Bloody Mary

by J.A. Konrath

Book Overview

Chicago Police Lieutenant Jacqueline Jack Daniels struggles to cope with a turbulent personal life while tracking down a serial killer who is littering the city with pieces of his victims.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401300898
• ISBN13: 9781401300890
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Hyperion Books
• Length: 307 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.2" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Ok

Getting a bit tired of Jack Daniels. No one would still be sane after all the ordeals and injuries that this character has withstood. Also tired of all of her clothes having names. Don't care about designer clothes. Trying too hard to be a chick.

Another awesome "Jack" book

Another great story in the Jack Daniels series. This time Jack & Herb are chasing a serial killer a little too close to home. Add in Jack's new boyfriend, her ex-husband & mom and there's a non stop joyride of suspense & laughter

Five stars for this shot of Jack Daniels!

Another great book featuring Jack Daniels. This one had a great twist that most mysteries don't have. Can't wait for the next installment.

DANGER AND MOUNTING SUSPENSE IN THIS READING

Dick Hill is such an able voice performer that he can turn an average story into compelling listening, which is what he's done with Konrath's second entry in her Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels series. Dubbed a "Golden Voice" by AudioFile Magazine, Hill is deft at inhabiting both male and female characters and is so attuned to the nuances that when "there's a change from a daytime scene to night, he makes a subtle shift with his voice to reflect those environmental changes." Thus, he brings danger and mounting suspense to a story, which in this listener's opinion, would not be found if one were reading. So, a very high five stars to Hill and a solid three for Konrath's tale. Following on the heels of last year's "Whiskey Sour," we now find Jack Daniels mystified by body parts sans bodies that are turning up at the morgue. One unattached pair of arms is wearing bracelets - Jack's handcuffs. Obviously some demented killer is trying to get to Jack in more ways than one. Narrative voices are alternated between Jack and the killer, which allows for much revealing of the psycho's method and penchant for gruesome slaughter. Although Jack and her partner, Herb Benedict, discover who the killer is pretty early on, it's their job to prove it. Subplots include Jack's love life and the travails of her mother. Always fine, Hill is especially effective as the voice of the killer. - Gail Cooke

BLOODY MARY ROCKS!

Pure and Simple. J.A. Konrath's followup to the amazing WHISKEY SOUR is even better than its predecessor. It's funnier, it has more twists and turns, the villain is even more frightening, and there's a cat named Mr. Friskers who has got to be the most evil feline I've ever encountered (on the page or in life). You'll love him. Buy this book. You won't be disappointed, aside from the fact that we all have to wait another year for our next date with Jack.

Fast-paced read

Score another winner for J.A. Konrath. Bloody Mary grabs the crime drama reader from the first page and never releases its hold through the rest of the book. Lt. Jacqueline Daniels is going through something of a mid-life crisis. Surrounded by friends and co-workers who mean well but who have the same kind of troubles, the last thing she needs is a crazed, limb-severing killer in town. And to make matters worse, the clues being left at the crime scenes are objects that once belonged to Daniels. The only thing more shocking and surprising is the identity of the killer. It looks like the crime is solved at one point, but then the legal system inserts it twist on the trial, expert witnesses get led down a merry path, and Daniels watches as everything falls apart around her. Konrath has masterfully written this sometimes gory tale in a way that leaves the reader as mystified in the beginning as the characters in the story. With a breathtaking ending, followed by a heartfelt decision or two from Daniels, this book provides as satisfying a read as any book can. Get it as soon as you can.

Top notch read!!

This second in the Jack Daniels series is a top notch read from first page to last. The characters are deliciously human, the dialogue and graphic details realistic, and Konrath tops it off with a rousing plot. I couldn't turn these pages fast enough! Lt. Jacqueline Daniels -- better known as Jack to her friends -- heads Chicago P.D.'s Violent Crimes Unit. She's forty-something, divorced, and not exactly living la dolce vita. Jack's life is in turmoil. She has a boyfriend who just may be the last good marriage prospect in the midwest. He wants Jack to move in with him. Complicating that romantic scenario are a retired-cop mother needing full time care and an ex-husband who's decided he can't live without Jack. Lt. Daniels is a damn good cop, a hard nosed detective whose personal problems sometimes skew her concentration. Her partner, junk food afficionado Herb Benedict, brings problems of his own to the office. He wants to lose weight and liven up his long term marriage with Viagra. The last thing these two partners need is a serial killer run amok in the Windy City. Their suspect is a maniacal butcher with the conscience and killing instincts of a shark. He's a madman who blends into daily life invisibly thanks to a facade of normalcy. Halfway through the book we discover who this killer is, but that certainly does not detract from the suspense. Through one sizzling Chicago summer through most of a bitterly cold winter, Jack and Herb track down one disappointing lead after another. Meanwhile, the body count rises. Each butchered corpse is wearing some article that belongs to Jack. And each murder brings a demented killer closer to Jack's front door. I like J.A. Konrath's writing style. He combines grisly crime, solid police work, and forensics with appealing humor to build suspense in satisfying ways. Fans of the genre will do well to discover Konrath. And they certainly will find an intriguing mystery in Bloody Mary.