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dolcezzina21's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this one! Love reading about bad ass women even if they are completely psycho. Ha
dotorsojak's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars rounded up
This is one of the JS’s (author’s) better Davenport mysteries, notable for the introduction of Clara Rinker, an almost invincible contract killer.
For me this is a reread, which I undertook because I was so disappointed in THE INVESTIGATOR featuring Lucas’s adoptive daughter, Letty.
One of the things that makes this 1999 novel so much better than JS’s last few books is the humor and the unabashedly politically incorrect cop talk. Here follows an example (I expect JS is afraid to put something like this in a modern novel for fear of social media backlash):
[Lucas is talking to Detective Marcy Sherrill about the case, but then…] “But right now, I’ve got to go to the Reality Commission, we’re talking about noncertifiable minorities tonight.” He thumped the Report, which sat on one side of his desk. He was on page four hundred and thirty.
“Noncertifiable… what is that?”
“Well, you know: minorities that don’t fit into racial, handicapped, sexual-determinant, age-determinant, religious, ethnic, or national-origin groups.”
“Jeez, I would have thought that covered everything.”
“Oh, no. There was a case in Wisconsin of a white, Episcopalian male in his early thirties, nonhandicapped, heterosexual, English heritage…”
“A perfect WASP.”
“Wouldn’t even pee in the shower,” Lucas said. “Anyway, he was a member of one of the animal-protection groups, and his co-workers tormented him by displaying photographs of pork chops and link sausages in the workplace, and they’d talk about going to McDonald’s for cheeseburgers. He got $750,000 from the city of Madison for emotional imperialism.”
“Well—Madison.”
“That explains a lot of it, of course,” Lucas said, nodding. “But apparently we need a policy. You know, covering nonreligious ethical minorities.” Then he closed his eyes, rubbed them with a thumb and forefinger. “Jesus Christ, what’d I just say?” (p.305-306)
This is one of the JS’s (author’s) better Davenport mysteries, notable for the introduction of Clara Rinker, an almost invincible contract killer.
For me this is a reread, which I undertook because I was so disappointed in THE INVESTIGATOR featuring Lucas’s adoptive daughter, Letty.
One of the things that makes this 1999 novel so much better than JS’s last few books is the humor and the unabashedly politically incorrect cop talk. Here follows an example (I expect JS is afraid to put something like this in a modern novel for fear of social media backlash):
[Lucas is talking to Detective Marcy Sherrill about the case, but then…] “But right now, I’ve got to go to the Reality Commission, we’re talking about noncertifiable minorities tonight.” He thumped the Report, which sat on one side of his desk. He was on page four hundred and thirty.
“Noncertifiable… what is that?”
“Well, you know: minorities that don’t fit into racial, handicapped, sexual-determinant, age-determinant, religious, ethnic, or national-origin groups.”
“Jeez, I would have thought that covered everything.”
“Oh, no. There was a case in Wisconsin of a white, Episcopalian male in his early thirties, nonhandicapped, heterosexual, English heritage…”
“A perfect WASP.”
“Wouldn’t even pee in the shower,” Lucas said. “Anyway, he was a member of one of the animal-protection groups, and his co-workers tormented him by displaying photographs of pork chops and link sausages in the workplace, and they’d talk about going to McDonald’s for cheeseburgers. He got $750,000 from the city of Madison for emotional imperialism.”
“Well—Madison.”
“That explains a lot of it, of course,” Lucas said, nodding. “But apparently we need a policy. You know, covering nonreligious ethical minorities.” Then he closed his eyes, rubbed them with a thumb and forefinger. “Jesus Christ, what’d I just say?” (p.305-306)
minerva1221's review
4.0
Another great page-turner filled with close calls and near misses. This one finds Lucas Davenport on the trail of a professional female killer who has quite a few loose ends to tie up.
scout19d3's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this Police novel up after reading part of a later entry in the series. This book provided the initial meeting between the Protagonist (Lucas Davenport) and the Antagonist (Clara Rinker). The author easily promotes a sympathetic disposition towards the killer. I felt like I was playing chess with myself - as I switched from one character to the other I was always rooting for the one at hand. Fast moving book that was hard to put down.
sarah_ann_roth's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, and Torture