Mallory's Oracle

Rating:
Summary: Don't Mess with Mallory
Review: Kathy Mallory is bright, beautiful and fascinating. She's also one of the scariest people you'll ever meet. Found running loose on the street, she's adopted by a cop and his loving wife. She grows up with a great respect for rules, but they're her rules.

Mallory's Oracle is the first of, currently, two books featuring Kathy Mallory. Her hunt for the killer of her adoptive father introduces us to a strong cast of supporting characters and begins to open the door, somewhat, on who and what Kathy is.

This is simply one of the best first novels I've ever written. Kathy is more alien than most of the space creatures you read about in today's science fiction or see in the movies. At the same time, the damage that's been done to her draws you to her, almost against you will. Buy this book today!!

Rating:
Summary: GREAT intoduction to a series I can't wait to read
Review: This reader was immediately sucked into this fast paced murder mystery. There were many suspects presented in this serial killer storyline and the suspense was well plotted. However, the characters in this book were the real gems. They almost became flesh and blood before my eyes as the author painted such loving images of not altogether loveable characters. First off, Kathy Mallory is a tough as nails young cop trying to avenge her sort of adopted father's death - Markowitz - and oh by the way, she was a runaway who was "found" on the streets by him when she was around 11. Her terrible and traumatic background is hinted at but never revealed. Mallory is unconditionally loved by Markowitz and his wife and even though both of these characters are dead as we read this book, the reader can see them as relevant characters and we feel her loss. Then there's Markowitz' band of poker buddies (The Rabbi, the Lawyer and the Doctor) who are three dimensional characters as well. Last but not least, there's her two sidekicks of Charles Butler (a modern day Ichobod Crane figure) and another cop named Riker(a drunkard with redeeming qualities). Sure her characters are flawed, but they all have principals that they hold true to and all of them can be admired. Kudos to the author for her skill in presenting such intriguing characters that seem so real. As soon as I finished this book I immediately picked up the next one in this series (The Man Who Cast Two Shadows).

Rating:
Summary: GREAT intoduction to a series I can't wait to read
Review: This reader was immediately sucked into this fast paced murder mystery. There were many suspects presented in this serial killer storyline and the suspense was well plotted. However, the characters in this book were the real gems. They almost became flesh and blood before my eyes as the author painted such loving images of not altogether loveable characters. First off, Kathy Mallory is a tough as nails young cop trying to avenge her sort of adopted father's death - Markowitz - and oh by the way, she was a runaway who was "found" on the streets by him when she was around 11. Her terrible and traumatic background is hinted at but never revealed. Mallory is unconditionally loved by Markowitz and his wife and even though both of these characters are dead as we read this book, the reader can see them as relevant characters and we feel her loss. Then there's Markowitz' band of poker buddies (The Rabbi, the Lawyer and the Doctor) who are three dimensional characters as well. Last but not least, there's her two sidekicks of Charles Butler (a modern day Ichobod Crane figure) and another cop named Riker(a drunkard with redeeming qualities). Sure her characters are flawed, but they all have principals that they hold true to and all of them can be admired. Kudos to the author for her skill in presenting such intriguing characters that seem so real. As soon as I finished this book I immediately picked up the next one in this series (The Man Who Cast Two Shadows).

Rating:
Summary: Didn't grab me.
Review: I bought a later book in this seres (Crime School) so I decided to start from the beginning by reading the book that started it all.

I had to "make myself" read this book. I have to agree with the other reveiwers that didn't like the main character. There is nothing to like about her. She's unaproachable and several times you are told she "smirks" or "smiles" but it isn't meant in a friendly manner. The other characters are just "ok" and the plot is a little on the boring side in that the action doesn't move quickly.

This being the first book in the series, I'm not ready to give up on Mallory yet. I'll read the rest with that hopes that this first one is just the warm up and the characters will grow with each book. The only positive thing about being dissapointed in this is that there is a lot of room for improvement and I look forward to seeing in the books to come.

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Summary: An Extraordinary Antihero Opens a Terrific Series
Review: Others are correct in stating that Kathy Mallory, the center of this novel and the series that follows, is a cold character and difficult to like. If you like mysteries featuring Sneaky-Pie Brown, give these books a pass. But the Mallory mysteries, beginning with Mallory's Oracle, have become my favorite series because of their complex characterizations, perfectly paced plotting, and unblinking realism. As dark and layered as its protagonist, Mallory's Oracle is an intriguing police procedural with an attention to detail, and each book gets better and more engrossing. Love the other characters, Riker and Charles, and watch Mallory like a hawk. It'll pay off richly.

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Summary: A cold-hearted b**** of a heroine
Review: Hard-boiled detectives are one thing, but this woman's over the top. This first novel introduces us to Kathy Mallory, but don't you call her Kathy! Her fellow workers don't much like her and I don't either. Charles likes her and he's a rather messed up guy himself. We first meet her when she beats up a kid, and though the kid's a punk himself, this just isn't the kind of behavior I'd expect from New York's finest.

The story for what it is takes place in 11 rather long chapters and occupies itself with victims and suspects who are difficult to care for.

I am planning on reading more in the series, but only because I'm hoping that the author allows Mallory to eventually mellow out and have some kind of honor and compassion.

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Summary: A new series for me!
Review: Because of this board, I 'found' Kathy Mallory. Decided to begin with the first in the series because I enjoy the continuity and rhythm of a series.

The book is intriguing because it does not answer all my questions, but promises answers in subsequent stories. The mystery was intense and altogether very exciting. Characters and mystery were different. Have ordered the next in line. I think I am on to something here.....

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Summary: DO NOT waste your time on bad first O'Connell book
Review: The character of Kathy Mallory is introduced in this first of a set of (now) six stories about a NYPD detective. With these and one other hardback under her belt, one would think O'Connell must be a successful author. Not by our eyes! We have read and lectured about an extensive list of leading lady amateur sleuths, private eyes, and policewomen; and we'd have to rate Mallory as maybe the worst. While she's billed a thousand times by her author as smart, intense, gorgeous (naturally), and maybe the world's greatest computer hacker (authors always make this look so easy - it's not), she seems more like a ventriloquist's dummy -- some words come out but there's no personality, nothing in her actions to intrigue or endear her to us. Is the fact that she's an ex-thief/bad girl supposed to charm us?

Put this together with a complicated, difficult to follow plot, with dozens of stick characters we practically need a scorecard to keep track of, we almost broke a long-standing rule and abandoned this two-thirds of the way through. Even the ending was unsatisfying -- while it did clear up the mystery (we use the term loosely), we readers would never have arrived there with the paucity of clues and countless irrelevant side trips and diversions. That Mallory solves the case (more or less) after leaving her hospital bed, pulling out her IV after a near-fatal poisoning and charging off on her own (no backup of course) just adds to the silly unrealistic action.

We're all the more put out because one of our favorite authors, Linda Barnes, recommends O'Connoll as one of her favorites. Why?

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Summary: A New Role For Women
Review: Mallory's Oracle by Carol O'Connell is and adventurous novel. Although I am not a big reader of mystery novels, I somewhat enjoyed this one. I think this book is as good as it is because of the protagonist, who is a woman. She is nothing like any of the other females that are presented in most books. She takes her work very seriously. Kathleen Mallory had a tough childhood but she turned into a woman who is very determined and believes in getting the job done. She sometimes used very drastic measures while trying to get her job done. I think that women should use Kathleen as an example of how they should be a hard worker with lots of determination.

Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful and Intriguing
Review: Mallory's Oracle was a thrilling, edge of seat work of mystery chock full of suspense and amazement. The use of a female detective that was both assertive and domineering in stature was an excellent additive for the novel. Detective Mallory was a character set apart from all others with intelligence, control and a sixth sense for intricate mysteries. Her unfortunate childhood and chance encounter with the man and woman who take her in, add greatly to the development of the storyline. Her hard life enables her to be the tough, woman of steel that everyone around her perceives her to be without question. This facet also allows for her to continue on her journey to solve the mystery without the emotional baggage that women are constantly accused of carrying. Mallory defies all the stereotypes of women that are so commonly accepted by society. I congratulate Carol O'Connell on her description and complex development of the many characters and suspects. She set the scene for multiple storylines that all converge into the same solution. This had to be a difficult task managing for each person's individual lifestyle to eventually connect to the larger plot. The novel itself was an easy read, with very few dull scenes. This author definitely portrayed a fictional mystery with finesse and charisma.