Book Review: Bloody Mary

Reviewed By: Catherine Thompson - RAM

Bloody Mary     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
J. A. Konrath
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Serial Killer
Series: Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels # 2
Hyperion; $29.95 hardcover; 307 pages

Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels gets a phone call from the city morgue. It seems they’ve got some extra body parts: a pair of arms, to be precise, which are handcuffed together at the wrists. Jack and her partner Herb Benedict head down to the morgue to examine the remains. To her horror, Jack recognizes the handcuffs; they’re a pair of hers, identifiable by the initials painted on in nail polish. Shortly thereafter, two ears turns up in the possession of a mortician, and the ears bear a pair of Jack’s earrings. It becomes apparent that there’s a serial killer on the loose, and he’s one of theirs: a police officer. While Jack and Benedict race to find the killer, Jack also has to contend with her elderly mother, her boyfriend, and her ex-husband, all of whom descend upon her at once.

Bloody Mary is marginally better than the first Jack Daniels mystery, Whiskey Sour. I still have trouble believing in Jack as a woman, however; as a character, she still strikes me as a man in a dress. Konrath does a good job with the other characters, though. Benedict, for all his poor personal habits, comes across as a good guy to partner with. And Harry McGlade, the PI from the last book, makes an appearance.

I have to question the advisability of basing a series around serial killer villains, however. The average police detective won’t encounter a single serial killer in his or her entire career; Jack’s already racked up two. I’m afraid Konrath may stretch things beyond the bounds of believability if he tries for 3. Konrath’s low-key humour is still apparent, which keeps him out of the doldrums.

Catherine Thompson - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Catherine Thompson - RAM