Rating: 
Summary: Perfect weapon of revenge
Review: In the first few pages of this novel, I knew I'd encountered a formidable new protagonist, and, at the same time, a very talented author. Granted, Kathleen Mallory is a pretty cold character, but her singlemindedness makes her the perfect weapon of revenge. She reminded me of Burke, Andrew Vachss' character who crusades for children. Although I wouldn't nominate either of them for neighborhood babysitter, I'd definitely want them searching for a lost child. Mallory's Oracle is certainly dark, which will scare off many readers, but we do see glimmers of hope in Mallory's world. I, for one, will follow her journey eagerly.
Rating: 
Summary: Taken by surprise
Review: To find one good mystery you often have to suffer 50 bad ones. Mallory's Oracle is so stunning, well written, inteteresting I would suffer 1000 book horrors to have found it. Her images make you laugh,cry and pull you into characters in a way only suberb writer's can and what a plot. Thank you for this gift of a book.
Rating: 
Summary: Is there anything Mallory can't do?
Review: I have to be fair here, the story wasn't bad and I've read far worse. But I was half expecting Mallory to leap off a building and fly gracefully above New York, change into a cheetah in order to catch an escaping villain, or convert every criminal to a life on the straight and narrow simply by glaring at them through her gorgeous green eyes. She seems to be a highly unlikely hybrid of Jenny McCarthy, Margaret Thatcher, and Joan of Arc, all with the computer brains of Bill Gates. I have to say I liked Charles Butler, but even he failed to save this story.
Rating:
Summary: Bewildered
Review: I truly don't understand anyone's fascination with Kathy Mallory. What a shallow character! I plodded through this book seemingly endlessly because my book discussion group chose this as a group read. I did read "Judas Child" and liked it which was written by the same author, but "Mallory's Oracle" was definitely not the same caliber.
Rating: 
Summary: Hunh?
Review: "Mallory's Oracle" is a dense, wordy novel that covers a lot of characters and plot threads (insider trading, seances, street life, magic tricks, computers, police procedurals). So much so that I was unable to keep track of what was happening. Many of the characters (Coffey, Riker, the old ladies and the "bad guys") are not fully fleshed out. The other characters, with the exception of Charles, Markowitz, Helen and the Rabbi (and two of them are dead) are unsympathic and humorless. The author tried to pull all the plot elements together in the end, but it got very convoluted. O'Connell has a talent for writing, but reading this morass of a novel was not an enjoyable experience.
Rating:
Summary: I COULD NOT WARM UP TO THE COLD MALLORY
Review: I work in a mystery bookstore and my co-workers, all of whom are extremely well-read and informed on this genre, raved about this book. By Chapter 2, I was feeling tremendous guilt over how much I was hating this book. The NYPD is a topic very close to my heart and I still didn't care. Kathleen Mallory was so narrowly drawn...O'Connell gave her so few redeeeming qualities that I just didn't care. I simply didn't get it....why we should love her or care about her. Frankly I thought the Louis Markowitz character was much better drawn and he was killed off in the first chapter! I have purposefully avoided the rest of the Mallory series because I was so put off by this book.
Rating:
Summary: A riveting mystery with startlingly original characters.
Review: This talented writer deserves to be at the top of the bestseller lists. Quirky characters, brilliant writing, surprising plot. Wow.
Rating:
Summary: I'm hooked!
Review: Reading Carol O'Connell's Mallory series has been my greatest reading pleasure since "finding" mysteries two years ago. O'Connell is insightful and tough, and Mallory is not the only well-developed character. All are thoughtfully portrayed--all the reader wants to keep up with in subsequent novels. I was glad all four were in print when I discovered Oracle!
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't get a good take on the main character..too cold
Review: I was trying to stay focused while I was only in the 2nd chapter. I stuck with it and finished the book; and I admit I was disappointed. Mallory just didn't seem too real to me. I tried to like her; I tried to understand how and why Jack or Riker, or even Charles liked her. I wouldn't recommend it. I have the 'Man Who Cast Two Shadows', so I am giving the author another chance. My hopes aren't too high, though.
Rating:
Summary: It was horrible!
Review: The plot was confused (and I couldn't find the point, even after many long hours spent trying), the characters were incredibly unsympathetic (I frankly would have cheered if they had all been run over by a wayward bus in the second chapter) and the writing was trying too hard-- the plot seemed unbelievable from about page 5 onward, and the author seems to want us to believe that Mallory is a Deeply Troubled but Perfect woman-- drop-dead-gorgeous, brilliant, good job, well-respected, etc., but Deeply Turmoiled Inside. We should care? This is one of those characters you just want to slap and then throw down a well.
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