Bloody Mary by J.A. Konrath
Bloody Mary (Jack Daniels Mystery, #2)
Narrated by Dick Hill and Susie Breck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Join Jack as she struggles to repair her train wreck of a personal life while tracking down and convicting one of the scariest serial killers in recent memory–a killer for whom getting caught is only the beginning…”
I am so glad to say, I think I’ve found another really great series. I can’t believe this has been sitting on my kindle for over a year now! I know I have only read one book out of this series but I have high hopes for others in this series. In fact, I have already downloaded “Whiskey Sour”, the first in the series to read next and I’m so excited about it! Yes, I’m geeking out about a book.
Confession time here…because I have limited time to sit down and read I also went ahead and downloaded this through audible and what a treat that was too! The book itself already has witty dialogue between Jack and her partner Herb, but the narrators who read this book did an outstanding job with their performances as well; they completely brought these characters to life and made their dialogue feel natural; kudos to them!
This book had me hooked from the first sentence, “It would be so easy to kill you while you sleep.” Right away Konrath hurtles the smack dab into the mind of a serial killer; personally I thought this guy’s victim was a goner right then and there but I was wrong…this victim lives to see another day. Instead the reader simply gets a peek into how this psychopath’s mind operates; it’s a great opener!
Then we are introduced to Jack and Herb her partner. Jack (aka Jacqueline), is a highly decorated detective with the Chicago Police Department. She’s smart, realistic, quick-witted, fast thinking and down to earth; she’s not exactly jaded but she has pretty much seen it all, so there isn’t much that surprises her either. Herb, her middle-aged partner of several years is going through a bit of a mid-life crisis. These two are the perfect partners for each other and now, when unidentifiable bodies keep popping up it’s up to them to discover who the city’s latest serial killer is.
One of the joys I found with this book, if you can call it that is that emotionally I went from one extreme to another…very quickly. One moment I honestly laughed out loud at a situation or dialogue between Jack and Herb and the next I felt disgust at what they had found. Now, that does bring me to something I found brought up in other reviews. There were those who said they were put off by the “gore.” When I first read that I thought “huh?” I honestly wasn’t put off by anything in this book at all, particularly not gore-wise.
This is a book about a serial killer. So I have to wonder how some expect the author to describe a crime scene or a mutilated body without going into detail. It is the author’s job to paint that picture for us is it not? I for one, don’t want to be reading along and simply read “the woman’s dead body lay on a pile of trash”, that’s dull as dishwater! How old is the body? Is it fresh, still bleeding, are there maggots….what had been done to it….is a dog gnawing on a limb? Tell me dammit!!! Ahem, sorry…I’ll collect myself. So, I suggest if you are one of those readers that prefer a distinct lack of gore (aka description)…steer clear and stick to Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden or the Hardy Boys. As for me…this “gore” helped make the story really come off the page….or out of the speaker….well, you know what I mean.
A bonus to this book is that it’s basically two books in one. Just when you think things have been wrapped up all nice and neat Konrath pushes the story forward and you find yourself just as enthralled all over again; even though at this point….yeah, you know whodunit but you won’t care, because it doesn’t matter…the action continues at a really great pace.
So now we get to the “would I recommend it” portion of the review….uh duh! Yes, I would….wholeheartedly! This one gets a full 5 stars from me because it entertained, it was engaging, the plot was well constructed, the author painted wonderful pictures for me and well….I just love Mr. Friskers too! The author gets bonus points from me just for coming up with Mr. Friskers. Check this one out; I think you’ll be glad you did.
As always tell me what you thought of it too.
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