Rating: 
Summary: Apparantly a much-loved heroine, but not by me...not yet
Review: I wonder if I'm not a masochist. I hated this ... from the first book and while other readers gave up on her after a couple of books, I kept plodding away. As despicable as I found the main character, the writing had a powerful spell over me as I found myself involved in Mallory's perverted and quirky world. STONE ANGEL was a turning point, and this book continues the revelations started in the earlier book. Part of what makes me continue reading the series is the hope that there is some spark of humanity in the woman, and there are indeed times that it looks like there is one there, but then there's the feeling that the character has coldly manipulated those around her to believe there's something that isn't there. If you are to tackle this series, you should start from the beginning, MALLORY'S ORACLE, and be prepared for a long arduous journey into the character's psyche. There is a feeling of development in this book, but there's also frustration because the development is slow in coming. And yet I feel now that there is something coming up in the series that will reward me for continuing my relationship with Mallory.
Rating: 
Summary: Both engaging and frustrating.
Review: It's engaging because "Crime School" has a mystery that kept me guessing right up until the end of the book. I didn't know the red herring wasn't the killer until almost the final page. It's frustrating because I keep waiting for Mallory to display some real growth or affection for the worshipful Charles or her partner Ryker and, even after her experiences in past books, she seems unable to. Carol O'Connell mentions in passing here, as I think in other books, that the forty-something, unmarried and childless Charles will live a long life and will keep a journal to pass on to his children and grandchildren. I can only hope that in some future book he will get his heart's desire: Mallory. In this book, there are no real developments. I'll add another brief caution. Readers who haven't read the previous Mallory books may find themselves bewildered. There's a lot of discussion about her childhood, but nothing about why she's in New York City alone at age 10. If you want to know the back story, go back and read "Stone Angel."
Rating: 
Summary: I don't get it...
Review: Maybe I've read a different book than other reviewers, but this book is just plain awful! The cliches are waist deep, the characters are about as deep as a puddle, and the writing is trite and contrived. And this isn't the first book I've read featuring this character...there's been no improvement at all in the series as far as I can tell. This book is supposed to draw the reader into the childhood of Mallory -- but the character is so unlikeable that by the first 100 pages, I'd lost all interest in what shaped her psyche. Are the readers supposed to believe that the police force wouldn't have forced her to go through some sort of psychological testing before hiring her? Or that after so many problems with supervisors she hasn't been canned yet? She's always right, always aloof, rude, mean, manipulative, insulting...I could go on and on but I hate to waste any more time on this book than I already have. Aside from the utter lack of character development, the writing is simply horrendous. Hundreds of mentions of "Mallory's green eyes....cat like eyes...drowsy slanted eyes...never blinking eyes..." and "...where does she get her money...she's clad in custom made designer jeans...silk designer jackets...designer shades...$200 haircuts...manicures..." ENOUGH!! We get it already, she's a rich gorgeous psycho who just happens to be a cop. And these ridiculous, over the top descriptions not only apply to the adult Mallory, but the child Mallory as well. This book is terrible! The characters kill any chance at plot development and I don't think I've ever read a book with so many unlikeable characters in it as this one. Save your money and pick something else to read!!
Rating:
Summary: Confusing for the most part
Review: Not the best crime book I've ever read. Uses a lot of references to the past which becomes confusing. No satisfaction when the crime is solved; more like "Who cares?"
Rating: 
Summary: fascinating police procedural
Review: She was a wild child living on the New York streets with only a few uncaring prostitutes to watch over her at times. She was saved from that sordid existence when a kindly police officer and his sweet wife brought her into their home. Their love ultimately saved Kathy Mallory, turning her into one of the finest detectives in the special crimes unit of the Big Apple. Twenty years ago, a woman was killed in her apartment but thanks to sloppy police work the killer was never found. Two decades later, a prostitute is killed in a similar manner. The police theorize that it's a copycat killing even if they don't understand how the perpetrator has the details that were kept from the public. Mallory is one of the investigators on the case as a series of murders connect Kathy the child to Mallory the policewoman. It has been four long years since a Kathy Mallory novel was published but the long wait was worth it. Fans of Mallory actually get to see her as a child surviving by her wits on the street. Carol O'Connell still has the magic touch when it comes to creating fascinating police procedurals that enthrall the audience. Let's hope we won't have to wait another four years for a novel starring this complex yet likable heroine. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Another hit in the Mallory series
Review: This 6th in the series (following Mallory's Oracle, The Man Who Cast Two Shadows, Killing Critics, Stone Angel, and (for me)the disappointing Shell Game)expands the character and pysche of the troubled Sgt. Kathleen Mallory. This borderline pysocopath/sociopath cop battles her own personal demons of murder, betrayal, and revenge as she sets out to stop a serial killer. The similarities between the killer and the cop are both subtle and striking. We learn more about her twisted childhood and her relationship with Riker and Charles Butler. I thought this book was a fascinating portrayal of a very disturbing woman. The story was fast-paced and very suspenseful. I suggest that readers finish the earlier volumes in the series to better understand Mallory's background.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Mallory Novel
Review: This pageturner is less sentimental than the recent novels in the Mallory series, but shines more light on the character herself. At her toughest and grittiest, she is also more human and vulnerable. Albeit as obliquely as always - we rarely see the world directly through Mallory's eyes.
This is a great addition to the Mallory series ... and the tantalizing ending has me hoping we won't have to wait long for the next in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Once more to the well, old chum
Review: This, the latest entry in the Mallory series, is also the weakest. Not that first time readers would notice -- O'Connell is so darn good at her craft that even less-than-her-best beats most of the competition. Problem is, she was written a novel that "fills in the gaps" for her Mallory character while FORGETTING what made the character great in the first place. The ultimate peccadillo, even for one of O'Connell's rank, is to write a book that resonates only with those who have already fallen in love with the character because of earlier books. And that's what this is. Mallory is, as always, arrogant, dry and aloof. In this book, however, no one really cares...
Rating:
Summary: Vague characters in a predictable police drama
Review: What a waste of time and money! I bought this book per a bookseller's recommendations and don't understand what the hype is all about! The characters are never fully formed so you feel like they are ghost-like with no substance and no depth! I tried, I really did try getting into this but I sped-read the last half and then gave up...who cares what happens at the end when there is no character development and the storyline drags! If you want a good thriller, try Cruel and Unusual Punishment by Patricia Cornwall.
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