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Mallory's Oracle
High Flyer
Possession
Wearing Purple (Oz Blackstone Mystery S.)
Dangerous Davies, Last Detective
The River God's Vengeance (SPQR)
The Leper's Bell
The Monk Who Vanished (A Sister Fidelma Mystery: A Celtic Mystery)
False Allegations
The Great Train Robbery
Oxford Blue
Oxford Shift
The Demon Archer (A Mystery Featuring Medieval Sleuth Hugh Corbett)
A Haunt of Murder
Criminal Damage
Talking to Strange Men
Silent Terror
Mandarin Plaid
Fudge Cupcake Murder
Poseidon's Gold
American Tabloid
The Final Judgement
The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes
A Fatal Inversion
Stay of Execution

Mallory's Oracle (Kathleen Mallory Novels)

Average customer rating:

Whew, I finished the darn thing!
Love it!
Fresh style! But, a few annoyances as well...
You may not identify with Mallory, but she's still fascinating
A Pretty Difficult Read

Mallory's Oracle (Kathleen Mallory Novels)
Carol O'Connell
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Man Who Cast Two Shadows (Kathleen Mallory Novels)
Stone Angel (Kathleen Mallory Novels)
Killing Critics (Kathleen Mallory Novels)
Dead Famous
Crime School

ASIN: 0515116475

Book Description

athleen Mallory, an extraordinary wild child turned New York City detective, is propelled onto the street when her adoptive father--a police inspector--is found stabbed to death next to the body of a wealthy woman. The murders are linked to two homicides her father had been investigating and now his cases become Mallory's, his death her cause. 2 cassettes.

Customer Reviews:

Whew, I finished the darn thing!.......2007-06-05

I have never failed to read a book to the end. Although this is the second worst book I've ever read, I did finish reading it. Actually skipped and skimmed a lot. Boring. No interesting characters. Unresolved plot diversions.

The book reads like something written by an eighth-grade English teacher who was hired mainly as an assistant coach for the girl's volleyball team. The language is incredibly bad--". . . crumbling raw ground beef into a bowl." How can you possibly crumble raw ground beef? Why would you need to do so?

Attempts at literary usages leave you scratching your head, wondering how anyone could write such an absurd phrase--"Perhaps she did have the unrepentant-till-pigs-fly soul of a thief . . . ."; ". . . her stomach gnawed at her like a separate animal with teeth to bite her from inside." ; "She heard a snap of bone when she hit the hard cement which hates old bones and breaks them when it can." ; "The woman turned to him with fire alarms in her eyes and in her voice."

Praise for this work from some well-known mystery writers puts me in mind of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes."

Love it!.......2007-05-28

My mom loves mysteries, but I haven't ever been able to get into the traditional "Who Dunnit?" types. She recommended Mallory's Oracle with the promise I would really get into it. And I did! So yeah, in Mallory's Oracle you want to find out who did it, but that is only part of the journey. This book is mystery, supsense, and thriller combined. Plus, you get these glimpses of these complex characters and it left me just wanting to know more. I have read five books in this series now! I love Mallory's Oracle!

Fresh style! But, a few annoyances as well..........2007-03-19

I'd like to give this book 5 stars just for the very fresh approach the author takes to the narrative. I devour mystery series, so I was expecting the standard "introduction of characters" in the first few pages. Not that I necessarily mind that, but in this case the reader is *dropped* into a scene and has to play catch-up and try to figure out what's going on. I liked it.

But there were distinct weaknesses as well. The prologue is entirely superfluous. What? Why? I kept waiting for it to make sense, but it never did except in the most tangential sense. That was very annoying indeed.

Second, the resolution is rather weak. There were not enough hints to decide who the killer was, or even why. Convoluted and not very interesting.

Third, I'm sorry that O'Connell has fallen into the typical rut of crafting the ooooooh sooooo gorgeous heroine. Yes, Mallory is soooo beautiful that she can't even do a stake-out without people noticing her. Oh snore. That's so typical in mystery novels. One of the few exceptions is Julie Smith, a writer I adore.

All in all, I do still give this book 4 stars, because of its newness. Her beauty aside, Mallory is an atypical heroine, and one I look forward to getting to know in the rest of the series.

You may not identify with Mallory, but she's still fascinating.......2007-02-16

A large percentage of mystery readers seem to want to imagine themselves as the likeable protagonist. If this is you, skip Mallory (don't call her Kathy). Whoever says you need a hero(ine) you can identify with for a successful book, I suggest Hannibal is clear evidence to the contrary, as is Mallory.
If you like detectives with recognizable, distinct traits, then this is for you. The book is not formulaic and it is very entertaining, intriguing, and simply a good read. By the end of the book I knew Mallory, and the reasons behind some of her behavior. Reading Stone Angel some weeks later, I felt I was meeting an old colleague - someone I knew well, but someone who would never be a close friend.

A Pretty Difficult Read.......2007-02-08

MALLORY'S ORACLE is the first novel in the "Mallory" series by Carol O'Connell. These novels are unique due to the fact that they feature a main cop character who is a borderline sociopath; she is not a likable or a moral heroine.

I must admit that I didn't care for this book at any level. I personally felt that it was overwritten and wordy, and the plot didn't move forward in a logical fashion. There were too many scenes that were confusing and didn't make complete sense. None of the characters, with the exception of Charles, were fleshed out at all. The main character is difficult to identify with. A lot of the dialogue was stilted and unrealistic. It was a chore to finish this novel.

To me, it's a rather sad statement about the publishing industry that so much hype surrounded this book. O'Connell got paid a ton of money for this novel (after a bidding war between publishers), and the back cover of this novel is filled with glowing reviews about how entertaining and brilliant MALLORY'S ORACLE is. Apparently, the book industry has grown out of touch with what mainstream readers want -- an entertaining story with characters the reader can relate to. You don't get that here. I think the Publishers Weekly review does an excellent job summarizing the many shortcomings of this rather heavy-handed work.

My advice is to skip MALLORY'S ORACLE and try a writer who knows how to entertain. There are many of them out there -- Jan Burke, Tess Gerritsen, Laura Lippman, Michael Connelly, and Dennis Lehane are good examples.

Average customer rating:

Mallory's Oracle
Carol O'Connell
Manufacturer: BCA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1856864677

Average customer rating:

Mallory's Oracle
Carol O'Connell
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GR7EV0

Average customer rating:

MALLORY'S ORACLE
Carol O'Connell
Manufacturer: Arrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHQV9S

Average customer rating:

Mallory's Oracle.
Carol. O'Connell
Manufacturer: Hutchinson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OEFE7Q

Average customer rating:

Mallory's Oracle
O' Connell Carol
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QYFYRY

Average customer rating:

Mallory Rocks in Find Me !
great book
I Had Very High Hopes
Mallory at her incomparable best
Another excellent Mallory tale

Find Me (Unabridged)
Carol O'Connell
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
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Dust: A Richard Jury Mystery

ASIN: B000N3SO3Y

Book Description

On Route 66, as word travels that children's grave sites are being discovered along the road, the parents of missing children form a silent caravan. They are being shepherded by NYPD Detective Kathleen Mallory, who seeks a killer like none she has ever known-and a child unlike the others: herself.

Customer Reviews:

Mallory Rocks in Find Me !.......2007-06-12

I have read all of the Mallory books by Carol O'Connell. My favorites are Mallory's Oracle, Stone Angel and now, Find Me. Given her rough life between "almost 7" and 10 years old, it is amazing that Mallory even survived so that the Markowitz's could take her in and nurture her.

The stress of living her rigid life and being a Special Crimes Detective have taken their toll on Mallory. She had her supporters in Charles and Riker, even when they thought she was being bizarre. There were other supporters, friends of Markowitz, who cut her lots of slack because she is so brilliant at her job. I was getting worn down by Mallory fighting everyone in her life. In Find Me, Mallory "plays nicer".

I realized early that Mallory was on an exploration of Route 66 (because of her father's letters) that just happenned to coincide with the serial killer's life. "Sentimental" would be a difficult word to use for those who know Mallory. Being the great detective that she is, she modified her trip to help solve the Chicago murder mystery that she stumbled upon. No crimes like the little graves along Route 66 could go unpunished in her code of living. I had to take my time and read carefully, but still managed to finish the book in 2 1/2 days.

In Find Me, it looks as if Mallory may now have a life worth living. I would love to read more. There are so many possibilities.

great book.......2007-05-07

i've been a fan of the "mallory" series since it's inception. some of my other favorite authors seem to lose the magic the longer the series goes on, this does not happen with the O'Connell books. This book is as great as the first. I enjoyed it very much.

I Had Very High Hopes.......2007-05-06

This is a crime novel that I had to read very carefully. I couldn't skim or skip because I might have missed something. The character Mallory is interesting ,but I didn't find her likeable and I couldn't understand how one of the characters was in love with her..
The story begins with Mallory driving a Volkswagon on an interstate highway in the midwest. She is heading for the famous route 66. Back in New York City, a woman is found dead in Mallory's apartment. Mallory's partner sets off looking for her. Mallory and Riker get involved in a search for a serial killer and with a caravan of parents looking for their children.
Although the story is unique, I found it difficult at times to continue reading it. It was confusing and it dragged. The ending is a surprize.
I had high hopes for this novel and was disappointed. I would rate it a B+ and 3 & 1/2 stars for originality.

Mallory at her incomparable best.......2007-04-02

I've read on another site that the publisher has called this the final in the Kathy Mallory series. Judging by the other reviews, and my own love of the series, this is sad but somehow not unexpected given the ending of this novel.

This novel is beyond entertainment. The brilliance in the series and in this novel in particular is in everything from the intertwined and unfolding story lines, to the prose and its humour, and finally to the characters and the humanity that O'Connell somehow instils in them. I have nothing to compare it with. It was wonderful to learn more about Mallory and her past, and to entertain possibilities for her future. I can only hope that O'Connell continues to write, and if not Mallory, then some other character that is just as absorbing.

Another excellent Mallory tale.......2007-02-13

I love this character! Carol O'Connell has created amazingly complex characters who continue to grow and show more layers with each book. I only wish she could write them faster since I can't put each new one down. I find the characters even more interesting each time I re-read the previous ones.

Average customer rating:

Mallory's Oracle
Carol O'Connell
Manufacturer: New York: Jove Books, 1995
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NXBAQW

Average customer rating:

Mallory S Oracle (Spec Sales)
C O CONNELL
Manufacturer: Arrow Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0099787911

Average customer rating:

Mallory's Oracle
Carol O'Connell
Manufacturer: NY Putnam 1994.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O1VJV4

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