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eleanora_just's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
magdon's review against another edition
3.0
Ah Mallory. The earlier ones are still best but this was still a good thriller read.
stressgirl70's review
4.0
Kathy Mallory is one of my favorite literary characters so I always enjoy the books with her in them. This one was no exception.
jeremyhornik's review against another edition
2.0
It's a fine line between hypnotic fever dream and incoherent mess, but this one is on the wrong side. Too bad.
mrz_owenz's review against another edition
4.0
Complex and creepy mystery. Interesting characters but not necessarily lovable. Still overall enjoyable.
jason_as's review against another edition
2.0
Well, it works relatively well as a mystery investigation but…I don’t see the point of this being an installment in the Mallory series. The main characters have no progression at all, hitting the exact same beats that they have in the past…and frankly it feels like this book should be more like #2 or so. Past books actually have had character development via emotional revelations and life changes and such, but this book doesn’t seem to take into account any of the last ten. Are we supposed to take it that the characters simply regress and forget stuff like that, or be forced to fanwank that “hey, maybe the series isn’t in order” to justify the suck characterization? All you can glean is pretty much the basics laid out since the beginning: Mallory is a beautiful computer genius whose coldness/apparent lack of emotions scares people and helps make her such a great cop, her partner Riker is a drunk and fallen from greater heights in the hierarchy because of that, her somewhat obsessive admirer Charles is a brilliant psychologist. So why bother having them, when any other literary great cop could have solved the case which lacks any especial emotional resonance – both overall and in the context of who Mallory and Riker are as people.
But since O’Connell did make it part of the series, I’m also annoyed that Mallory gets almost no POV. Yes, she will always be on the unknowable side, but it’s just lazy to make her unknowable by barely giving a glimpse into her mind. I don’t mind that there’s not that much more from Charles’s POV as his entire persona here is basically “I love Mallory” – though that is a primary motivation for him, generally he has a lot more complexity than that.
The only character who’s particularly exciting here is Bugsy, who is not one I see very often. He makes me feel the most, and one of the few quotes I bothered to jot down is about him: “And dreamed he was a man.” If a chunk of his parts of the novel were cobbled together into a short story, only then would O’Connell have a work that stands up to what she’s been able to do in the past.
The ending stinks. Which stinks since the ending is usually such a strength in this series – evocative, thought-provoking, emotion-rendering. Here I’m just like “Um, you did this already. And the solution to the mystery is stupid, like who cares?” I have a feeling this is the Mallory novel I will reread the fewest number of times – possibly never.
But since O’Connell did make it part of the series, I’m also annoyed that Mallory gets almost no POV. Yes, she will always be on the unknowable side, but it’s just lazy to make her unknowable by barely giving a glimpse into her mind. I don’t mind that there’s not that much more from Charles’s POV as his entire persona here is basically “I love Mallory” – though that is a primary motivation for him, generally he has a lot more complexity than that.
The only character who’s particularly exciting here is Bugsy, who is not one I see very often. He makes me feel the most, and one of the few quotes I bothered to jot down is about him: “And dreamed he was a man.” If a chunk of his parts of the novel were cobbled together into a short story, only then would O’Connell have a work that stands up to what she’s been able to do in the past.
The ending stinks. Which stinks since the ending is usually such a strength in this series – evocative, thought-provoking, emotion-rendering. Here I’m just like “Um, you did this already. And the solution to the mystery is stupid, like who cares?” I have a feeling this is the Mallory novel I will reread the fewest number of times – possibly never.
simiavus's review
2.0
I have enjoyed the previous Mallory books, but this one seemed more like it included Mallory, Mallory was discussed, but it wasn't really a Mallory book - she was never more than a sketch of herself. Nothing was really fleshed out in this book, leaving the reader little to care about.
nickertz's review against another edition
4.0
You would not want to meet Kathy Mallory on a dark street corner. One scary lady. The mystery is pretty good, but what sets this series apart is that you only know Mallory from the outside - how others see her and how she reacts to them. It helps keep her aloof persona and makes for an interesting narrative.
bitterindigo's review
3.0
I guess maybe it was inevitable with a character like this. I loved the first few books so much, and the truth is that if she's truly a sociopath, damaged beyond repair by her early formative experiences, then expecting any kind of growth or evolution of her character would be unrealistic. But the whole thing is just starting to pall. Her terrorizing of suspects and near-psychic abilities seem cheesy and overdone. I just want Charles to quit being a doormat. Even the plot and the resolution seem way too theatrical. Elements of this plot also reminded me of The Man Who Cast Two Shadows. Her standalone books have been really strong - I'll probably just read those from now on.
txreader's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25