Customer Reviews

Shell Game

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This 5th installment in the excellent Mallory Series, written by Carol O'Connell was definitely a good book. I enjoyed seeing Mallory actually show some emotion towards Charles and a glimmer of a romantic nature towards Malakhai. The characters again were wonderful, and O'Connell does any excellent job of describing the aging magicians and their famous tricks. Not to mention the mystery itself is excellent, and the mystery within the mystery is very intriguing.

I think that people who have read all the other books in the Mallory series might find this one a little dissappointing. This is a natural response after reading the astounding Stone Angel (the fourth installment in the Mallory Series). They do not get any better than that. So of course, any book from O'Connell that isn't up to par with that, would seem a small let down. But, with that said, I enjoyed Shell Game and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good read.

I remember how much I really enjoyed the first couple of books by O'Connell. She introduced the female character Mallory, who is so multifaceted in personality and characteristics due to her very different childhood. Up til this book, both the characterization of people and plot development were very well handled by O'Connell. This time the author came up short. I don't know why. O'Connell doesn't churn these mysteries out as fast as she can like some other female writers of the mystery genre.

This book is not a bad read. Compared to many other authors who do churn out mysteries on a bi-annual basis, this book is a masterpiece. Yet, if the reader compares this book to O'Connell's first few books, they will be a mite disappointed.

There are way too many characters. Not only was the plot very complicated due to it having to do with WWII and a group of magicians, but there were too many characters to keep track of. On top of that, it is obvious O'Connell did a lot of research into certain illusions, which for someone who has no background in magic ended up being very confusing.

More was revealed about Mallory's background and how she thinks. This was probably the best part of the book. Yet the development of her two 'buddies', Riker the cop and Charles, the man who is Mallory's friend, was almost absent. They were placed in the book as an afterthought. There were six magicians originally, and though all were present during WWII, in the future, the now that exists for Mallory and gang, two are dead (and includes the 'original' murder victim), and the rest seem to be involved in a conspiracy. Not only do we find out that there was a much earlier murder victim, but the readers are expected to keep track of the variety of illusions, the history of all these men, and their backdrop (which was WWII). It ended up being too much, and I had a difficult time keeping track of everything.

I am hoping this is a one-time fluke. Not every book can be a hole-in-one, and this book can be enjoyed for the intelligence with which it is written. I would recommend readers go to her other books, if they want a better example of what O'Connell is capable of.
Karen Sadler
University of Pittsburgh

I had "Great Expectations" for this book. The book comes up short of bitter/sweet. A miscalculation of Mallory's personality. Can a reader still care for this character? I have read Carol O'Connels other books and in each case have been breathless to continue to the next. Her writing is crisp,stylish and plots satisfying. Characters in her novels are usually complicated enough for me to care about them, and the web of intrigue keeps me from doing other duties until I finish her books. In the "Shell Game" I was very disappointed and in fact had a hard time finishing the book. I feel as if the author short changed the characters developed in other books. Considering what I thought a set up for complicated interest in the book "Stone Angel" Mallory does not deliver in Shell Game - weak plot. The Shell Game should be magic in verse and story. I feel Ms. O'Connell deceived the greatness of supporting characters such as Charles Butler and Riker. Strong characters in Stone Angel their loyalty was betrayed by a weak sub-plot in SG. Ms. O'Connell herself proved that digging up Mallory's past was not necessarily a good thing, since the next book did not measure up. Is there hope for her character after this?

I have read all the previous Mallory books and found this one to be very disappointing. Too much unnecessary (and boring) detail about magic props and equipment and not enough attention to the story itself. At several points, interesting activities were abruptly cut off and there was no follow-up later to tell the reader what happened. This was a very slow-moving, plodding book. Not at all what I have come to expect from this author and definitely not up to the quality and interest of the previous books. It was a struggle to wade through it to the finish.

Shell Game was not what I expected in the latest installment of O'Connell's Mallory series. Previous books fit neatly into continuity, and one seemed to naturally flow into the other. Stone Angel, for example, made sense where it was placed in the series.

Shell Game does not seem to have a specific place in the timeline. I don't see it as specifically follwing Stone Angel, or even as directly or indirectly, makeing references to this earlier book. I'm left with a feeling of, "Nice book, but where does it fit?"

O'Connell's descriptions of the magic routines are a lot of fun to read. They are well described, and show many of the dangers of working on stage.

The characters are not so well described. Even the weekly poker games, something I usually look forward to, fall a little flat. The characters don't seem as well developed as they were in previous books.

As always, there were moments of humor. The parade, and subsequent fallout from it, are highly enjoyable moments in the book. O'Connell did a nice job with that and managed, unlike many, not to beat readers up with the humor of the situation.

This was an okay book, I give it an average rating. This is kind of disappointing, I really enjoyed the first four and thought I saw constant improvement. Shell Game falls short of that goal.

In Central Park, veteran magician Oliver Tree comes out of retirement to perform the Lost Illusion, created by deceased superstar Max Candle. However, many people at the park and millions of viewers watch in horror as the trick goes awry and Oliver dies. Only the elderly magician Malakhai watching from his upstate New York hospital room realizes the real sleight of hand performed tonight. He knows that someone killed Oliver while convincing all those observers that a tragic accident occurred.

New York Police Officer Kathleen Mallory also wonders if a murder happened. If her hunch proves right, she thinks the culprit will seek a bigger stage for the next victim. However, first she has to persuade her superiors to allow her to officially investigate Oliver's death. She also figures an expert magician must have done the act. Now all she has to do is wade through individuals talented enough to make one believe in the impossible. These individuals include Malakhai, whose deceased spouse accompanies him where ever he goes. It looks like she is even drinking wine in front of Kathleen, a trick that is shocking to say the least

SHELL GAME is a captivating tale that highlights a heroine who follows her own moral beat even when it leaves her in conflict with superiors and loved ones. The streets once educated Kathleen and, though much tamer, her ferocious nature surfaces during investigations. The prime protagonist and the myriad of magicians she encounters sometimes overshadow the story line. Still, Carol O'Connell's latest tale is more than a simple sleight of the hand. Readers of the series and those who enjoy a Manhattan murder mystery will find this tale and its predecessors fun to read.

Harriet Klausner

When a magician is killed in a stage accident, only Mallory believes it to have been murder. In order to solve that crime and prevent another, she's drawn into a relationship with a charismatic elderly magician who forces her to question basic elements of her own nature.

_Stone Angel_ (as has been stated by other reviewers) was a breathtaking book. The problem with it was that it was very difficult to follow. While I don't want to see too much change in Mallory (_Stone Angel_ showed the potential for change, but didn't provide a personality magic wand), I also didn't expect to see this book written as if the events in that book had never happened.

There were many interesting and well-written characters in _Shell Game_, but I found the plot itself a little bit weak. Magicians are such an easy target, and there were a few too many stereotypes pulled out of the bag in this book. It's a bit like a mystery written about the theater, the writer really has to earn the subject matter. O'Connell doesn't.

Additionally, the mystery became so complex at a given point that I found it difficult to keep caring about who did what to whom when.