Bloody Mary

by J. A. Konrath

Overview

Start with a tough but vulnerable Chicago cop. Add a hyperactive cat, an ailing mother, a jealous boyfriend, a high-maintenance ex-husband, and a partner in the throes of a mid-life crisis.

Stir in a psychopath littering the city with body parts. Mix with equal parts humor and suspense, and enjoy Bloody Mary--the second novel in the funny, frightening world of Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels.

Join Jack as she struggles to repair her train wreck of a personal life while tracking down and convicting one of the scariest serial killers in recent memory.

BLOODY MARY by JA Konrath
Getting caught is only the beginning...

If you are a more sensitive (or adventurous) reader, this handy scale rates specific categories from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) to give you some idea if this is your kind of book.

BLOODY MARY
Bad Language - 4
Scary - 7
Violent - 7
Funny - 8
Sexy - 3
Crossovers - Features Jack Daniels, Harry McGlade, and includes characters from the Konrath Dark Thriller Collective, the Codename: Chandler series, and the Timecaster series.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781482373332
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	02/06/2013
Series:	Jack Daniels , #2
Pages:	274
Sales rank:	465,463
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.58(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

JA Konrath is the author of eight novels in the Jack Daniels thriller series (Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Fuzzy Navel, Cherry Bomb, Shaken, Stirred). Jack also appears in the novels Shot of Tequila, Flee, Spree, Three, Timecaster Supersymmetry, Banana Hammock, and Serial Killers Uncut, as well as the short story collection Jack Daniels Stories and the novellas Burners and Floaters. Konrath writes horror under the name Jack Kilborn (Afraid, Trapped, Endurance.) He's sold over a million ebooks.

What People are Saying About This

David Morrell

As sharp and tangy as its title cocktail. Snappy dialogue. Powerful action. What a recipe for a page turner.
—(David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE)

Editorial Reviews

Konrath's predictable sequel to Whiskey Sour (2004) is no more original than its predecessor. When two arms, sans body, turn up at a Chicago morgue, Det. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels is surprised to discover that the mysterious limbs are joined by her own handcuffs. The killer appears to have a grudge as well as unsettling access to Jack. The dual narrative alternately follows detective and murderer, leaving little to the imagination, particularly in the realm of gore. The author reveals so much about the crimes and their motivation that the plot loses steam until the fiend is caught (halfway through the novel) and the focus shifts to ensuring that he doesn't walk. The legal finagling is a bit far-fetched, but the battle of wills between the psychopath and the cop keeps the pages turning. And like any hard-boiled detective, Jack has a problematic personal life, juggling two unstable relationships and caring for her ailing mother. Konrath peppers the story with one-liners that are sometimes riotous, often groan-worthy and occasionally inappropriately blas , but readers with a taste for the twisted should enjoy themselves. Agent, Jane Dystel. 6-city author tour. (July 6) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

A psychopathic killer on the loose is torturing young women and placing selected body parts in with corpses at the Cook County morgue. First the coroner finds an extra pair of severed arms wearing Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels's police-issued handcuffs; next, Jack finds a pair of disembodied ears wearing her favorite earrings. Jack has more to deal with than just a brutal psychopathic killer. Her mother is in the hospital and can no longer live alone; her staid boyfriend, Latham, whom she loves, wants her to move in with him, and her ex-husband, whom she also loves, suddenly reappears and wants to renew their relationship. Dick Hill's narration is fair; it's difficult to differentiate among some of the male characters. Recommended for libraries whose patrons enjoyed the first Jack Daniels work, but beware the detailed bloody descriptions of the killer torturing his victims.-Ilka Gordon, Park Synagogue Lib., Pepper Pike, OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Two severed arms in the Chicago morgue linked by her own handcuffs puts Lt. Jacqueline Daniels on the track of another serial killer as sadistic as the Gingerbread Man (Whiskey Sour, 2004) and even more resourceful. Aspirin doesn't help with every headache. Sometimes even half a dozen ibuprofen aren't enough to get rid of all the pain. But Jack Daniels's latest quarry has found a miraculous cure in homicide, the bloodier the better. Relief is as fast as nudging an isolated pedestrian, bundling her into his car, and taking her to his plastic-covered lair for biting, burning, slashing and strangling. A mortician accomplice helps him hide the evidence. Even so, it's not long before Jack and her partner, Det. Herb Benedict, have him in their sights, and that's when the fun really begins. In an infernal parody of Law & Order, the killer submits an outrageous, unstoppable not-guilty plea and vows to Jack that the moment he's free he'll come after her and her loved ones. That roster now includes not only Jack's boyfriend, accountant Latham Conger, but her mother and her ex-husband Alan Daniels, both suddenly and awkwardly back in her life. Looks like a lot of target opportunities. Konrath keeps the proceedings moving so briskly that you may not even notice how many corpses are piling up-over a dozen, with plenty more in the backstory. But you'll certainly remember how brutally they're dispatched.

Kirkus Reviews