Killing Critics

Rating:
Summary: super-girl in action
Review: OK, the style is fine and the descriptions of people and the setting make good reading. But why has the heroe - sorry heroine - be a super-human, caped-avenger kind of figure? She is beautiful, expensively dressed, "in addition to her gifts in the computer mode she had a hyperawareness of her surroundings which he found inexplicable", she gets rid of obtrusive people "seemingly without touching them" and so on. All the things the very average reader might fantasize about in his/her wet dreams. So , if you like super heroes (although with gloomy and dark sides) this book will be good to read for you, if not - keep your hands off, this character is too annoying.

Rating:
Summary: Stylish, ingenious and incredibly romantic!
Review: The start is a tad slow and I wondered if this was gonna be another dreary mystery about dreary New York art types. But no! Page by page (picking up speed to culminate in an incredible climax then anti-climax) revealed superior styling (loved the roof performance), deft characterization and a thriller pace that never lets up. What was so great was the gradual peeling off the layers of Mallory, just when you think you've figured her out she jolts you with a surprisingly humane gesture. Then she takes it back and you are left gasping, wondering. I totally loved the romance, the unrequited love of Charles, his naivete, fumbling efforts to declare his love thrilled me no end. Brings to life that classic line "the only true love is unrequited love". Only "criticism" is the exaggerated decline of Aubry's mom from top of the heap artist to ragpicker. But it's ok to suspend disbelief, after all this is myth for the new milennium.

Rating:
Summary: Move over Scarpetta, here comes Mallory!
Review: This book did not disappoint. After reading her previous books I couldn't wait to read Mallory's latest adventure. O'Connell gives us more background into why Mallory has turned into the detective she is. Some of the characters I Idid not care for(Bliss for instance, and Emma Sue Halloran) but I like Charles,Riker, and Coffey. These people are true to life. Sometimes O'Connell is hard to follow as she brings in caharacters and events in The Big Apple that don't seem to tie in with the story. Here's hoping her next novel The Stone Angel is a continuation of Sgt. Mallory.I would like to know more about the elusive Carol O'Connell

Rating:
Summary: gripping, breathless,and thoroughly satisfying
Review: This is my favorite in the Mallory series so far. Mallory is getting a bit more vulnerable as we come to know her - like anything, you have to work at it and it makes it the more satisfying. The premise was a bit confusing - or maybe i lack the necessary insight to get it in one take, but I found that as I re-read the book I picked up on things that I missed in my haste to absorb the novel. The extra cast were delightfully well-designed - I particularly enjoyed the character of Quinn, who seems to be sort of Mallory-like himself. The book is thoroughly entertaining and ultimately very satisfying. I've read some less-than-generous reviews and I urge those readers to try again. There are a few things that feel awkward the first time... so, once more, from the top. The writing is good enough to stand alone without the complex plot and intiguing characters. Maybe it's just too much of a good thing, literary overload for the faint of heart. Don't give up, you will be rewarded.

Rating:
Summary: An Intense Read!
Review: This is my third venture into Kathy Mallory's world. Descriptions of crime scenes are gory. Neverending tension! Thank heaven for the men around her to balance her out. She's intense and seemingly invulnerable. I could not put the book down! What a ride! On to the next!

Rating:
Summary: An Intense Read!
Review: This is my third venture into Kathy Mallory's world. Descriptions of crime scenes are gory. Neverending tension! Thank heaven for the men around her to balance her out. She's intense and seemingly invulnerable. I could not put the book down! What a ride! On to the next!

Rating:
Summary: Please just keep 'em coming O'Connell
Review: This third book in the series is just as great as all the others, maybe even a little more so. All the characters I've come to love are here as well as the introduction of J.L. Quinn (pretty please let him reappear). This was an intensely emotional story that ends with a bang. Art cricits are being killed off and it has something to do with an old crime handled by her late foster father. All hell breaks loose when a determined Mallory reinvestigates. We've gotten to know these characters so well by now that when Riker's past is delved into or Mallory is proven to be as destructible as the next person, the reader is there. The ending left a quite a blow and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next one in this series (The Stone Angel). I really can't praise this series enough for it's deep character development, unusual as well as strong heroine and well written plots.

Rating:
Summary: Please just keep 'em coming O'Connell
Review: This third book in the series is just as great as all the others, maybe even a little more so. All the characters I've come to love are here as well as the introduction of J.L. Quinn (pretty please let him reappear). This was an intensely emotional story that ends with a bang. Art cricits are being killed off and it has something to do with an old crime handled by her late foster father. All hell breaks loose when a determined Mallory reinvestigates. We've gotten to know these characters so well by now that when Riker's past is delved into or Mallory is proven to be as destructible as the next person, the reader is there. The ending left a quite a blow and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next one in this series (The Stone Angel). I really can't praise this series enough for it's deep character development, unusual as well as strong heroine and well written plots.

Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: This was the first book that I have read by Carol O'Connell. I cannot wait to read the next. The characters in this book are so interesting and well developed. The story was so gripping that I counld not put it down! I had a little problem with the confession of what really happened, but it still was a great mystery book

Rating:
Summary: Chilling blend of horror and heartache
Review: This was the first Carol O'Connell book I read and still one of my favorites. It's the only book that ever scared the hell out of me while making me cry for so many characters who were irreversibly devastated by their loss. Carol O'Connell has a wonderful way of creating characters who are rarely likable or sympathetic but who are almost always interesting.