Bitch Slap : A Mark Manning Mystery

Rating:
Summary: An Ethical and Moral Issue
Review: Having only recently become a reader of the Mark Manning mysteries, I am now a fervid fan of Michael Craft's inventiveness, his taut writing, strong characterizations--a strong cadre of characters, each with his or her good reasons for "doing-in" the victim--and Michael's ability to keep me turning the pages well after midnight. And it is Michael's ability to write strong and believable characters that makes BITCH SLAP such a treat to read because we do care for these people, every one of these charming suspects. That is why (for me, at least) the revelation of the "killer" is such a shock. I didn't see that one coming.
I love it when an author, playwright, director "does a number on me" as skillfully as Michael has done. Reminds me of REBECCA and SIXTH SENSE, having read and seen them both numerous times just for that moment when nothing is as it seems.
It's not simply a "twist" in BITCH SLAP--the revelation embraces a moral and ethical issue, one the author handles adroitly, since, like Mark, I'm a tight-ass, too. So when I read the revelation, I was stunned, but then I wondered how the author was going to resolve the moral dilemma, the Gordian Knot. I'm not such a stiff-neck, however, that I don't see that sometimes a "wrong" is "right," --but we do have laws and a moral code. Mark is correct about that. Poor man. How terrible for him.
Yet the author pulls it off and pulls it off expertly. A most satisfying resolution, but one I'm sure will rankle many Craft readers who, after finishing the book, will continue to ponder the questions of justice, crime and punishment, right and wrong.
I congratulate the author for my discomfort in accepting the final resolution. Fine job. Fine piece of work.




Rating:
Summary: Creative and Insightful
Review: If you have never read a Mark Manning Novel or if you are a huge fan of this series, as I am, then you are in for a treat. "Bitch Slap" is so well written and so real. It is one book that is hard to put down. Michael Craft is one of the most talented and shining authors of his time. If you have never read a Mark Manning Novel I suggest you get all seven as soon as you can. You will not be disappointed. My hats of to Mr. Craft for another outstanding Novel!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Mark Manning is Humanized
Review: In this latest book in the Mark Manning series, Michael Craft has Mark examining many of his habits, beliefs, and perhaps eccentricities. As a result Mark loosens up and becomes much more "human" in his approach to his life. All of this self-examining goes on in the context of an investigation of a death which causes Mark to confront some basic moral issues and in doing so drops some of his rigidity in his circumstances. All of this comes about by a great and unexpected twist in the storyline. This book holds your interest throughout and is a definite buy for mystery lovers. Once you meet Mark, you will want to read the other books in the series.

Rating:
Summary: More than a whodunit this time
Review: In what may be his last in the Mark Manning series, author Michael Craft gives his readers the comfort of familiar places (the little house on Prairie Street) and characters (Mark, Neil, Doug, Glee) and the usual prelude to set up the murder (or is it?) and list of potential suspects. But then everything changes! New twists upset the serenity of Dumont, WI and norms we have come to expect; palpable moral dilemmas confront characters and readers alike. New and interesting characters arrive on the scene. The conclusion is satisfying and even Mark Manning is no longer the same in the end. An entertaining read and a memorable one!

Rating:
Summary: Mark Manning's Swan Song ??
Review: Joan Collins' character Alexis from DYNASTY has NOTHING on Gillian Reece. This novel is "camp" at its highest, and is entertaining, but hardly a "woodunit". It was fun to read, and took a unpredictable twist, but the "twist" served as a vehicle, in this reader's opinion, to permit Mark Manning to fade into the sunset of literary characters. I hope I'm wrong.

Rating:
Summary: It's late, but I had to finish the book.
Review: Last night ended up being a late night again. I had gotten hooked on this book, and could not put it down. Having read the entire series it has been nice to see the development of the characters, as well as the growth of the author.

I have truly enjoyed the entire series, and I am sure that I am not alone when I say I will miss Mark. I hope that there is a possibility of another one in the future.

I attended the book reading at Outwords Bookstore in Milwaukee, and even after being told to anticipate a big twist I was caught completely off guard as to who the 'kiler' was. I also have to agree with Mark Manning that I was always hoping for a connection between Doug, Mark and Neil. I know, how naughty of me.

This book poses many a moral issue, and I would love to see them furthere developed. I guess that would mean a new book in the seires....Yes, I will even beg for a new book if I have to.

Thank you, Michael Craft, for keeping me up late at night finishing a really good book.


Rating:
Summary: Well, Bobby Ewing didn't actually die!!!
Review: Like the "death" of the "Dallas" character, I hope that we Mark Manning fans can write this LAST installment as a bad dream. I have been with the series since the first novel and looked forward to each and every mystery, some easier to solve than others.

This, purported to be the final chapter in the life of the erstwhile sleuth, was a disappointment as both a mystery and a further look at Manning's life with longtime partner Neil. The fact that characters that readers have come to love make morally disreputable decisions is disheartening.

I hope that the author will reconsider and bring Manning & Company back, placing all parties concerned in a mystery worthy of investigating and investing.

This "slap" was little more like a light touch.

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Good-Bye
Review: Michael Craft's talents continue to grow in his latest in the Mark Manning series "Bitch Slap". It doesn't get any better than this well-plotted and richly detailed mystery. But sad to say it will be the last. This series will be very muched missed.

Rating:
Summary: Spoiler alert!
Review: This is the first Mark Manning book I've read (I understand it's the last one) and although Michael Craft is a good writer, I probably won't seek out any of the previous installments.

Good: I laughed out loud several times, and kinda liked the novelty of a murder mystery where there's no body 'til halfway through, and a confession three quarters along. Different.

Medium: Who the killer was didn't surprise me much, probably because I'm a newcomer to the series. (I wonder if Craft is a Nero Wolfe fan and has read "A Family Affair." He does use the word "flummoxed," after all.)

Bad: I didn't buy the moral/ethical/legal decisions of the characters, however. If you don't believe it's "murder" why not fess up and prove it in court? If you believe in the law - as Manning and the Sherrif do - you don't look the other way just because the party involed is close to home. If the perpetrator - equally "innocent" - had been ANYONE ELSE IN THE STORY neither Mark nor Doug would have let him or her slide. Nice try, but not convincing.

Besides, I thought it'd be a lot funnier if Neil got the heave-ho at the end, and Mark finally got his three-way... with Todd and Doug!

Rating:
Summary: 7 is Michael Craft's lucky number
Review: This, the 7th Mark Manning novel, is the best. If you've been reading these books, you'll find the character doing some self-reflection that is different than the previous books. If you haven't read the other books, you will enjoy this twisty mystery.

Mark Manning, a journalist, sits on the board of a local company whose CEO, Gillian Reece, is definitely not the winner of the Miss Congeniality award. That's only one of the reasons she gets a bitch slap from character Glee Savage. Later, though, Reece is found murdered. Further complicating the stew is the fact that Mark's lover, Neil, is designing a house for Reece.

Didn't Glee kill Reece? You won't have a clue--and you won't guess how this turns out till you read it. The outcome is definitely a shocker, and will have you pondering the meaning of justice. Definitely a captivating, exciting mystery.