, and his reporting career takes off when he realizes he is getting coded emails from "Thanatos," who has been predicting the murders--and he realizes the killer must be someone he knows.
There will be two more deaths before the killer is discovered, with Quint's quirky movie actress (she had once been a Bond girl) mother Karen helping with the clues, and his delectable girlfriend Terry Greco, the Bulletin's restaurant critic, providing welcome distractions and sustenance. The city is of course a major character--the Golden Gate Bridge, Treasure Island, various distinctive neighborhoods, all providing locales for important scenes.
Armchair Interviews says: This light and amusing tale will keep you giggling and in suspense right up to the end.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A great mystery from Jerry Kennealy, September 3, 2009
I stumbled across this book completely by chance as I was browsing through the mystery section of my local library. I was looking for a new series to start and as I was making way through the rows of books there stood Jigsaw propped up in a little stand. I guess the librarians pick random books and display them around the shelves in and effort to entice people into borrowing it. Well it worked, I read the synopsis and the premise was solid, a journalist for a local newspaper was receiving emails from someone who seems to know an awful lot about a recent murder, is this person just a wacko or is it the killer?
What I really enjoyed about this book is that he created a main character who was not a cop or a detective yet still pulls off the roll of crime solver perfectly. The books main character Caroll Quint appears to be mild mannered entertainment journalist but beneath the surface he is calm, cool and collected while taking heat from all sides, including the killer.
I am not great with reviews and don't want to give a lot away but this book really surprised me with how much fun it was to read. One way I like to judge an author is how well I can visualize their characters and Jerry Kennealy nails it on all accounts with Jigsaw.
If you like mysteries give Jigsaw a chance.
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