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    Bloody Mary
    Bloody Mary
    Bloody Mary
    Audiobook8 hours

    Bloody Mary

    Written by J.A. Konrath

    Narrated by Dick Hill and Susie Breck

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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…

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJul 6, 2005
    ISBN9781597100892
    Bloody Mary
    Author

    J.A. Konrath

    Joe Konrath has sold more than two million books in twenty countries. He’s written over thirty novels and over a hundred short stories in the mystery, thriller, horror, and sci-fi genres. He’s twice won the Love is Murder Award for best thriller, and has also won the Derringer Award, and the Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award, and has been nominated for many others including the Anthony, Macavity, and Gumshoe. Konrath edited the collection These Guns for Hire, and his fiction has appeared in dozens of magazines and anthologies including Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, Cemetery Dance, The Strand, Thriller edited by James Patterson, and Wolfsbane & Mistletoe edited by Charlaine Harris (True Blood). He’s considered a pioneer in self-publishing. His blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, gets several million hits per year, and Konrath has been featured in Forbes, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Playboy, USA Today, Time, Woman's World, the LA Times, and the New York Times among many other periodicals. He also blogs for the Huffington Post. Find out more at www.jakonrath.com.

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    Reviews for Bloody Mary

    4/5

    294 ratings32 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 3/5
      This is book 2 and the second one I've read. The plot is the same - sexual pervert likes to cut up women slowly. Gets obsessed with the Chicago Police Lt. handling the case, wants to do the same to her. I don't think there is any need to read another one. Too bad as they are not bad as far as the writing goes.
    • 1/5
      Scribd messed up. The book jumps around like popcorn. Unreadable.
    • 4/5
      Another great addition to the Jack Daniels Mystery series. This one might have been a bit more predictable but it was still very enjoyable. Love Jack, love Herb and I sympathize with Latham. Poor guy has been through so much since meeting Jack. Maybe she'll eventually figure out why she's so addicted to being unhappy. I think therapy might help. As usual, Konrath's story-telling was just as suspenseful and bone-chilling as the first book. A dash of mystery, a dash of intrigue, and a likable cast and you get a book that you want to read non-stop to the end.
    • 4/5
      Just as good as the first. These are really funny and action packed and fantastic. The romance in this is kind of odd but the plot is action packed and riveting and more than makes up for it. To be fair - I'm not reading these ones for the romance so it doesn't really matter either way. Jack is a fascinating character - she's tough and strong but caring as well. Herb is entertaining, if not somewhat cliche. Harry is awesome. Alan is kind of a nothing character, I could've gone without his inclusion. Latham is slightly better and at least adds some amusing commentary. Jack's mum, Mary is brilliant. For an old chick, she's badass. The comment about drinking her name made me laugh. And the cat, dear god the cat. Hysterical. Some of the humour will probably offend people but I didn't find it too bad - I was even surprised into some chuckles. I wasn't necessarily surprised by the reveal but I definitely enjoyed the journey getting there. There's a lot of comments about this being graphic, but I can't say I find it particularly explicit. At least, I've read worse. It's more like a Law and Order crime rather than a Criminal Minds episode for a frame of reference.
    • 4/5
      I like the characters, the sense of place, and Konrath's use of dialogue keeps the story moving swiftly. Not for the feint of heart.
    • 5/5
      "Wow Again" on this second installment in the Jack Daniels series!

      A small backstory:

      Jack is back! This time though she has to deal with a lot of home issues besides trying to track down another serial killer. This serial killer is almost as bad as the last one as he goes on a murdering spree and Jack has a hard time keeping up. Jack and Herb though get a shock when they realize that the killer could very well be someone they know and is closer to them than they think.

      Is the killer someone they know? What has triggered this killer to murdering people? Does Jack and Herb catch the killer before it is too late? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book!

      Thoughts:

      Another stellar read from this author and I was on the edge of my seat through most of the book! More humorous quips are tossed between Jack and Herb which gave me the chuckles here and there throughout the book.

      The action is fast paced and there were some twists and turns throughout the story. Looking forward to the next book in the series! Giving this one five "Murdering Maniac" stars!
    • 4/5
      Is there a serial killer roaming around Chicago. Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels investigates and finds personal items of hers' located on the body parts that turn up.
      Add to her life a killer cat, an ill mother, a boyfriend, an ex-husband arriving and, a partner in the middle of a mid-life crisis. Jack is not having a good time.
      A good and well-written story.
    • 4/5
      The first book in the Jack Daniels series that I have read. I enjoyed reading it. I liked Jack and her partner. I did not like either her boyfriend or her ex husband. Her boyfriend was a little to easy going, falling all over himself to accommodate Jack, and her ex-husband was a jerk who added nothing but irritation to the story. Jack's relationship with her mom was complicated but good. I liked her cat, Mr. Friskers.

      The serial killer was very deranged. I did not guess who it was until he was captured. I could have done without the courtroom drama. I like the procedural part of the story better. The level of violence in the book did not bother me and did not seem excessive. This is a story about a serial killer. Some violence is to be expected. I plan on reading more books in the series.
    • 3/5
      I didn't like this one as much as the first. I felt that the killer was very over the top and the killings seemed excessive and unnecessary. I just didn't care for the plot in this book. 3.5 stars
    • 3/5
      Bloody Mary
      3.5 Stars

      A serial killer is on the loose in Chicago, kidnapping and mutilating, his victims. The details of the crimes soon have Lieutenant Jack Daniels and her stalwart partner hot on his trail, but the revelation of his identity is only the beginning as this vicious killer has a diabolical plan to escape justice …

      A chilling sequel with just the right amount of action, suspense and humor. That said, the first half of the story involving the murders and investigation is better than the second once’s the killer’s identity comes to light even though it is quite obvious who he is

      The mystery is intense and gripping although the descriptions of the murders and the villain’s internal musing are gritty and gruesome The fact that he is a police officer only exacerbates the heinous nature of his crimes and highlights the fact that he is pure evil.

      Much of the book is dedicated to developments in Jack’s personal life. While she is a very appealing heroine, there is a great deal of angst in her relationships with her partner, mother, boyfriend and ex-husband. The antics of Mr. Whiskers, Jack’s accidental feline acquisition, provides some much needed comic relief in this area and he is, without a doubt, the true hero of the story.

      Dick Hill and Susie Breck’s dual narration is fantastic, especially when it comes to the banter between Jack and Herb.

      All in all, a solid sequel although it is not recommended for readers not into gratuitous violence or excessive gore in their reading material.
    • 5/5
      “He wonders if other people look at their partners at night, peacefully dozing, and imagine killing them…when he finally falls asleep, it’s to the image of cutting her open and bathing his face with her blood.”A serial killer is chopping up bodies and has a vendetta against sarcastic Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels, highest ranking female cop in the Violent Crimes Unit in Chicago. Battling with her mother who is furious that Jack wants her to move from Florida to Chicago to live with her due to a near fatal fall, a partner who is on a hopeless diet and having a mid-life crisis, and a diaper-wearing, sadistic cat named Mr. Friskers, how does she find the time to find a killer? No problem. He’ll find her.See my complete review at The Eclectic Review
    • 5/5
      A great piece of writing. A tight police thriller that I couldn't put down. Great from beginning to end. Jack Daniels is a homicide detective for
      Chicago PD. A pair of arms show up at the morgue with no body
      attached and Jack's handcuffs on them. Another crazed serial killer is
      on the loose and it's up to Jack to stop him. Read it.
    • 4/5
      Another great addition to the Jack Daniels Mystery series. This one might have been a bit more predictable but it was still very enjoyable. Love Jack, love Herb and I sympathize with Latham. Poor guy has been through so much since meeting Jack. Maybe she'll eventually figure out why she's so addicted to being unhappy. I think therapy might help. As usual, Konrath's story-telling was just as suspenseful and bone-chilling as the first book. A dash of mystery, a dash of intrigue, and a likable cast and you get a book that you want to read non-stop to the end.
    • 5/5
      Book 2 of the Jack Daniels Series does not disappoint. It is as good, funny, and sickening as the first. Jack now has a psychotic bipolar cat to deal with, along with all the other memorable characters from book one. This time Jack and Herb, her always hungry partner, are hunting a serial killer who has it in for Jack. He is butchering women and leaving parts of them all over town with some item that connects back to Jack. Such as arms with Jack's handcuffs of ears with Jack's earrings.
    • 4/5
      I read this fun ride of a book in one evening. Regardless of writing, storytelling or plot lines, that rates an automatic 4 looks in my mind. Like Lisa Lutz's series The Spellmans, this detective series is fun and entertaining. The bad guys in this series, however, are a little worse that the Spellman story lines. Regardless, it ends with satisfaction and made me turn immediately to the next in the series. There is no better recommendation than that!

      Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      Audio book performed by Dick Hill and Susie Brecht (who is not credited on the cover)

      Second in a series. It starts when Chicago Police Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels gets a report of extra body parts appearing at the Cook County Morgue. When she and her partner go to investigate, they discover two severed arms, linked by handcuffs – Jack’s handcuffs. Soon the police discover what the reader knows already – there’s a maniacally clever serial killer on the loose. And he has special plans for Jack Daniels.

      Konrath writes a thrilling tale that moves quickly and keeps the reader turning pages (or changing CDs). I like that Lieutenant Daniels is strong and self-sufficient. I’m not so keen on her wishy-washy attitude towards the men in her life. There are a few unnecessary distractions – what’s with the crazy guy in the restaurant? And I thought the ending was somewhat rushed. But on the whole the work is tightly written and I was happy to go along for the ride.

      Dick Hill and Susie Brecht (apologies if I’ve spelled her name incorrectly – she’s not credited on the cover) do a good job performing the CD. Hill is appropriately gruff or oily, depending on the male he is voicing. Brecht is great as Jack Daniels. Both read with a good pace, keeping the listener interested.
    • 3/5
      Struggling with two very different relationships, Jack Daniels finds herself the next victim of a psychopath. Knowing who he is and how he might beat the system and get released and come after her, offers a different touch to an otherwise mundane murder mystery.
    • 4/5
      Another good, fun mystery & thriller from Konrath. There's plenty of humor in the interplay between the characters, but also a lot of horror in the story itself. Great combination. I look forward to reading the next.
    • 4/5
      When Chicago Police Officer Jacqueline Steng married Alan Daniels, she took his last name and her co-workers began calling her Jack Daniels. Although the marriage didn’t survive, the nickname did. J. A. Konrath uses the whiskey reference for the titles of his mysteries. In BLOODY MARY, Lieutenant Daniels and her Detective First Class partner Herb Benedict, are called to the city morgue when some extra body parts were discovered. They did not belong to any of the three hundred bodies stored there. Their tasks are to determine to whom they belonged, where they came from, and how they were transported to the morgue. To complicate the case even more, some of them include property belonging to Jack, such as an earring and handcuffs. They quickly determine the killer was probably a police officer and are forced to alter their usual investigative technique to avoid alerting suspects.Several chapters tell the story from the murderer’s perspective: why he kills as well as details about his methods. He is eventually captured and brought to trial, but his familiarity with the legal system makes it difficult to prosecute him and creates an interesting twist to the story.Konrath employs humorous conversations and situations throughout the story. The comments regarding the two arms originally discovered are a punsters dream/nightmare.Subplots include Jack’s mother, Mary, who lived in Florida, fell and broke her hip, and is very reluctant to have Jack help her with her rehabilitation and living arrangements. As a friend of Mary’s explains, “We can’t hold on to our health. It’s impossible. But we try like mad to hold on to our dignity.” Jack replies, “I just want my mom to be safe. Dignity doesn’t matter.” The friend responds, “...Once dignity is gone, the will to live isn’t far behind.”Mary also manages to bring Jack’s husband into the story which complicates Jack’s relationship with her current beau, Latham.While the book had some great word visualizations (“Out on Lake Michigan, hundreds of boats competed for space. It looked as if someone sprinkled some kosher salt on a gigantic polished mirror.), it also gave some vivid pictures of the thinking of a psychopath, more than I felt comfortable reading. For future books, I’ll skim those sections but I will read others in the series.This book was a free Amazon download.
    • 4/5
      Interesting but pretty gory
    • 4/5
      I like this series. It's hard to describe why. It's much bloodier than a cozy, which is what I usually read and yet, it's light. It is somewhat reminiscent of Stephanie Plum and yet quite different. It's a police procedural with humour. It's a bit of a whodunit but this particular book tells you whodunit about halfway through. Jack's personal life plays in very heavily. Even writing about it sounds like a jumble of discordant elements and yet, for me, it works really well.Just two books in and I'm already feel like I know Jack well. Even though it's bloodier than I usually care for, I'll be starting the next one in the series right away.
    • 4/5
      Lt. Jacqueline 'Jack' Daniels second outing delivers pretty much more of the same provided in Whiskey Sour. Relationship problems both at home and in work, check. Humorous banter between colleagues even while the body count rises, check. A serial killer that seems to have a personal grudge against Jack, check. The killings are discovered when a dismembered pair of arms are found at the morgue. Well, where else would you expect to find them? Only this pair don't seem to belong to anyone currently residing there and can't be accounted for. They also appear to be wearing a pair of Jack's handcuffs. So, a killer with access to the morgue and also to Jack's personal belongings. Could it possibly be one of Chicago's finest and if so then who can she trust in this investigation?This a tautly written, thrilling police procedural (definitely not of the cosy variety) and while the identity of the killer is not too difficult to work out the suspense isn't over even when he's caught. This is not a wholly original story and there are a few clichéd elements to it such as Jack's partner going through a mid-life crisis and an ex-husband who re-appears in her life when she might have found the most eligible bachelor still left in Chicago. But with all that it is still a very fast-paced read and quite a page turner.
    • 4/5
      I liked this second book in the series a little more than the first. Here, Jack is a little more comfortable in her skin, even if her mother is mad at her, her ex-husband is making a move on her, and her partner is having a mid-life crisis. Oh, and someone is leaving body parts in the morgue with her belongings attached to them. The rhythm in this book is a little different, sort of like a Law & Order episode — police wrangling in the first half, and legal wrangling in the second. I think this was a good move, because the serial killer’s point of view is very heavy-handed, and I think an entire book of chasing him could have been too much. But I think what stands out the most is the ending. It’s not exactly happy, not exactly sad, and a lot about Jack’s life is very much up in the air. What better way to make the reader want to pick up the next book?
    • 5/5
      What a thriller! Kinda gory and lots of killing by a maniac, but ending was to short. Old Harry cracks me up, wacky character. Good read!
    • 3/5
      I quite enjoyed this book. The inevitable violent and bloody shoot out at the end (of a very violent bloody book) meshed well with and illustrated family and partner loyalty.
    • 3/5
      Tough female Chicago cop is our main character and hero. 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.
    • 5/5
      excellent!
    • 4/5
      Great heroine.
    • 4/5
      Great heroine.
    • 5/5
      This was scary but great. I would read the rest of these mysteries. i could not believe the ending.