Stone Angel (Bookcassette(r) Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Stone Angel
Review: After racing through the three previous books in the series (Mallory's Oracle, The Man Who Lied to Women, & Killing Critics,) I could hardly wait to start Stone Angel. Kathy Mallory is a fascinating character and the hints about her past in the rest of the series really whetted my appetite for the truth promised in the fourth book. Unfortunately, Mallory is only a supporting player in this one. Charles Butler (in jeans on a big white horse!), Riker, and some interesting locals have center stage, here. The Louisiana setting is intriguing,with all kinds of colorful characters from an elderly ecoterrorist to an Elmer Gantry-style evangelist, but the final solution to the mystery is more sordid than satisfying. Anyone who enjoyed the other Mallory books will want to read this, but be warned - it is slow going! All the right ingredients are here, but without a more active role for the main character, this literary gumbo ends up having all the flavor of dishwater. Author O'Connell seems unable to get past the charm of the young Kathy (who was actually more interesting as a wild child in New York City than as the happy doctor's daughter she used to be before her life went bad)in order to show any kind of catharsis in the adult. I would read more of her books on the strength of the rest of the Mallory series, but I would not recommend Stone Angel to anyone who was not already in love with Mallory.

Rating:
Summary: A bit of a disappointment.......
Review: After reading the previous three books in this series, I'm afraid this story was a bit of a disappointment but maybe that's because I hold O'Connell to too high a standard and certainly any Mallory book is well worth reading. However, I found some of the town's characters to be a little far fetched not to mention stereotypical and the mystery surrounding Mallory's youthful years which ended on the streets of NYC had a few holes (so much was made of Mallory only having this telephone number and we never found out who it belonged to although we know it was a female and can assume it was Augusta and why didn't her mother just tell her to run to either of their closest neighbors since surely Augusta or the scupltor would have helped?, etc.). The resolution to this story was not as crisp as all the others and I felt that so much more could have been done with the revelation of Mallory's past; but don't get me wrong, the murder mystery of both past and present was well crafted.

Rating:
Summary: Well-Written accomplishment as usual for O'Connell
Review: I think that Carol O'Connell has perfected her Character, Kathleen Mallory by this time to seem like the cold, unfeeling perfectionist on the outside but really does hold some aspects of human emotion.

Mallory is on a quest for information...information on the death of her mother and her illegal "partner" chases after her in an attempt to try and win her affections.

Ah, I know what you're thinking...but alas, this is not one of those sappy romances with a mystery weaved into it. No, the mystery is definitely dominant and the romance is just a subtle tap on the shoulder...enough to keep you wondering about the outcome of this one-sided relationship, but your brain working furiously to solve the mystery.

I'll admit that the identity of the killer was not difficult to figure out, but for some reason, I still couldn't close the book...I just kept on reading.

I highly reccomend this book and all other books written by Carol O'Connell. However, it is in your best intrest to read the Mallory series starting from the beginning so you know the whole story, beginning with "Mallory's Oracle".

Rating:
Summary: A turning point
Review: I'm definitely in the minority here in that I found Mallory in the first three books to be a thoroughly despicable character who grew more hateful in each succeeding book. Unlike most of those who agree with me, I've gritted my teeth and continued through the series cringing as the woman mows over other characters with complete lack of human compassion or sense of her impact on those around her.

I do agree that Carol O'Connell is a powerful story teller who brings her quirky and often surrealistic characters to life. With this fourth book in the series, I do feel more of a hook which keeps me reading Mallory. This book takes her to her roots and I find myself beginning to understand her a bit better, but I still have trouble liking her. And I have difficulty respecting Charles Butler, rather pitying his obsessive love for this person. But although I felt as if I was plodding through the book, I feel a growing fascination.

So in this review, I speak especially to those others who hate Mallory in tentatively recommending the book. You do learn more about her and the revelation as to why she insists on being called Mallory rather than by her given name. You may well find yourself caught up a bit more in this series. I read somewhere that Mallory is definitely, for many of us an acquired taste and my reaction was who in his right mind would want to acquire a taste for her.

But as I labelled this review, it is a turning point and if you've gotten this far in the series, it may be worth your while to continue with this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Kathy Mallory series
Review: Kathy Mallory is back in the most riveting, complex novel of the series. Sociopathic New York Detective Mallory takes on the bayous of Lousiana as she returns to her hometown to set some things straight. The mystery is not as important as the story and O'Connell introduces several new, very interesting characters - specifically Sheriff Tom Jessop and Augusta Trebec. The interactions and the actions are fascinating and the plot twists and turns enough to mesmerize. Mallory is not the whole story in this novel, which is a turn for the better. In addition, we finally see a little bit of human reaction and emotion. Mallory may be made of stone, but the surface chips slightly here. This is a keep-you-up-at-night book; O'Connell keeps getting better and better. You must read this one but be forewarned, it makes more sense if you've read the other three Mallory novels first. Let's all hope that O'Connell continues to humanize Mallory more and more (but not too much, she's at her most interesting when she's in her total sociopath mode) and can find a way to bring Tom Jessop into future books - the surface stereotype small town southern sheriff with much more than meets the eye! Mallory is the most interesting hero(ine) introduced in many years and O'Connell characterizes her perfectly. Steve Isenhowe