The Chalk Girl

A Mallory Novel, Book 10

By: Carol O'Connell

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Best Thriller/Suspense Category, 2013

New York Times best-selling author Carol O’Connell has won a wide fan base with her popular novels starring NYPD detective Kathy Mallory. In The Chalk Girl, a little girl is abandoned in Central Park—with her uncle’s body in a tree not far away. Recognizing a kindred spirit in the girl, Mallory takes the case. But her investigation soon leads to a trail of murder and blackmail spanning 15 years.

©2011 Carol O'Connell (P)2012 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"[A] rich, character-driven series." ( Library Journal)

Got a love/hate relationship with this series

I have to read every book because I keep waiting for the happy ending tied with a big red bow. Ain't gonna happen, but the journey is a wild ride. With this one, start from the first book. It's worth it.

Confusing but suspenseful

The one character that held my attention was the main one: Mallory. She’s a robot kind of woman who is great at her job. For the human side of the story the writer relies on a collection of males and they are stock characters and I have a hard time telling them apart. The strength of this is the bizarre story line.

Could not get into this at all

Looked forward to reading this and sampling this series but simply could not get engrossed in story or characters.

Love this series but wrong narrator

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

a better narration

Who was your favorite character and why?

Riker-I think he's more complex than Mallory. Simple loyalty can carry the day but why good people put up with such damaged personalities is very compelling.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Worst narration I've experienced in 15 years of being an Audible subscriber. Accents and inflections were cheesy and maddeningly repetitive with no subtlety or variation of nuance. 95% of my listening time is during my commute and when a narrator starts a paragraph or sentence on a clear moderate tone then drops down to inaudible near whisper, half of the writing is lost. I really like this series but cannot stand to listen to this narration.

Any additional comments?

please change narrator

Disgusting story

Any additional comments?

I found this story delved into the darkest and most perverted areas of the criminal mind and was quite disturbing. Therefore, it was not enjoyable or entertaining to me in the least. I deleted it after I realized it was getting increasingly sick. I will not be ordering any more by this author. However, the narrator did a good job, as usual. I especially like Rosenblat in the Mrs. Polifax series.

Pedophiles AND rats!

What would have made The Chalk Girl better?

We have been members for several years and yet only now do I feel compelled to write a review. The subject matter is pure horror for me. The first few chapters I tried to fast forward through the gruesome parts but like a bad dream it never moved on-so I did. If pedophiles and rats don't appeal, then give this one a pass.

Any additional comments?

Depressing and Violent

Yikes, this book is unrelenting in it's violence. I usually like Barbara Rosenblat, but her monotone delivery of the young boy's dialogue at the beginning of each chapter was so depressing I had to start fast forwarding through them. I find nothing redeeming in the character of Mallory. I was just a real chore to get through this book and it left me feeling empty and sad. I don't think I'll try this author again.