Book Review: J.A. Konrath's Murder Mystery, Bloody Mary

I first became acquainted with young writer J.A. (Joe) Konrath via his brace of articles in Writer's Digest magazine about being a young novelist and the process one goes through to get published for the first time. His writing style was very funny and appealing, and I determined to read his work, the first of which was coming out under the name Whiskey Sour, a play on the name of his lead character, a Chicago Police Department lieutenant and violent crimes investigator Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels. He'd signed a contract to produce a second book, as well, which was unnamed at the time.

That book turned out to be Bloody Mary (Hyperion, 2005), and Bloody Mary turned out to be the first book I ended up reading. And what a read it is-fast-paced, layered, touching, and very funny at times. Since Jack (who is, remember, a female) is a homicide cop, the story is a murder mystery, and a serial-murder mystery, at that. Jack is even in personal danger, which ups the stakes considerably.

At the same time, she is dealing with major issues n her personal life, brought to bear by the reappearance of her ex-husband, Alan Daniels, in the middle of a very good relationship with her boyfriend, Latham Conger. This is at the request of Jack's mom, who has run into trouble in her retirement community in Florida and has to stay with Jack in Chicago. On top of all this, there is even an incredibly antisocial cat, Mr. Friskers, that Jack has no choice but to adopt after his owner is slain by the serial killer.

The case, albeit gruesome, presents some funny challenges, as well. Jack's partner, Herb Benedict, is a good cop but provides much comic relief with his dieting and relationship issues, and her nemesis, PI Harry McGlade (who used to be her partner), manages to make any situation he touches miserable for Jack, and yet he helps, in his annoying way. One of the most interesting facets of this book is that not only is it not that difficult to figure out who the killer is, they catch the killer only about halfway through the book, and yet despite all this, it's still a completely riveting read.

Another very appealing thing about the character of Jack Daniels is that she is not the typical TV "sexy cop"-she is attractive, but she is in her 40s, with realistic personal and professional concerns. Konrath has done an impressive job capturing her point of view and resulting internal dialogue, considering the age and gender differences between him and his character.

After this most satisfying and entertaining experience reading Bloody Mary, I am looking forward to checking out Whiskey Sour as well, and more books in this series by J. A. Konrath. All the drinks out there with interesting names have kept the author busy for quite some time!

More book reviews: 

https://bucketofuseful.blogspot.com/2022/02/review-of-james-pattersons-quickie.html

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Movie Review of Seven Pounds, Released 2008, Starring Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson. Absolutely NO SPOILERS in this review.

The movie Seven Pounds, released during Oscar Season in 2008 and woefully overshadowed by bigger guns such as Doubt and Revolutionary Road, had a poster that gave nothing away, except what it was not. It featured Will Smith, but it was not a blockbuster action movie, because he was simply attired in a business suit, as in The Pursuit of Happyness. There was no cute kid, though, just a very somber look on his face. Not a comedy, either, like Hitch. This is going to be one of those movies that make you think, I decided, and I love Will Smith (yes, even in Hancock, which actually turned out to be a rather touching movie), so I added Seven Pounds to my queue.

We saw it last night. I was right; it’s a movie that makes you think, and one that makes you feel. It’s a little heartbreaking and a little uplifting and a little awe-inspiring.

It’s also a mystery that must be unraveled; one of those movies that starts in media res with something very big indeed happening, but you have no idea what’s going on, at first. Then, bit by bit, things are revealed to you, and you start to piece things together and make educated guesses. Some of your guesses turn out to be right, and I would not be surprised if you are able to guess the main direction of the story a decent amount of time before it is openly revealed, but you never grasp the full extent until the very end. That’s one of the wonderful things about the movie: The pace at which things are revealed is satisfying, causing you to remain constantly engaged, yet never frustrated.

What’s the other wonderful thing? The humanity. The human face of tragedy and redemption, the integrity of Smith’s character, the vulnerability of Rosario Dawson, the surprisingly gentle Woody Harrelson in a rather small but brilliantly played role. This is an acting tour de force by Will Smith, who, even though he is playing a character who at times seems to be living a double life, never strays from the underlying relentlessness, the determination, that inhabits that character. I wish I could tell you what the title means, but it would give away the main idea. I wish I could tell you a little more about the plot, but like I said, it’s one of those movies you’re supposed to go into completely fresh, so don’t look up any other reviews, don’t look at any summaries, just watch it. You will not be sorry.

Image credit: https://www.pexels.com/@tima-miroshnichenko/

Review of James Patterson's The Quickie

 

In James Patterson's book The Quickie , written with Michael Ledwidge, we meet Lauren Stilwell, whose marriage is quietly disintegrating. Her husband works long hours, travels, and seems permanently welded to his cell phone. Her demanding job only widens the gulf developing between them.

After Lauren spots her husband entering a hotel on his lunch hour with an attractive woman, which he later lies about, she becomes miserable enough to have a one-night fling with a charming coworker, with disastrous results.

The murder of a police officer sets off a desperate race between those investigating the crime and those scrambling to cover it up, and Lauren is caught in a frantic web of lies and intrigue. Shock piles upon shock as she discovers neither of the men in her life was what he appeared to be.

This book is an excellent thrill ride from start to finish. An amazing assortment of twists and turns will keep you breathlessly turning pages into the wee hours. Patterson, who is well-known for his series of books featuring Alex Cross, a tough D.C. homicide detective, handles his female protagonist's point of view very realistically, and the collaboration with Ledwidge is quite seamless; there's never a jumbled-together feeling, as with some partner-written stories.

I was happy to find that there two other collaborative books by Patterson and Ledwidge, Step on a Crack and The Dangerous Days of Daniel X, which I am happily looking forward to reading.

Thanks for reading! Here are some more book reviews to check out: 

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Review of Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

 

If you liked the Showtime Original Series Dexter or Dexter: New Blood, here's the original 

Dexter in the Dark (2007, Doubleday) is the third book in the series by Jeff Lindsay on which the Showtime television series "Dexter" is based. If you are unfamiliar with the show or the books, the main thing you need to know is that Dexter is an interesting dude: He is a serial killer who works for, of all places, the Miami Police Department as a blood-spatter analyst.

The ironic thing is that Dexter actually doesn't like blood, despite his vocation and penchant for slicing and dicing people. His love-hate relationship with hemoglobin is carried into the choice of "trophy" he takes a serial killer: one single drop of blood from each victim, neatly preserved on individual glass slides in a wooden box carefully hidden away in his home.

So, if Dexter is such a heinous individual, how can he carry a series? Can we really relate to him as a protagonist? Well, the good news about Dexter is that his foster father, Harry, who recognized Dexter's murderous proclivities when he was still a lad, instilled in him a strict moral code, which is that he must kill only bad guys: other serial killers, child molesters and abusers, etc. Harry, who was a cop, trained Dexter to use his investigative skills to confirm that his prey was unequivocally guilty before the fiendish festivities could commence (as well as how to clean up evidence of said festivities afterward).

Since Dexter follows this code, our inner vigilantes cut him a break, and we sort of overlook his "indiscretions", as we do with a classic antihero type. However, as these stories are narrated in the first person, we are also aware that he does indeed consider himself a bad person, even as he derives pleasure from taking lives. We can also sympathize with his distress over how to deal with typical situations, such as family and workplace conflicts, as well as not-so-typical ones, like how to relate to his girlfriend, Rita, when he is actually incapable of experiencing affection or even sexual attraction.

That's the backstory. In Dexter in the Dark , we learn that Dexter has decided to take the next logical step in his effort to blend in with the normal world, and now Rita is excitedly planning their upcoming wedding. The socially clueless serial killer having to make decisions about bands for the reception and attending tastings with a high-strung "artistic" caterer provide lots of comic relief, as do Dexter's attempts to conduct Harry-style training with Rita's adorable children, Astor and Cody, who have revealed their less-than-adorable true natures to Dexter, who is bemused at the prospect of becoming an actual dad!

And he has to do all this while helping his homicide-detective sister, Deb, who has been assigned a series of incredibly bizarre, cult-like murders. Unbeknownst to Dexter, he himself has set into motion, through his choice of victim, a sequence of slayings leading back to a source of evil so powerful that it sends his Dark Passenger (Dexter's evil 'spirit guide' that urges him to kill) scurrying for cover. How will Dexter, vulnerable and feeling adrift without his Dark Passenger, escape being destroyed by this powerful adversary?

As a fan of the Showtime series, I picked up this book with great anticipation. I have not read the other books in the series ( Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dearly Devoted Dexter ), so I was unprepared for Lindsay's writing style-specifically the way Dexter refers to himself interchangeably in the third person as well as the first person. Perhaps this is due to the occupying presence of the Dark Passenger, who wasn't addressed in the original TV series (it is in the 2021 series, Dexter: New Blood).

Dexter also seems to be very much in love with his own name, frequently appending alliterative adjectives (Daring Dexter, Disappearing Dexter, etc). This fits the characteristic of narcissism typical to serial killers, but it's a little much. I think it is Lindsay's attempt to add more humor, but I like the humor that more naturally arises from Dexter's social fumbling-it's less contrived. However, you do eventually get used to these devices, and under them is a gripping, interesting and well-paced thriller that does indeed have its darkly comic moments, one of which occurs during its very satisfying conclusion.

If you haven't seen the Showtime series or read the earlier books, you may want to start with Darkly Dreaming Dexter to get the maximum enjoyment. And watch the series, too-the first series is available on DVD or streaming, and the reboot is currently available on Showtime. You'll never believe how likable a homicidal maniac can be!

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