Bloody Mary

By: J. A. Konrath

Narrated by: Dick Hill, Susie Breck

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

Start with a tough but vulnerable Chicago cop. Stir in a psychopath with a unique mental condition that programs him to kill. Add a hyperactive cat, an ailing mother, a jealous boyfriend, a high-maintenance ex-husband, and a partner in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Mix with equal parts humor and suspense, and enjoy Bloody Mary.

When Jack receives a report of an excess of body parts appearing at the Cook County Morgue, she hopes it’s only a miscount. It’s not. Even worse, these extra limbs seem to be accessorized with Jack’s handcuffs.

Someone has plans for Jack. Very bad plans. Plans that involve everything and everyone that she cares about.

Jack must put her train wreck of a personal life on hold to catch an elusive, brilliant maniac—a maniac for whom getting caught is only the beginning…

Crack another case with Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels.

©2005 J.A. Konrath; 2005 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Good series but GRAPHIC violence.

This is book two in the Jack Daniels series and delves deeper into Jack's personal life with the presence of her mother and her ex-husband who comes back to Chicago.

As with book one there is extreme graphic violence written in way more detail than is required so if you are squeamish I would stay away from this series.

Jack has a lot of personal ups and downs in this book and as a result is more emotional than in the previous book and yes she does break down and cry but in the context of the story there is good reason for her response so I don't think she should be faulted for it. Cops are human too - I would be concerned if she wasn't bothered by the sick things that the serial killer does and gets away with in parts of this book.

GREAT

GREAT BOOK EASY LISTENING. LOVE THE PLOT. CANT GO WRONG WITH KONRATH.

No complaints! It's a great series

Jack Daniels and crew are such a great bunch, you never know who is going to pop in for their debut. This story has it's elusive serial killer, identity appearing half way through the book, and Jack again becoming a target. She just gets under these guys skin for some reason.
The killer almost seems to be a side story for me, cause I just love the main cast of characters. Jack, Herb, Harry keep the story rolling with personal lives that are sometimes a hoot, and the next minute you're feeling their pain.
Jack's life seems to be a believable one, dedicated to her job, but wanting a personal life and things never seem to work out for her. When she does find happiness, a wrench always gets thrown in.
Intriguing characters, lots of suspense and action makes this series a winner.

Pour Me Another

Would you listen to Bloody Mary again? Why?

Yes. J.A. Konrath is a pro at writing a hard boiled mystery but his special weapon is his comedic talent. It is the perfect companion to the violence cops face each day. This man has literally had me laughing out loud throughout this book and the first one in the series - Whiskey Sour. I will indeed listen again in the future for any hidden gems I might have missed this time round.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bloody Mary?

I love the relationship between Jack and her partner.

What does Dick Hill and Susie Breck bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Dick Hill always brings a great experience & Susie Breck has become Jack Daniels. And she had to earn that from me. I wasn't sure I liked her in the beginning. But she is just right.
Dick Hill is a master story teller. I can actually see the facial expressions from his voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't like to talk story line. I think it could easily be a spoiler and I do not want to rob anyone of their enjoyment of this book.

Any additional comments?

Yes. J.A. Konrath doesn't squander words. He isn't a writter who uses filler, for which I am grateful. But know this, he can express more and paint a picture of each scene better than 100 other authors who use 3 times the words. Consequently, I am able to visualize what is happening as it I were a fly on the wall. I'm off to start Rusty Nail, the 3rd book in this series.

Strong second book in a promising series

I've read a couple of reviews complaining of the graphic violence in these books. They are definitely crime drama fiction and so far at least have contained chapters written from both the mc's perspective and that of the featured killers. I don't think they are any more violent or graphic than other similar series, however, they are "serious" - crime and character driven books and while there is *some* comic relief, that is not the over-arching tone of these novels. As a fan of television procedural drama's like CSI and Criminal Minds, I have enjoyed the series so far and not found it to be overly graphic. If that is not where your tastes run, it might be a different story.

There were a couple of things that I didn't much like in this book - the introduction of the cat and the street drugs both spring to mind. I get why they are there, but I think the story and the characters would have done just fine without them.

There were a lot more things that I really liked about the book. There are times when some of the ancillary characters almost feel cartoonish - or maybe just a little *too* archetypal. I particularly enjoyed watching one of those characters emerge into a more fully formed friend as this story progressed. I am seeing how the writing and revealing of these characters very much emulates some rt interactions. I judged them at first glance, assessing their appearance and their broad strokes and now I am getting to know them better with time, peering beneath their appearance and "public" faces to learn more about who they really are. I appreciate an author who can capture my interest and keep me reading in this way.

Looking forward to moving on to book 3.

Great Writing with too many BAD turns

This writing is fabulous even captivating but the continual violence that is meaningless and not related to the plot ruins it completely. It takes a perfectly enjoyable book and makes it total CRAP! The violence against elderly side-plot characters is gratuitous at best and just plain mean at worst! I kept thinking it was a mistake and that it would all work out fine in the end but it just didn???t end. Don???t waste your time on this series, the writer has no perspective on good vs. evil.

Beware! Graphic violence and weak heroine.

The premise for the book of a hard boiled, sarcastic, women detective was a good idea. However, the constant reference to her partner Herb, and his disgusting eating habits gets old real fast. The incredible amount of exteme violence especially to woman and children, was not needed to move the plot along. I actually would fast forward through the graphic, sick violence, hoping the book would get better. Not to disapoint, the book got worse! Jack Daniels is supposed to be a trained, experienced hardened cop able to defend herself and other. When others are in grave danger, all she does is sit on the kitchen floor and sobs! Next, the scene at the warehouse was staight out of a Saturday morning cartoon where the herione, lays sobbing helplessly while harm is being done to others! "Please!" I turned to book off right after that scene. And, I so regret oredering the series, and wish I could exchange this horrific series for a well written, beleiveable cop story, with a stronge female character, not one who lies sobbing on the floor.

Five Stars

Great read. So much fun. Entertaining and unputdownable. Excellent narration! I loved it start to finish.

Love This Series!

Jack Daniels is one tough woman and closed off. She has people and at least one friend but a life it dont make. All while hunting killers. I love the flow of these Characters. Enjoy

Eye rolling

I don’t know anything about the author, but wonder about his creative penchant for extreme torture murder....
I like his characters, his police tactics seem solid. But in three books in a row the serial killers go after the primary character. A little improbable and annoying.
I’m almost done with the third one - the writing, which is good, got progressively better while the main character, who is supposedly not very trusting keeps making ridiculous trust decisions.
I don’t think I can listen to another one.

Brilliant

Great story brought to life with fantastic narration! Hats off to Mr Konrath, Hill and Ms Breck! I bought the whole series based on this!