Winter House (Hardcover)

by Carol O'Connell (Author) "THE HOUR WAS LATE..." (more)
Key Phrases: hat closet, quarry pool, cork wall, Winter House, Nedda Winter, Bitty Smyth (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
An ice pick is the murder weapon of choice in O'Connell's new noir featuring glacier-cool detective Kathy Mallory. A former homeless child-thief adopted by a kind-hearted New York cop, Mallory has parlayed her familiarity with the shady side of society into a successful—if somewhat unorthodox—career as a sleuth (she picks complex locks with aplomb and her investigative methods flirt with the limits of the law). When Nedda Winter, missing for 58 years following the massacre of her family at their New York mansion, reappears at the scene of the crime—now the site of a brand-new homicide—Mallory ("[s]till feral in many ways") digs her red lacquered nails right into the case. Cleo and Lionel Winter are mystified by their sister Nedda's return, certain they were the only survivors of the long-ago stabbing rampage. Mallory, working alongside sartorially challenged homicide detective Riker and psychologist Charles Butler, suspects the reason lies with Cleo's ex-husband, Sheldon Smyth, a slick estate lawyer with exclusive access to the Winter family's multimillion-dollar trust. But Smyth's dubious deeds are just the tip of the ice pick in the hands of O'Connell, known for her idiosyncratic characters and labyrinthine plots in eight previous thrillers including Mallory's Oracle and Dead Famous. Vivid prose keeps the pages turning in this intricate tale of betrayal, buried secrets and lives chopped short in the name of greed.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
The eighth entry in O'Connell's popular Kathy Mallory series feels strangely like an English country house shocker dropped into manic Manhattan. An intruder in a grand old mansion on Central Park West is fatally stabbed by Nedda Winter with a pair of scissors--or was it an ice pick, the very weapon used to massacre most of Nedda's family 60 years ago? The burglar turns out to be a serial killer caught by Mallory and inexplicably released on bail, impelling our poker-faced heroine to slam through the proceedings like very bad news, stirring up a gaggle of oddballs such as Bitty Smyth, Nedda's elfin niece whose dead-bolted room houses two shrines: one to God and one to genius, and series regular Charles Butler. Detective Riker, another regular, also takes a turn as an ice-pick murder buff. The individual stories are not very compelling, giving this walk-in closet full of enervated skeletons an air of unreality. Mallory fans and puzzle enthusiasts should appreciate the convoluted plot, but the title doesn't stand well on its own. David Wright
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Hutchinson (June 2, 2005)
• ISBN-10: 0091796644
• ISBN-13: 978-0091796648
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,332,696 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Road Not Taken, November 28, 2004

By	Mick McAllister - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Winter House (Kathleen Mallory Novels) (Hardcover)

Carol O'Connell's novels operate on two levels, at least. On the one hand, they are cleverly crafted mysteries that leave us guessing up to almost the final pages. On the other, they are explorations of the exceptional mind and, in the case of the Mallory novels, the spiritual biography of a sociopath.

Looking back over the eight Mallory novels, typically the real murderer, and the real crime, usually turn out to be much less interesting than any number of other elements. So here. The center of *Winter House* is Kathy's confrontation with a doppelganger, Nedda Winter, a woman she could become. Is Nedda insane? Did she kill her entire family in a childhood rampage? Is she killing now? As these questions are answered, questions about Kathy Mallory are answered.

Kathy's had a free ride for seven novels, with Riker, Charles, and the poker club making excuses for her while the reader looks on, titillated and aghast. Things changed in *Dead Famous* when Johanna Apollo said to Charles, "You know what she is?" and he nodded. Here, at last, he closes a door in her face, refuses to allow her to bully a victim, and says "No" when any sane person would. Riker and Charles have begun to demand that Kathy grow up. Whether she will, we'll see in another novel, I think.

The first four novels were a set that appeared to complete Kathy's story. The next three took us from where she came from to who she is. *Winter House* begins to explore who she can become. Of the eight books, one of the best.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mallory is back on track, December 6, 2004

By	Sertorius (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winter House (Kathleen Mallory Novels) (Hardcover)

Winter House is the best Mallory novel in some time and essential reading for fans of the characters, who have been feeling neglected since Stone Angel. The story is setup around the death of an intruder at a New York mansion (the Winter House of the title). The victim is a serial killer, originally captured by Mallory (thus her involvement in the case) and the killer is a intriguing, old women who was supposed to have disappearied 58 years before when most of her family was massacred by an ice pick wielding assassin (who was the subject of a Riker family obsession).

The story goes through many twists and turns as should any good mystery, but ultimately it rests on the strengths of the characterizations. Mallory is presented as a feline force of nature. Despite the fact that the series bears her name it is interesting to note that we almost never receive her point of view, but rather observe her second hand through the perceptions of those who love and fear (for) her. Charles, in particular, is often center stage here, and more than ever his own inner strength and basic decency are on display. His love for Mallory is firmly at odds with her methods, and in this case he is willing to directly oppses her (and even usher her out of his home - which would have been a death sentence for many)based on principle. In Mallory's reaction to this we actually get some insight into her troubled psyche and the importance of Charles in her life. A highlight of this is in a brief point of view moment as Mallory is being thrown out, where we see for the first time that icy, young detective might avoid human contact (touch), but is not adverse to it, and perhaps even craves it (also the image of Mallory being put out like a house cat, instead of her usual tigress is quite amusing).

The first 4 Mallory novels represented a fairly tight character based arc, that dealt with events leading from her adopted father's death through the revelation of her past. Subsequent novels, like Shell Game and Crime School, have been entertaining, but were plot based and completely independent of each other, with no noticeable character growth. With Winter House I see the possibility that O'Connell may be back to work on developing these people and their relationships with each other. In order for me to enjoy a series progress has to occur. The mysteries are entertaining, but ultimately what keeps me coming back is my affection Mallory, Charles, Riker, and poker crew. I want them to live and breathe, not be trapped in the amber of a generic police procedural. My hope is the Winter House is a big step in that direction.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the best Mallory book? , September 20, 2004

By	curiosity-the-shadow-cat (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winter House (Kathleen Mallory Novels) (Hardcover)

The latest Mallory book begins with the dead body of a burglar, apparently killed in self-defence. Except the corpse had been carrying an ice-pick in a house that long ago witnessed the massacre of a family.....all killed with an ice pick.

This book is brilliant, and though I think the whole series is truly amazing, it still stands out.

"Winter House" sees a strong return to the almost supernatural feel of the earlier books and features Charles Butler heavily (which is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned). Also all of the members of the poker group make a welcome appearance.

The book feels like it is firmly rooted into its place in the series (which one or two of the others haven't) and contains subtle references to events in previous books.

Mallory's own emotions are very much in evidence, again giving lie to the idea of a restrained sociopath. And, as this is Carol O'Connell, the plotting is easily equal to the standard set by her stunning writing style.

I read it straight through and then again two days later. It really is exquisite and I cannot recommend it enough, or give it enough stars.

And though it's been said many times before, Carol O'Connell really does transcend the genre and her books are as hard to pigeon hole as Mallory, herself.

If you have never read Carol O'Connell or a Mallory book then start with the first ("Mallory's Oracle") and work your way through the series of, now eight. They are worth every moment you will spend reading them and more.