The Man Who Cast Two Shadows (Kathleen Mallory Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Carol O'Connell (Author) "Her fixation with machines had its roots in the telephone company nets which spread around the planet..." (more)
Key Phrases: pencil fly, blue legs, Amanda Bosch, Betty Hyde, Eric Franz (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
O'Connell's second novel (after Mallory's Oracle) brings back NYPD Sergeant Kathy Mallory, plunging this tough-minded yet soulful heroine into another convoluted case. When a woman killed in Central Park is mistakenly identified as Mallory, the former street urchin and computer whiz sets herself up as bait by moving into the apartment building that houses her three main suspects. Using a computer and the building's electronic bulletin board to psych out the killer, she stirs up more than she bargained for?including someone who wants her dead. Other elements in the intelligent plot include a crime of passion, a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game and a boy who may be telekinetic and whose stepmothers keep dying. The dialogue is crisp, the prose supple, but the overall tone is dour, sometimes, in fact, mournful. Not enough of the story is told from Mallory's point of view, however, and O'Connell tends to evoke her mysterious behavior through description rather than through action. As a result, Mallory?who with her bitter youth, street smarts and rough edges carries echoes of Andrew Vachss's Burke?remains an enigma, a major absence at the center of the plot. BOMC and QPB selection.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Few mysteries embody the intensity of O'Connell's second Kathy Mallory title. Mallory, a street urchin fostered by a now-dead New York cop and his wife, follows in her father's footsteps as a primo detective. Taken off suspension to cover the murder of a woman at first identified as Mallory herself, she pits her uncanny intelligence and formidable computer skills against a compulsive and evasive adversary. Moments of wry humor invade the author's incisive prose, tempering an admirable female protagonist sure to gather a following. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Jove (July 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515118907
• ISBN-13: 978-0515118902
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #153,344 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 2 in The Kathleen Mallory Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This series just keeps getting better and better, July 10, 2004

By	Margaux Paschke (New York) - See all my reviews

First off let me say that if you're looking for a touchy feely maiden in distress kind of heroine - you won't find it here! When a young woman is found murdered and mistakenly identified as Mallory, our Mallory moves in and uses her expert computer skills to try and trip up three suspects who all live in the same building. Some creepy moments ensue until all is resolved at the end. The whole gang reappears and their characters are further developed to this reader's delight. Once again the author serves up a fascinating suspense that I hated to see end. Some reviewers seem to think that Mallory is this inhuman character that makes the story and author heartless and if you have one shred of decency, you won't like this book. Ummm, what version were they reading? Mallory is a little ruthless and heartless at times (she certainly maintains a "ends justify the means" mentality) but don't mistake that for having no emotion. Knowing her background of having to survive on the streets as a very young kid, the death of her foster parents who kept her somewhat grounded, and you begin to see the tight control she maintains over her emotions as a necessary function. Mallory is so intricate a character that she seems to be a real human being, albeit a flawed one, and not on of those cookie cutter females that pass as heroines.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New series 2nd excellent read!, October 21, 2002

By A Customer

Kathy Mallory is an enigma! I am a big fan of the "in Death" series by Nora Roberts and this is slowly but surely becoming my next favorite female lead.

The characters are becoming familiar to me. But 'Mallory' is the puzzlement and it is fascinating to read this progress. I am reading them in order and it is hard to put the book down. Gory in spots, but always fascinating! I love 'good' bad guys and Mallory is betwixt and between. Several reactions here! This heroine is different from what we are used to. On to the next...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mallory is back!, November 25, 2001

By	Chelle Bell "always reading" (Round Rock, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Man Who Cast Two Shadows (Kathleen Mallory Novels) (Hardcover)

I just ran across this fascinating character last week, and completed the second novel in an incredible series. Kathleen Mallory is the most complex character in the genre. Each book makes you want to hurry to the next to gain more insight into her psyche, while at the same time wanting to re-read the book in hand.