Rating: 
Summary: Not the best
Review: Well, I'm sorry to say, but I am very disappointed in this latest addition to the Mallory series. I didn't think I could wait for the next Mallory, especially with the wait of an extra year with the side trip to the Judas Child (an excellent read) so I didn't mind the wait, but now it'll be another year and I hope to not be disappointed again.There was too much magic and legerdemain and not enough Mallory and suspense. I enjoy Charles and the other characters, and I don't mind a little reference to magic and Max Candle, but a little is plenty and the whole book should not be spent in that area. I agree with one of my booksellers that many of the characters were way to easy to confuse and reduced my enjoyment of the book. Please return to the days of old and the better plot lines.
Rating: 
Summary: "Mallory's Back"
Review: Carol O'Connell has done it again. Mallory is back in New York being Mallory. A wonderful read, with, as usual, an offbeat storyline, this one centered on magic, misdirection, and murder committed during World War II. There is no one quite like Mallory. Can't wait for the next.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I am disappointed in The Shell Game. I feel it is too slow, wordy and going over same dialogue with all characters; it's got so I don't care about any of the people. It is a chore to read. I liked all of the other book about Malory, but this one is a chore to finish; IF I do.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the best Mallory yet!
Review: I usually don't gush, but Shell Game is really something. Love her or hate her, Mallory is present in this book. We often see the action from her strange point of view. Contrast this with her not quite there-ness until the climax in Stone Angel. A must read for series fans!
Rating:
Summary: just doesn't measure up to previous mallory books
Review: shell game, the latest mallory thriller by the oh-so-talented carol o'connell, just doesn't quite measure up to her previous works. the plot is okay, i guess, but after the shatteringly climactic events of stone angel, i expected a little more from mallory and her cohorts. the characters have ceased to develop; they're just there, walking scenery, advancing the plot through conversation, but the reader is no longer compelled to find out what happens to any of them. even charles has lost his sacred humanity, becoming instead a mere tall foil for mallory, the coldly smug (so what if she's always right?)ny cop. mallory's lost her edge, honed it right down to nothing, and i just can't sympathize with her any more. malakhai and his cronies are irritating at best, homicidal at worst... riker and charles and rabbi kaplan, smart guys, all of them, still haven't learned not to disagree with mallory, who still hasn't learned to play nicely with the other children. she needs to grow up and they need to stop making excuses for her. coffey is the only character i still have any respect for. if you loved carol o'connell's other mallory novels, you might like this one. if you only liked them, or are unaquainted with mallory, skip SHELL GAME. time's short, and good books are plentiful.
Rating:
Summary: Latest Mallory novel leaves dedicated fans wanting.
Review: Although I enjoyed this book more than most other contemporary suspense novels, it is the weakest link in the Mallory series. The prose is flawless and poetic, but the content and characterization were less solid than in other books. O'Connell's failure to mention - even in passing - the cataclysmic events of the previous Mallory novel ("Stone Angel") was a let down of the most severe kind. Her portrayel of Mallory's one live champion, Charles Butler, was poor. He came off as little more than a loony clown, rather than the romantic genius who is hopelessly wrapped in Mallory's tangled web. Also, instead of advancing Mallory past the stage of a sociopathic predator, as the events of "Stone Angel" all but demanded, we were stuck with the same - somewhat two-dimensional - version of Mallory the Machine. Mallory is the most original sleuth to be set loose in the pages of literary crime and those experiencing her for the first time will surely enjoy this treat. But those of us fans who have been with her from day one, and who have waited anxiously for two years for this return to New York and Kathy Mallory, have been left unfulfilled. The only thing worse than this slight would be if this novel were the end of an otherwise wonderful series.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Mallory crowd pleaser
Review: In Central Park, veteran magician Oliver Tree comes out of retirement to perform the Lost Illusion, created by deceased superstar Max Candle. However, many people at the park and millions of viewers watch in horror as the trick goes awry and Oliver dies. Only the elderly magician Malakhai watching from his upstate New York hospital room realizes the real sleight of hand performed tonight. He knows that someone killed Oliver while convincing all those observers that a tragic accident occurred. New York Police Officer Kathleen Mallory also wonders if a murder happened. If her hunch proves right, she thinks the culprit will seek a bigger stage for the next victim. However, first she has to persuade her superiors to allow her to officially investigate Oliver's death. She also figures an expert magician must have done the act. Now all she has to do is wade through individuals talented enough to make one believe in the impossible. These individuals include Malakhai, whose deceased spouse accompanies him where ever he goes. It looks like she is even drinking wine in front of Kathleen, a trick that is shocking to say the least SHELL GAME is a captivating tale that highlights a heroine who follows her own moral beat even when it leaves her in conflict with superiors and loved ones. The streets once educated Kathleen and, though much tamer, her ferocious nature surfaces during investigations. The prime protagonist and the myriad of magicians she encounters sometimes overshadow the story line. Still, Carol O'Connell's latest tale is more than a simple sleight of the hand. Readers of the series and those who enjoy a Manhattan murder mystery will find this tale and its predecessors fun to read. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: The best Mallory book yet.
Review: I've read in some of the other reviews discontent with this book and I find it perplexing. This was, by far, the best book of the bunch. The main characters have been developed, the "mystery" of Mallory's past revealed in Stone Angel and, finally, Ms O'Connell can just spin out good stories without the soap opera nonsense of a "mysterious" past (which I endured because the rest of the stories were so very good). This book is a deliciously interesting story of magic, madness and betrayal in the very best tradition of classic Doyle and Christie. If you are looking for a 90210 script dealing only with the love-life and past of the protaganist with story as a very minor background note you will want to look elsewhere. If you want a rich story that will captivate you and surprise you ... this is the one.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe her best one yet......
Review: This fifth book in the Mallory series was the best one I've read yet and I love the fact that each one of these books stand alone. Instead of repeating whole sections of previous books to fill the reader in, O'Connell sums up everything you need to know in one or two sentences here and there. She is truly a gifted writer. This story finds Mallory in the middle of a revenge murder surrounded by magicians. The regular cast appears yet they are much more in the background this time as Mallory is front and center. For the first time the reader becomes much more emphatic with her character as we see a softer side and watch Mallory evolve into this more humane person (she opens up and shares a deep dark secret - her pysch evaluation as a child - with another character and we also see how hurt she is when those closest to her don't believe her). However, just when we think Mallory has changed and gone all sappy on us, the plot ends with Mallory being pure Mallory which is pure genius. I've always thought Mallory was a misunderstood character as she does stand for moral principles and maybe you have have to be somewhat cold to be willing to go to the lengths she does when choosing between right and wrong. We even understand why Mallory is the way she is given her background......and although there are no obvious "Stone Angel" references, the revelations of Mallory's past in that book have visibly and profoundly affected Mallory as her story continues in this murder mystery. Speaking of which, I'm thrilled the whole haunting love story of Louisa and Malakhai was the focal point as it was always hinted at previously and the real narrative was fascinating. This author knows how to write a spellbinding tale.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe her best one yet......
Review: This fifth book in the Mallory series was the best one I've read yet and I love the fact that each one of these books stand alone. Instead of repeating whole sections of previous books to fill the reader in, O'Connell sums up everything you need to know in one or two sentences here and there. She is truly a gifted writer. This story finds Mallory in the middle of a revenge murder surrounded by magicians. The regular cast appears yet they are much more in the background this time as Mallory is front and center. For the first time the reader becomes much more emphatic with her character as we see a softer side and watch Mallory evolve into this more humane person (she opens up and shares a deep dark secret - her pysch evaluation as a child - with another character and we also see how hurt she is when those closest to her don't believe her). However, just when we think Mallory has changed and gone all sappy on us, the plot ends with Mallory being pure Mallory which is pure genius. I've always thought Mallory was a misunderstood character as she does stand for moral principles and maybe you have have to be somewhat cold to be willing to go to the lengths she does when choosing between right and wrong. We even understand why Mallory is the way she is given her background......and although there are no obvious "Stone Angel" references, the revelations of Mallory's past in that book have visibly and profoundly affected Mallory as her story continues in this murder mystery. Speaking of which, I'm thrilled the whole haunting love story of Louisa and Malakhai was the focal point as it was always hinted at previously and the real narrative was fascinating. This author knows how to write a spellbinding tale.
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