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mehitabels's review against another edition
4.0
having read one or two of this series before, and having enjoyed them well enough, this was a quick pick for an audio book for work. totally engrossing, however, and set me right back on the path of the series, and a hunger for more.
but I like damaged, bitter women . . .
but I like damaged, bitter women . . .
tracey_stewart's review against another edition
4.0
Reading this series in only slightly interrupted sequence is strange, because it becomes very clear that while they are a series, the books are largely isolated from each other: what happens in one does not necessarily affect what happens in the next. A cat which figures prominently in The Man Who Cast Two Shadows and seems to have been adopted by Mallory is gone without trace or mention in the next book. Another case of unrequited love (besides Charles's, that is), disappears below the surface. A major fire in one book has little impact on the next, or those after. Long story short, the relationships – and, in fact, the characters' ages, as far as I can tell – remain static. Which detracts from an otherwise powerful and affecting book in Dead Famous.
Carol O'Connell is a past mistress of (to use a poker metaphor in keeping with the Tuesday games of Kathy's fan club) keeping her cards close to the vest, of anteing up in small increments until suddenly a stunning hand is revealed and she scoops up the pot. My brother plays cards like this: in a game (not poker) in which you're supposed to go down as quickly as possible with three of a kind, he likes to hang on to all of his cards, maintaining his poker face, risk getting caught with a handful of high-value cards, and go down all at once with a fan of matched cards, and one in the middle, and he's out before the rest of us know what hit us. This is so far the best example of O'Connell's poker face. There was a trial, we know – a murder trial with unshakeable evidence against the defendant. There was a Not Guilty verdict which shocked the nation. And now the jurors are being hunted and killed, one by one. Who was on the jury, who the defendant was, what the mystery is that Johanna Apollo carries around with her, and why – if there is a sane reason – the British-born shock jock Ian Zachary is playing the games he is playing with the remaining jurors' lives - - these are all questions left unanswered far past the point of ordinary plot suspense. I think with a great many writers that fact would have resulted in a wall-banger – there's a fine, fine line between suspense and frustration – but Carol O'Connell can pull it off. Her writing is compelling, and the need to know outweighs the less pleasant aspects of the wait.
Is the payoff worth it in the end? Yes and no. The ending is, really, the only one feasible within the Mallory universe, and there is an oomph to it that is gratifying. But personal matters for several characters do not work out as might be hoped … and part of the sadness that accompanies this for a long-term reader is the probability that – just as the rookie cop from the last book (whom I hoped would be a new recurring character) disappeared, and the cat "Nose" before him – nothing that happens in these pages will carry over into the books that follow.
The patterns each book follows become glaring after so many back to back. While I do still very much enjoy O'Connell's style and the characters, by this point it's hard not to eyeroll a little at the secrets kept by the characters from the reader, or at Mallory subverting authority again, or gosh there was some past occurrence five or fifteen or twenty years ago from which this story stems. Each book on its own is excellent. Taken sequentially, they lose something. So I guess my conclusion is: read these books, because they're very good – but don't ingest the series in a lump.
Carol O'Connell is a past mistress of (to use a poker metaphor in keeping with the Tuesday games of Kathy's fan club) keeping her cards close to the vest, of anteing up in small increments until suddenly a stunning hand is revealed and she scoops up the pot. My brother plays cards like this: in a game (not poker) in which you're supposed to go down as quickly as possible with three of a kind, he likes to hang on to all of his cards, maintaining his poker face, risk getting caught with a handful of high-value cards, and go down all at once with a fan of matched cards, and one in the middle, and he's out before the rest of us know what hit us. This is so far the best example of O'Connell's poker face. There was a trial, we know – a murder trial with unshakeable evidence against the defendant. There was a Not Guilty verdict which shocked the nation. And now the jurors are being hunted and killed, one by one. Who was on the jury, who the defendant was, what the mystery is that Johanna Apollo carries around with her, and why – if there is a sane reason – the British-born shock jock Ian Zachary is playing the games he is playing with the remaining jurors' lives - - these are all questions left unanswered far past the point of ordinary plot suspense. I think with a great many writers that fact would have resulted in a wall-banger – there's a fine, fine line between suspense and frustration – but Carol O'Connell can pull it off. Her writing is compelling, and the need to know outweighs the less pleasant aspects of the wait.
Is the payoff worth it in the end? Yes and no. The ending is, really, the only one feasible within the Mallory universe, and there is an oomph to it that is gratifying. But personal matters for several characters do not work out as might be hoped … and part of the sadness that accompanies this for a long-term reader is the probability that – just as the rookie cop from the last book (whom I hoped would be a new recurring character) disappeared, and the cat "Nose" before him – nothing that happens in these pages will carry over into the books that follow.
The patterns each book follows become glaring after so many back to back. While I do still very much enjoy O'Connell's style and the characters, by this point it's hard not to eyeroll a little at the secrets kept by the characters from the reader, or at Mallory subverting authority again, or gosh there was some past occurrence five or fifteen or twenty years ago from which this story stems. Each book on its own is excellent. Taken sequentially, they lose something. So I guess my conclusion is: read these books, because they're very good – but don't ingest the series in a lump.
thebeardedpoet's review against another edition
2.0
We ceased reading this one at p. 120 and had no interest in picking it back up. For us Mallory and her supporting cast have run their course.
trisha76's review against another edition
4.0
Na een unanieme, maar zeer dubieuze vrijspraak in een moordzaak, worden de juryleden een voor een vermoord door iemand die bekend staat als 'de man met de Zeis' vanwege zijn bloederige signatuur die hij achterlaat op de plaats des onheils. De laatste drie juryleden houden zich doodsbang schuil.
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Een apart geschreven boek. Je leeft mee met de hoofdpersonen Riker en Mallory. Je voelt je nekharen soms omhoog staan als Mallory bezig is. Maar je voelt ook medelijden met haar en met de personen om haar heen.
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Over Carol O'Connell is weinig bekend. Ze is in de Verenigde Staten geboren in het jaar 1947. Studeerde aan California Institute of Arts/Chouinard en aan de Universiteit van Arizona. Ze woont in New York. Haar laatste boek is verschenen in 2010.
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Boekinformatie:
Uitgeverij : Uitgeverij M
Isbn : 90.225.3836.2
303 pagina's; Paperback
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Een apart geschreven boek. Je leeft mee met de hoofdpersonen Riker en Mallory. Je voelt je nekharen soms omhoog staan als Mallory bezig is. Maar je voelt ook medelijden met haar en met de personen om haar heen.
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Over Carol O'Connell is weinig bekend. Ze is in de Verenigde Staten geboren in het jaar 1947. Studeerde aan California Institute of Arts/Chouinard en aan de Universiteit van Arizona. Ze woont in New York. Haar laatste boek is verschenen in 2010.
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Boekinformatie:
Uitgeverij : Uitgeverij M
Isbn : 90.225.3836.2
303 pagina's; Paperback
jeremyhornik's review against another edition
3.0
These Mallory books are like opera plots: gloriously overcomplicated and wildly unrealistic, with an overheated emotional core. Really trashy and intense. This one is all grief, PTSD, and loss.
I’m a fan.
I’m a fan.
writerlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Wonderful thriller that doesn't pull any punches and is true until the very end to the characters and to the plot. A really good thriller. You will find the original version "The jury must die" in libraries since it's almost out of print. ETA: I've found it also under another name: Dead Famous which is available in bookstores.
geohiker's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely love this series in these early books. And this audiobook reader is wonderful.
sunnid's review
5.0
I am a huge O'Connell fan and after being disappointed with "Crime School" I wanted to say I'm delighted that she is more than back in stride with "Dead Famous." I was worried that the huge popularity of Mallory would force O'Connell into a corner...not being allowed the freedom to weave her wonderful stories in the way she knows best (don't forget the gripping non-Mallory "Judas Child" ). But by switching the focus to Riker in this novel, she has let her readers have another white-knuckle ride through a fabulous plot with a bit of Mallory and Charles blended in. She creates the most complex, fascinating characters. You learn so much more about Riker and truly are drawn to mysterious Johanna. It is a very intense, rich and emotional story.
audreyintheheadphones's review
3.0
It's a problem for authors when they write really phenomenal books: sometimes, other books they write are simply good, and that can feel disappointing.
This is a decent installation of the Mallory series, which is good, but it's just not as good as others in the series, such as [b:The Chalk Girl|10856198|The Chalk Girl (Kathleen Mallory, #10)|Carol O'Connell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331237667s/10856198.jpg|15497929] or [b:Shell Game|434021|Shell Game (Kathleen Mallory, #5)|Carol O'Connell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1326499506s/434021.jpg|699598]. The central mystery is good and chewy and makes you think about free speech, the FCC and social media. It has a fascinating and complex heroine.
And it also features a wounded and lovelorn Riker, which I'm not a fan of, and there's far too little Mallory. Everyone shows up like clockwork, which is nice, but... not great. But the other thing about authors who write really phenomenal books is that even good keeps you reading.
This is a decent installation of the Mallory series, which is good, but it's just not as good as others in the series, such as [b:The Chalk Girl|10856198|The Chalk Girl (Kathleen Mallory, #10)|Carol O'Connell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331237667s/10856198.jpg|15497929] or [b:Shell Game|434021|Shell Game (Kathleen Mallory, #5)|Carol O'Connell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1326499506s/434021.jpg|699598]. The central mystery is good and chewy and makes you think about free speech, the FCC and social media. It has a fascinating and complex heroine.
And it also features a wounded and lovelorn Riker, which I'm not a fan of, and there's far too little Mallory. Everyone shows up like clockwork, which is nice, but... not great. But the other thing about authors who write really phenomenal books is that even good keeps you reading.
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