Product Description
Lee Child, David Morrell, and M.J. Rose all agree: Jack Daniels is the one to watch! Anthony Award finalist J.A. Konrath’s latest novel featuring the feisty female police detective serves up another thriller Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels of the Chicago Police Department is back, and once again she’s up to her Armani in murder. Someone is sending Jack snuff videos. The victims are people she knows, and they share a common trait -- all were involved in o... More >>
I'm sorry I bought this. I couldn't read more than 30 pages. Between the horrific depiction of torture and the juvenile repetition of a character's discomfort at using a colon-cleaning liquid, I couldn't stomach any more. The author needs therapy, not a book contract.
Rating: 1 / 5
The official hype says that J.A. Konrath's thrillers deliver both big scares and big laughs, and that's true. But I also enjoyed the author's first two books- "Whiskey Sour" and "Bloody Mary"- because in addition to the scares and the laughs, Konrath effectively delivered what I can only call "heart". That is, he's very good at showing characters being nice to each other, helping each other out, and dramatizing nice things happening in their lives. I don't know about other readers, but those "warm" scenes in the first two books resonated for me just as much as the blood and the chuckles.
Unfortunately, Konrath pulled back big time with the "heart" scenes this time, and ratcheted up the scares, laughs, and relentless pace. The "heart" isn't totally gone... in the two or three brief instances where he shows one character reaching out to another or something good happening in a character's life, it's effective. But I wanted a little more of that sort of thing. After all, laughs and scares are entertaining story elements, but- on their own- ultimately they're shallow ones. It's the heart that brings the depth and seasoning to the brew.
But, make no mistake, "Rusty Nail" is still a fast, fun, entertaining read. But for my taste it was a little slick and impersonal, unlike the first two entries in this series. But I'm still onboard for the next book, "Dirty Martini", when that comes out. I'm just hoping that the fourth entry in the series is more of a satisfying entree than a tasty but ultimately not very nutritious dessert.
Rating: 3 / 5
RUSTY NAIL, the third novel in the popular Lieutenant Jacqueline Daniels Mystery Novels by J.A. Konrath was just a little harder to swallow this round.
Could it be that I am jaded and bitter and tired of "franchise" characters? Possibly, I am an angry man. But the truth is, the novelty has worn off. Jack has always been about mixing the chills and laughs and this novel delivers in spades. I just found myself not as interested.
"Nail" is almost a direct sequel to "Whiskey Sour", Konrath's first forray into the sleep deprived world of Daniels. The detective and her overweight partner investigate a killer mimicking the work of the Gingerbread Man, Jack's adversary from "Whiskey".
To keep things fresh Konrath pulls out the stops and delivers what he does best...gore. The scenes of binding and torture are cringe-worthy and excruciating to read let alone imagining it actually happening. The kills are awesome and intense and there is plenty of action strewn throughout to make this a true page-turner.
Konrath though seems to be running out of ideas, each story is almost the sameas the last and it would be interesting to see the author stray from his tried and true formula of police procedural and deliver a truly horrifying Jack yarn.
Comedy is essential in this series but how many fat jokes, outfit funnies and sarcastic wit can we read before it begins sounding all too familiar? I don't ever want to feel complacent towards a franchise character and that's the direction this outing had me leaning.
On the plus side, each JD novel is like a homecomming. Finding yourself surrounded by a cast of dysfunctional characters that seem as familiar as people in your everyday life is comforting and Konrath's characters are old friends that no matter how much time has passed remain true to who they are. They are more real than some people I actually know.
The biggest disappointment is the "twist" ending when the killer is revealed. There is an old formula when solving murder mysteries. Eliminate all the regular characters from the equation as they are clearly not the killer and of the remaining supporting cast the killer therein will lie. The main problem is when the reader eliminates all the main characters in this story there is only one character remaining and that is a lonely spot to be when you're a killer.
For fans of Konrath "Nail" will not disappoint, it's more of what he does best: shocks, twists, blood and laughs all wrapped up into a nice package that is a quick read.
Rating: 3 / 5
Good Stuff:
This one did keep me just as enthralled as the first two. I absolutely LOVE Jack Daniels as a main character.
I also really like the way his stories flow. You never feel like you missed something. It all makes logical sense and the detectives never jump to conclusions as if by magic.
All in all, a great series, so far.
Bad Stuff:
The FBI guys were back in this one and were still portrayed as idiots, but at least not quite as stupid as before.
The author got the 'back story' on Phineas Troutt wrong. I remember from the first book that Jack ran into him years after once arresting him for an assault charge. They did become somewhat friendly 'pool buddies', but that was it, except for him helping her out some. In this book, jack states that they were friends from way back, never mentioning her arresting him, and then implies that he is a PI. It was as if the author forgot his own character. It wasn't completely untrue, but definitely an error.
Will appeal to:
Readers of police procedurals and mysteries. Can be a bit graphic, but never in a superficial way.
Rating: 3 / 5
I like the Jack Daniels series. All of the books, so far, have been good. This one is a bit bloodier and more graphic than the others. It could turn some people off.
Rating: 4 / 5