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book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Audio book performed by Dick Hill and Susie Breck (who is not credited on the cover)
Second in a series. It starts when Chicago Police Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels gets a report of extra body parts appearing at the Cook County Morgue. When she and her partner go to investigate, they discover two severed arms, linked by handcuffs – Jack’s handcuffs. Soon the police discover what the reader knows already – there’s a maniacally clever serial killer on the loose. And he has special plans for Jack Daniels.
Konrath writes a thrilling tale that moves quickly and keeps the reader turning pages (or changing CDs). I like that Lieutenant Daniels is strong and self-sufficient. I’m not so keen on her wishy-washy attitude towards the men in her life. There are a few unnecessary distractions – what’s with the crazy guy in the restaurant? And I thought the ending was somewhat rushed. But on the whole the work is tightly written and I was happy to go along for the ride.
Dick Hill and Susie Breck do a good job performing the CD. Hill is appropriately gruff or oily, depending on the male he is voicing. Brecht is great as Jack Daniels. Both read with a good pace, keeping the listener interested.
Second in a series. It starts when Chicago Police Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels gets a report of extra body parts appearing at the Cook County Morgue. When she and her partner go to investigate, they discover two severed arms, linked by handcuffs – Jack’s handcuffs. Soon the police discover what the reader knows already – there’s a maniacally clever serial killer on the loose. And he has special plans for Jack Daniels.
Konrath writes a thrilling tale that moves quickly and keeps the reader turning pages (or changing CDs). I like that Lieutenant Daniels is strong and self-sufficient. I’m not so keen on her wishy-washy attitude towards the men in her life. There are a few unnecessary distractions – what’s with the crazy guy in the restaurant? And I thought the ending was somewhat rushed. But on the whole the work is tightly written and I was happy to go along for the ride.
Dick Hill and Susie Breck do a good job performing the CD. Hill is appropriately gruff or oily, depending on the male he is voicing. Brecht is great as Jack Daniels. Both read with a good pace, keeping the listener interested.
its_thursday's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It's the first one I've read in the series but it stands up well on it's own. The characters were well written and the dialogue was sharp. It appreciated that there was character development outside of the serial killer plot line. Oftentimes with books of this sort, it seems that the characters solely exist within the case they're working on. This book had a perfect balance between the excitement of the case and the details of Jack's personal life.
The only issue I had with the book was the disclaimer at the beginning that said something about the violence always occurring off the page. That seems like a pretty bold claim for a book that describes a lunatic on a killing spree and most definitely does describe the violent acts. Regardless, I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in this series.
The only issue I had with the book was the disclaimer at the beginning that said something about the violence always occurring off the page. That seems like a pretty bold claim for a book that describes a lunatic on a killing spree and most definitely does describe the violent acts. Regardless, I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in this series.
maitland's review against another edition
4.0
Bloody Mary (Jack Daniels #2)
Synopsis
In the second entry of the Jack Daniels Mysteries, Jack is in a pretty good place with her boyfriend. But all that changes when her elderly mother falls in the shower, her ex-husband shows up, and a serial killer starts leaving body parts around Chicago. And accompanying the body parts are items that hit close to home for Jack.
Review
Like the first entry in the series, I had a great time reading this book. Jack remains a fun character to read about. She is good at her job but she is human and makes mistakes both in her professional and her personal life making her easy to relate to and root for. I didn't find this book as funny as the first, but I did find it much more of a thriller. A sense of impending injustice and danger drives much of this book and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. The pace of the book quickly builds and doesn't let up until the very end.
While not as funny as the first entry, it certainly still had its moments thanks to characters like Daniels, Harry McGlade, and a new feline introduced in this novel. I laughed out loud while reading, I grew frustrated (in a good way) at times with characters including Jack. At one point I exclaimed out loud “What are you doing?!” (The character I was addressing did not acknowledge me) as they navigated their professional and personal lives.
The villain in this book, at least to me, was not as creepy as the villain in the first book but was much more menacing. I was much more worried for the safety of Daniels and those in her social circle in this book than I was in the last. The villain was just the right amount of methodical, unpredictable, and crazy. Konrath is disturbingly good at creating bad guys and writing about their terrible crimes.
I really enjoyed this book and if you enjoy thrillers, suspense novels, and books about cops and serial killers then this is one to check out. You do not need to have read the first book (Whiskey Sour) to read and enjoy this book.
As with the first entry in the Jack Daniels series, this book contains graphic descriptions of violence so if that is something you have trouble with then steer clear.
Synopsis
In the second entry of the Jack Daniels Mysteries, Jack is in a pretty good place with her boyfriend. But all that changes when her elderly mother falls in the shower, her ex-husband shows up, and a serial killer starts leaving body parts around Chicago. And accompanying the body parts are items that hit close to home for Jack.
Review
Like the first entry in the series, I had a great time reading this book. Jack remains a fun character to read about. She is good at her job but she is human and makes mistakes both in her professional and her personal life making her easy to relate to and root for. I didn't find this book as funny as the first, but I did find it much more of a thriller. A sense of impending injustice and danger drives much of this book and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. The pace of the book quickly builds and doesn't let up until the very end.
While not as funny as the first entry, it certainly still had its moments thanks to characters like Daniels, Harry McGlade, and a new feline introduced in this novel. I laughed out loud while reading, I grew frustrated (in a good way) at times with characters including Jack. At one point I exclaimed out loud “What are you doing?!” (The character I was addressing did not acknowledge me) as they navigated their professional and personal lives.
The villain in this book, at least to me, was not as creepy as the villain in the first book but was much more menacing. I was much more worried for the safety of Daniels and those in her social circle in this book than I was in the last. The villain was just the right amount of methodical, unpredictable, and crazy. Konrath is disturbingly good at creating bad guys and writing about their terrible crimes.
I really enjoyed this book and if you enjoy thrillers, suspense novels, and books about cops and serial killers then this is one to check out. You do not need to have read the first book (Whiskey Sour) to read and enjoy this book.
As with the first entry in the Jack Daniels series, this book contains graphic descriptions of violence so if that is something you have trouble with then steer clear.
ruthypoo2's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is another great installment in the series that features detective Lieutenant Jack Daniels, but only the second one I've read. I like all the characters and the crime stories are good. There's just enough content about Jack's personal life to fill in the story without overtaking the focus of crime solving. In fact, her police work has a tendency to bleed into Jack's personal life in many unhealthy ways. Lots of laugh out loud moments and I truly like all the characters in the book, including family, friend, colleague, and other, or at least find them interesting/amusing; they contribute to the story.
One drawback for me is the fat bashing content. One of the characters is Jack's overweight partner, Detective Herb Benedict, and both Jack and her ex-partner, P.I. Harry McGlade, take cheap shots at Herb by cracking fat jokes throughout the book as well as making demeaning offhanded comments about Herb's weight that aren't intended to be funny, just critical. I'm not overly triggered by anything; I just find it very juvenile and condescending how a police lieutenant allows and participates in fat shaming behavior that to me seems over the top in its frequency.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited where I listened to the audiobook while reading along on the electronic edition. The two narrators, Susie Breck and Dick Hill, make the audiobook such an entertaining performance, I hope they are contracted to read every book that's part of the Jack Daniels series. Their narrations are stylized to fit perfectly into the world of this series and they deliver lines with personality and wit to create charming and humorous individuals.
One drawback for me is the fat bashing content. One of the characters is Jack's overweight partner, Detective Herb Benedict, and both Jack and her ex-partner, P.I. Harry McGlade, take cheap shots at Herb by cracking fat jokes throughout the book as well as making demeaning offhanded comments about Herb's weight that aren't intended to be funny, just critical. I'm not overly triggered by anything; I just find it very juvenile and condescending how a police lieutenant allows and participates in fat shaming behavior that to me seems over the top in its frequency.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited where I listened to the audiobook while reading along on the electronic edition. The two narrators, Susie Breck and Dick Hill, make the audiobook such an entertaining performance, I hope they are contracted to read every book that's part of the Jack Daniels series. Their narrations are stylized to fit perfectly into the world of this series and they deliver lines with personality and wit to create charming and humorous individuals.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body shaming, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Medical content
wrathofglasses's review against another edition
3.0
Not the best I have ever read but it definitely wasn't the worst. I think the characters are well developed and there's a good mix between a fast and slow paced plot. Unfortunately some of the characters read a little flat for my taste.
books_n_critters's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great book. I'd never heard of J.A. Konrath before, and I stumbled across this series on Amazon and the book titles, as well as the series title got my attention. I'm glad they did! The more I get to know Jack, the more I like her. I like Herb, too, and I hope I get to know Jack's mom better too. I love Mr. Friskers! I hope he'll be sticking around.
justlily's review against another edition
4.0
First book of 2018 and we're off to a good start! I take my series slow, preferring to space out the books by quite a long ways and enjoy it longer than reading them all back to back. So it's been a bit of time since I read Whiskey Sour and I wasn't sure how I'd end up feeling about the second book, Bloody Mary.
What I found is a super fast paced murder mystery with great side stories about the characters aside from their police work. I even laughed out loud a couple times, something unexpected for a book that didn't lack gore filled death scenes. There were a couple places where I rolled my eyes because let's be honest, the author is a man writing a female main character and men are notorious for...being themselves. But overall, I did find Jack to be really likable in all her flaws and a badass on top of that.
Definitely continuing on to the third book in the series at some point.
What I found is a super fast paced murder mystery with great side stories about the characters aside from their police work. I even laughed out loud a couple times, something unexpected for a book that didn't lack gore filled death scenes. There were a couple places where I rolled my eyes because let's be honest, the author is a man writing a female main character and men are notorious for...being themselves. But overall, I did find Jack to be really likable in all her flaws and a badass on top of that.
Definitely continuing on to the third book in the series at some point.
bikes_books_yarn's review against another edition
3.0
A little more court room drama in this one than I normally like - but it was still enjoyable.
hoserlauren's review against another edition
4.0
In the second book Lieutenant Jacqueline (Jack) Daniels, this book finds her hunting someone that is leaving body parts lying around the morgue attached to Jack's handcuffs. Since this person has access to the morgue and Jack's handcuffs, could they be a cop? While trying to solve the case, Jack is called away to Florida because her mother is in the hospital. Jack tries to convince her mom to move in with her in Chicago but mom wants nothing to do with it.
Between her personal life and this case that has a connection to her, Jack's life is a mess. These books are fun, but slightly more serious than the Evanovich number series. I remember really liking the first book, though it was a while ago that I read it, and this one was just as good.
I look forward to reading more about Jack - both her personal life and solving crimes.
Between her personal life and this case that has a connection to her, Jack's life is a mess. These books are fun, but slightly more serious than the Evanovich number series. I remember really liking the first book, though it was a while ago that I read it, and this one was just as good.
I look forward to reading more about Jack - both her personal life and solving crimes.