Memorable Quotation: ""Robertson." I nodded at the uniform. "Sorry to hear about your dad." He shrugged. "He was seventy and we always knew fast food would kill him." "Heart attack?" "He was hit by a Pizza Express truck." (pg. 5)
Grade: A
Written with the fast pace of a James Patterson novel and the thoroughness of an actual crime investigation, J.A. Konrath enraptures his audience from beginning to end with his debut murder mystery, Whiskey Sour. This first installment in the Jack Daniels mystery series follows Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels (whose cleverness and dedication to her job can be associated with The Closer's Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson) and Daniels search for the twisted serial killer dubbed "The Gingerbread Man." Through the eyes of both Jack and the killer himself, the reader is given a new experience in reading a murder mystery, in that there are no loose ends to contemplate over and watching as the cat and mouse game between cop and killer continuously changes as to who is really hunting who.
The thoroughness Konrath writes with is a double-edged sword because although his style pulls the reader into the story, sometimes he gets carried away with the graphic details that could be left to the imagination i.e. the specifics of the crimes that are committed. To counterbalance the explicit imagery Konrath creates, the puns and one-liners he incorporates into the dialogue are original and add some spice to what could easily be an everyday murder case.
The way the ending is rapped up is very clever, although it is important to keep in mind this is not the typical "who done it" crime novel. What makes this novel so different, so extraordinary from other novels in its genre is being given the ability to read the thoughts of both the cop and the killer, which creates a sort of relationship with the reader. Although certain details could have been left unsaid, this novel is ready to amaze by giving the first real look into what it is like to be stuck not knowing if you are the hunter or the hunted.
My next book review is coming soon! Until then, happy reading and take care!
~Shelly-Beans
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