Bloody Mary by J.A. Konrath

Genre:  Murder Mystery/ Fiction
Date of Publication: February 4th, 2013                                                                            
Memorable Quotation: "Life, she said, "isn't a race that can be won.  The end is the same for all of us- we die...it's not about winning the race, Jacqueine. It's about how well you run." (pg. 227-228)
Similar Titles: Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath and The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson

Lasting Impression:  Although Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels is as sensational as ever, the title “Bloody Mary” certainly lives up to it’s name by having an unnecessary amount gore and violence that may turn a lot of readers away.

Storyline: B-
Pace: A
Characters: A+
Ending: C-
Overall: B  

*NOTE:* Even though this review received a B, this novel’s negatives outway the positives. The only reason this novel received such a high grade was because I liked the story; it was a comment the author said that really made the novel worse but I will explain that in a minute.

Let’s start with the storyline, which was great, especially because the characters were the same one’s from Konrath’s first novel, Whiskey Sour. The story opens with Lieutenant Daniels working on another spine tingling case, with a killer leaving random body parts with a piece of Daniels’ belongings in various places around the Chicago area. You find out early that this time, the murderer is a fellow cop and things get even more complicated when the cop blames his poor actions on a brain tumor that was recently found, but Daniel’s gut tells her otherwise.  As she tries to prove the truth, things become messier as the corrupted cop comes after her with a bloodthirsty vengeance, which means Daniels must dig deep to fight off not only the killer but also her personal demons that could lead her to her demise.

Konrath’s characters are painfully realistic and the dual narratives between the cop and the killer, once again, give the novel a great, full bodied feel. BUT, as I said before, the negatives REALLY outway the positives in this one.  

It’s always a bad sign when you turn the page toward the end of a novel and realize the book is over, and you think, “That’s it? That’s the ending?” Similar to The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson, the ending is rushed and sloppy; no closure brought to anything, including the whereabouts of the characters or an idea of what will occur in the novel to come.  Now usually, a novel that has a poor ending can get away with a good rating, but this novel has a bigger problem. 

I’m not a big fan of gore, but I can deal with it better in novels than I can in film. I say this because in the introduction of this novel, Konrath writes, “…a word on graphic violence. These books have none. Though Jack chases some very nasty villains, the violence happens off the page. It’s horrible, but not gratuitous. So if you think the books are too descriptive, it’s actually your imagination filling in the nasty parts.” So as a reader, I take that as fair warning that there may be references to the killings, and I appreciate the forewarning.  

So, I go on to reading and soon see that Konrath was WRONG.  The scene that I learned how deceitful Konrath was is on pg. 41. Please, dear reader, please let me know if this scene sounds like a piece of graphic violence that “happens off the page." 

The killer had taken an escort into his private "plastic" room and described how, "Severing her head is harder than he'd have guessed.  He has to prop his knee up against her back for leverage, and then use a sawing motion with the garrote to get through the spine."

HOW CAN YOU JUST ‘IMAGINE’ THAT?! Those are some pretty DIRECT images, and even though I know I would have been disturbed by them either way, I am even more disturbed at the fact that the Konrath says that he is not putting those images into his reader’s heads; their IMAGINATION is! 

It pains me to give Bloody Mary such a bad review when I liked Whiskey Sour so much more, but it isn’t the novel’s fault; the characters did what they were told.  Konrath needs to get back on his game and stop giving false evidence of what his books contain, or else his readers are going to start dropping like the poor victim’s of his killers.

-Shelly-Beans

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Genre: Mystery/Literature

Date of Publication: August 20th, 2013

Memorable Quote: "...Cordova could no more be held responsible for Any Andrews gruesome death than the beef industry giving Americans fate heart attacks.  As much as some people would like to believe, for their own peace of mind that the appearance of evil in this world had a clean cause, the truth was never that simple." (pg. 29)

If you liked these, you'll like this: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder and Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Lasting Impression:  Pessl displays an emotion in her writing and characters that is so life like, so easy to connect with, that by the end I swore I had seen all of Cordova's films and he was a real director. 

Storyline: A+

Pace: A

Characters: A+

Ending: A
Overall: A

This is the most visual novel I have ever read. Literally! The evidence, articles, and pictures Pessl displays through the story gives the book a credibility that really made me second guess if this was a work of fiction or not.

The story is centered around Scott McGrath, an interrogative reporter who questions the sudden suicide of cult film director Stanislas Cordova's daughter, Ashley.  With two unlikely companions, McGrath scours New York City for answers but as things get out of control, he realizes that some mysteries are best left unsolved.

Scott's first person narrative was very easy to follow and even though every character was fantastic, Scott McGrath was extremely interesting because of the transformation he makes through the events that happen over the course of the book.  You could say that about any "coming of age" story, but the richness in detail and the way Scott's perspective and narrative changes as the story progresses is quite an accomplishment.

The only problem I had with the story was that all of the evidence McGrath and his comrades find is never collectively put together; like jigsaw pieces that never fit altogether perfectly to display the whole picture.

Besides that small piece of negativity, I am truly amazed with what Pessl has created, especially with the creativity behind creating Cordova and his beautiful yet horrifying films that can only be properly described by "Cordovites" as sovereign. deadly. perfect.

-Shelly-Beans