Shell Game [Mass Market Paperback]

Carol O'Connell (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Unknown (2002)
• ASIN: B000XHLZ7W
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Shell Game, March 16, 2000

By 

Constance Wojanis "cwojanis" (Massillon, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shell Game (Kathleen Mallory Novels) (Hardcover)

I just finished reading SHELL GAME last night, and I'm afraid that I'm one of Ms. O'Connell's fans who felt disappointed with this latest book in her exceptional Mallory series. STONE ANGEL left me stunned with its richness and depth--and I couldn't *wait* to read the next book in this series. I read fictional series for 3 reasons--the writing, the plot, and the development and growth of the reoccuring characters. For me, SHELL GAME fulfilled two out of the three. The writing is exquisite, and the plot held my attention--but Mallory in this book was the same Mallory that we met way back in MALLORY'S ORACLE. But she is *not* the same person after what happened to her in STONE ANGELS, and I was deeply disappointed that the author did not give us the Mallory who had to have been deeply effected by the events in STONE ANGEL. Is there or is there not going to be a growing relationship between Mallory and Charles? And after the resolutions of STONE ANGEL, why does she continue to call herself "Mallory." I had SO many questions following STONE ANGEL, and I was crushed that none of them were addressed in this book. I do hope that Carol O'Connell delves more into the character of Mallory in the next book.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointing Step Backwards for Mallory and O'Connell, May 25, 2001

By 

Joseph "jck09" (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Shell Game (Kathleen Mallory Novels) (Paperback)

In Mallory's Oracle, the first novel in the series, Carol O'Connell introduced us to a unique detective - Mallory, a beautiful, near-sociopathic genius with a mysterious past. Somehow, O'Connell made the character and her friends really sing, and the series took off. Book by book, Mallory tracked down a series of eccentric, exceptional criminals, either from a sense of tidiness or possibly some buried sense of justice. Book by book, Mallory gave some of the people around her, and the readers, small hints into the trauma that shaped her. (Again, it sounds corny when I write it, but it was great. I can't explain it - that's just O'Connell's gift.)

In the previous Mallory book, Stone Angel, Mallory and several of the supporting characters end up in her home town, confront her past, and bring justice to the people responsible for her childhood. The book was terrific, second only to The Judas Child in the O'Connell collection, and seemed to open up the possibility of some kind of radical character growth for Mallory.

Now, we get "Shell Game," and it turns out that the shell O'Connell picked was empty this time. This reads like a Mallory idea from three books ago. Mallory is back exactly to her old self - cold, remote, merciless, brilliant. Ok, fine, but it's not mysterious anymore. We know why she is the way she is, and if she can't change or grow, even a little, then why read more books?

With all that said, the book is still far better than most mysteries, and draws on the typical O'Connell bag of tricks. Mallory must solve a murder/accident involving a magic trick gone wrong, and matches wits with an exotic group of magicians hiding a secret from the distant past. She confronts the possibility of romance with one or more men almost her equal, and manipulates people to solve the mystery.

In fact, now that I describe the plot, this book is almost an exact copy of Killing Critics, with magicians substituted for the artists and art critics in the earlier book. That is probably the core of my dissatisfaction; Mallory had the chance to incorporate the events of Stone Angel into her persona, but instead took two steps back, and had the same almost-romance with a potential killer and the same "stay away from me" relationship with her friends as she had several books ago. In the end, Shell Game is a well-written disappointment.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Magic and Murder Anyone?, August 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Shell Game (Kathleen Mallory Novels) (Paperback)

The author has given us another Mallory mystery, set in Manhattan just before Thanksgiving, as the retired master magicians gather to preform in the Holiday of Magic celebration. Someone in this group of eccentric magicians has murder on their mind.

Malackhai is back, bringing the phantom Louisa with him. If possible he is even more eccentric then when we met him in 'The Man Who Casts Two Shadows'. Is her presence just a part of his act or is he really crazy. (And who is always drinking her drinks and smoking those cigarettes without anyone noticing.)

Like the game it is named after we get tantalizing glimpses into the past of Uncle Max, Charles, and the other characters. Did the magicians die due to "misadventure" or murder? What does a bunch of older magicians, and the French Underground have in common? Mallory even has trouble figuring it out. And you'll have to read it if you want to know. This author is a master at creating beliveable personalities, illusion, and misdirection. You will be guessing all the way to the end.