Killing Critics

Rating:
Summary: Killing Critics Will Slay You
Review: You know a mystery is good when you can overlook some problems in the plot and still come away relishing the whole thing. Carol O'Connell's latest Katherine Mallory book Killing Critics falls in this category. The book opens with a murder that ties to a 12-year old murder, both of artists/art critics. The final solution is one so unlikely, you have to gulp and shake your head. One critic seals himself off on the roof of Bloomingdale's, as unlikely a scenario as you will find, and the plot is strangely reminiscent to one by Agatha Christie, but O'Connell miraculously pulls the whole thing off. The characters, however eccentric, come across as real, which is one key to greatness. The reader who loves detective Kathy Mallory will want to stand up and shout "Wait a minute!" when Mallory heads off out of New York at the book's end. The real mystery: is Mallory finished as a series character or will she be back in a new location? After this flawed gem, readers will clamor for more. If Ms O'Connell thinks she's going to get rid of Mallory so easily, she may find herself bumping into the legend of Sherlock Holmes... Jorge Ribeiro ([e-mail]