O’Connell, Carol. Shell Game (1999)G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 374 pages, $24.95 hardcover ISBN 0 399 14495-1 After a break for Judas Child, Carol O’Connell returns to her series character, NYPD detective Kathleen Mallory, in Shell Game. When an elderly magician dies horribly in what appears to be a botched magic act, only Mallory suspects murder. […]
“Shell Game” by Carol O’Connell Read More »
Cross, Amanda. The James Joyce Murder (1967) Ballantine Books, 197 pages, $5.99 paperback ISBN 0-345-34686-6 Spending the summer at a house in the Berkshires editing letters between James Joyce and his publisher promises to be a peaceful refuge from the city for Kate Fansler. Caring for her young nephew Leo is only a
“The James Joyce Murder” by Amanda Cross Read More »
Westlake, Donald E. Trust Me on This (1988) Mysterious Press, 292 pages, $5.50 paperback ISBN 0 445 40807 3 This send-up of tabloid journalism is the precursor to Baby, Would I Lie?. Young reporter Sara Joslyn has just lost her job when the small New England newspaper she worked for was bought out,
“Trust Me on This” by Donald E. Westlake Read More »
Westlake, Donald E. The Hot Rock (1970) Simon and Schuster, 249 pages, $5.95 hardcover ISBN 671 20541 2 The Hot Rock introduces John Archibald Dortmunder, the criminal you can’t help but like. According to William L. DeAndrea in Encyclopedia Mysteriosa, Westlake’s “most successful comic novels, the Dortmunder series, grew directly from the grim
“The Hot Rock” by Donald E. Westlake Read More »
O’Connell, Carol. Judas Child (1998) G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 340 pages, $24.95 hardcover ISBN 0 399 14380 7 Readers disappointed that Carol O’Connell’s latest novel doesn’t feature Kathleen Mallory will quickly forget their displeasure once they begin reading Judas Child. This is the most chillingly effective psychological novel I’ve read in a long time.
“Judas Child” by Carol O’Connell Read More »
O’Connell, Carol. Stone Angel (1997) G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 341 pages, $24.95 hardcover ISBN 0 399 14234 7 In Stone Angel Charles Butler tracks Mallory to Dayborn, Louisiana, where she’s gone in search of her past: “Though she had buried it deep, the act had come back in bits and pieces of unguarded thoughts
“Stone Angel” by Carol O’Connell Read More »
O’Connell, Carol. Killing Critics (1996) G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 309 pages, $23.95 hardcover ISBN 0 39914168 5 I found this to be the least enjoyable of O’Connell’s Mallory books. In this installment, an art-related murder leads Mallory back to an unsolved brutal double homicide Markowitz had worked on 12 years earlier. The plot of
“Killing Critics” by Carol O’Connell Read More »
O’Connell, Carol. The Man Who Cast Two Shadows (1995) Jove Books, 308 pages, $6.99 paperback ISBN 0 515 11890 7 After a short prologue, the first chapter of this book opens with a page about the young child Kathy who had a phone number written on her hand. The first three digits of
“The Man Who Cast Two Shadows” by Carol O’Connell Read More »
Woods,Stuart. Swimming to Catalina (1998) HarperCollins, 311 pages, $25.00 hardcover ISBN 0 06 018369 1 In his latest adventure Stone Barrington travels to Hollywood at the request of the country’s hottest movie star, Vance Calder. Vance is now married to writer Arrington Carter, Stone’s former lover. When Vance tells Stone that Arrington is
“Swimming to Catalina” by Stuart Woods Read More »
Sandford, John. Secret Prey (1998) G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 392 pages, $24.95 hardcover ISBN 0 399 14382 3 After an interlude with Anna Batory on the West Coast, in Secret Prey John Sandford puts detective Lucas Davenport back to work in Minneapolis. Daniel S. Kresge, chairman of the board, president, and CEO of the
“Secret Prey” by John Sandford Read More »
