Fuzzy Navel

by J.A. Konrath

Book Overview

Life's pretty good for Lieutenant Daniels. She's solved some of the city's toughest - and most high profile - homicides. Her fiance, Latham, is on the mend from an almost deadly case of botulism. She's just learnt that Alex Kork, one of the sickest, most dangerous criminals Jack ever put away, has killed herself. But things quickly take a turn for the worse when a group of vigilantes on a murderous spree takes down a cop. Then things turn downright...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401302807
• ISBN13: 9781401302801
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Hyperion Books
• Length: 271 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Couldn't put it down!

Another edge of your seat and unable to sleep book. It's not only violent, but many amusing parts. Love Harry, even though Jack doesn't.

thrill ride

Jack is back! Life is good, Herb is partnered again & mom is living in the country. A routine call about a murder soon turns into three sniper attacks simultaneously. Merciless wannabee guns for hire have created a club for killing & Jack is on their list. Following her from the scene to her home, the next 8 hours are kill or be killed with quite a few revelations & surprises and an old foe thrown into the mix. Will Jack and friends survive the night? Thrill ride and non stop action

FAST PACED AND FUNNY

Fast-paced and funny aptly describes the Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels stories so well crafted by J. A. Konrath. With this, the fifth in the series following Dirty Martini, he ups both suspense and danger. What begins has an investigation of sniper shootings ends in the worst nightmare Daniels could imagine. Earlier, she received word that her psychopathic enemy Alex Kork has committed suicide. It's a relief to have such an amoral, pitiless person gone forever. Not so. As Jack is pondering the shootings, the work of some weirdo vigilantes who loathe sex offenders and cops, she receives a call from her mother asking her to come home. Jack knows something isn't right and she races home after telling her partner that she'll be back in a few hours. Home isn't what it once was - she finds her mother and Latham, her fiancé, held prisoner by Kork, quite alive and deadlier than ever. As Jack is largely responsible for Kork's imprisonment, the demented diva is set on revenge in spades. Further the wacky snipers have managed to track Jack's car and they want to join the fun of offing Jack. How she can combat the bloodthirsty Kork and the snipers is the key question. Author Konrath has been quoted as saying he wanted to create a series with "laugh out loud humor and enough chills to make the reader lock all the doors." He certainly has! - Gail Cooke

Loved it...Best one yet!

I would have to say J.A. Konrath is one of my favorite authors. I have read and re-read all of his "Jack Daniels" series. "Fuzzy Navel", which is the fifth installment in the wonderful series is the best one yet! To me "Whiskey Sour" which was the book that started it all was an absolute gem, but every book to come out since then has been increasingly better and better. "Fuzzy" is no exception. This books takes the cake so far! This books changes formats a bit, and instead of taking place over days, and weeks, this one takes us on one hell of a roller coaster ride in all of eight hours. This book starts with a bang and doesn't let go until the very last word. When I finished this book I was left grasping for more. This book was packed full of thrills, laughs, fear, and good old nail biting action. One minute you are on the edge of your seat with suspense, then next laughing so hard your stomach hurts. The characters are all wonderful but for me, nobody can beat old one arm Harry McGlade. The scene where the cat got a hold of his marbles left me in tears. This is a can't miss installment for Jack Daniels fans. The story line really opens up in the book and some critical information is told, not to mention a heart stopping cliff hanger! Do yourself a favor and join the "Jack Daniels" fan club, I promise you won't regret it. Happy Reading!

Best of the series!

The fifth novel in the Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels series was released in hardcover on July 8th, and it continues author J.A. Konrath's pleasing mix of mayhem and mirth. If you aren't familiar with Jack, she's a forty-something divorced Chicago cop who has been to hell and back both physically and emotionally in the past four books. She's solved some of the most heinous crimes in recent Chicago history, but she, along with her over-eating partner Herb, often pay a high price for their involvement. At the end of book four, DIRTY MARTINI, we're sure that Jack has seen all the personal retribution any human being could withstand. She proposes to her boyfriend, who had proposed to her earlier, but their lives were interrupted and almost extinguished by our friendly neighborhood madman. As the book closes, we are positive that Jack is finally on her way to a more peaceful period in her life. Well, that doesn't last for long... Alex Kork, the sadistic mutilator and murderer from RUSTY NAIL, is dead. Her body was found severely torched in her holding cell at the maximum-security psych facility where she has been staying since the events of the third book. But there's only one problem: it's not really her body. Instead, she has escaped and is out for visceral revenge on Jack and anyone who gets in her way. Before Jack discovers this truth, she has to deal with a lunatic (or more) on a rampage through her precinct territory who is killing people with incredibly accurate, long-distance firepower. She later discovers this is the supposedly heroic act of a group of vigilantes who call themselves The Urban Hunting Club (TUHC). They claim they just want to take out the trash that the cops haven't been able to handle. But what started as desire for justice, albeit a twisted one, quickly degenerates into madness as one particularly insane member of TUHC also takes out a large number of cops investigating one of his kills. Among those investigating are Jack and Herb. They survive, partially wounded, and this sets the stage for the remaining events. I don't want to reveal too much, so I will just say this: Early on, Alex holds the lives of Jack, her mother, and Jack's fiancé, Latham, in her hands. Throughout the novel, this situation intertwines with Harry McGlade (about whom a startling secret is revealed), Herb, Phin Trout - and the three members of TUHC. I found FUZZY NAVEL to be the best Jack Daniels novel to date. It has a tight time focus - 4:38 PM to 12:23 AM - for the main events. It has a large amount of action, almost non-stop for long periods. It also has the trademark sense of humor right alongside the pain and the terror. It's less in the forefront this time around, making it even better. For me, the groan-worthy puns in some of the previous books are actually a delight. That's my kind of humor, too, but I can see where the lighter touch, the more direct mix with the action, will appeal to a wider audience. I also enjoyed the

Jack's life will never be the same again.

Fuzzy Navel is the fifth book in the Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels series by J.A. Konrath. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced readers copy so I would like to tell you why you should buy it. Konrath creates suspense by making life more and more miserable for his heroine. He does this throughout the series but it is most evident in this new novel. Jack's enemies, both old and new, keep piling it on until you think it can't get any worse. Then it does, again and again. After this day Jack's life will never be the same again. She'll be changed by this day in her life and I am curious to see how the author follows this thrill ride. Given a choice I would advise you to start with the first book in the series, Whiskey Sour, and work your way up. You could start with this one and it would be a baptism by fire into Jack's world. This series is unique in that you will laugh out loud at the most inappropriate times and then do it again a few pages later. Be forewarned, they're not for everyone. There is violence and some of the most twisted villains that you'll ever see in print. Think Hannibal Lecter, but with a sense of humor. If you're an old fan then put this in the shopping cart right now. If you're new to the series, give it a try and you won't be disappointed. For more reviews and recommendations see my blog at jeffsbookcase.blogspot.com. Jeff Semonis

The Best Novel in an Excellent Series

Strap yourself in and hold one for one heck of thrill ride. JA Konrath's fifth installment in the Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels series is his best yet. FUZZY NAVEL is a thriller in the purest sense. A paired down, lean and mean jolt that will have readers locked in by the end of page two. Told over the span of eight harrowing hours, Konrath's new novel places his characters in a deadly vise, then gradually tightens the suspense. No one is safe as Jack faces off against a group of skilled killers intent on taking out anyone who crosses their sights, and old an even more deadly nemesis who has returned to settle a score. Be prepared to read this one straight through, and expect to be raving about it to others after you've finished.