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Dead famous / Carol O'Connell.
After bringing in a unanimous and very dubious acquittal in a murder case, only three of the original jurors remain alive. And someone, known only as the 'Reaper' because of the signature of a bloody scythe left at the crime scenes, is clearly determined to make a clean sweep of the terrified survivors. Detective Sgt. Riker, although on paid sick leave after a teenage psychopath pumped four bullets into his chest, has a keen but unofficial interest in the case. And his NYPD Special Crimes partner, Kathy Mallory, orphan, sociopath and computer genius, is resolute that there will be no more personal defections in her life, and determined to discover the identity of the killer before he, or she makes a complete mockery of justice...excerpt from fantasticfiction.co.uk
Record details
- ISBN: 9780425197974
- ISBN: 0425197972
- Physical Description: 307p. : 18 cm.
- Publisher: New York, New York : Berkley , 2003.
Search for related items by series
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2003 August #1
NYPD Detective Kathy Mallory has appeared in a brace of gritty crime novels. Mallory, a child of the streets, is beyond street-smart. One of the exciting things about O'Connell's unique heroine is the way her previous half-life of surviving by her wits and the refuse of dumpsters makes her all brain, all survival tactic, very little heart. Unfortunately for readers new to this series, however, O'Connell makes no effort this time to give even a brief reprise of Mallory's back story. Anyone not familiar with the series will have a very tough time figuring out what is going on here, as Mallory takes it upon herself to investigate a federal case, the serial murders of jurors from a controversial trial. O'Connell has always favored outrageous characters and plot elements, but this time she goes over the top, giving pride of place to a reptilian shock-jock and a bizarre villain, a hunchback with showgirl legs, who works for an equally bizarre operation, Crime Scene Cleaners. This disappointing, far-fetched addition to an innovative series is for devoted Mallory fans only. ((Reviewed August 2003)) Copyright 2003 Booklist Reviews - BookPage Reviews : BookPage Reviews 2003 September
Mystery of the monthThe September Tip of the Ice Pick Award goes to Carol O'Connell for the stark and chilling Dead Famous. New York City policewoman Kathy Mallory, appearing here in her seventh outing, must bring in the Reaper, a serial killer who is systematically murdering the jurors in a high-profile homicide trial. Ripped, as they say, from the headlines, the case centers around a radio shock jock, a loudmouthed talk show host who skates just within the letter of the law, endangering the lives of innocent listeners in the process. With adversaries as diverse as the Reaper, the FBI and a beautiful raven-haired hunchback, Mallory cannot stay within the lines of police propriety and still catch her man. So—as she has done so many times before—she takes the law into her own hands and becomes a criminal's worst nightmare: a vigilante with a badge.
Mallory is tough as nails, a female equivalent of Burke, Andrew Vachss' legendary loner. She has at her command prodigious computer skills, expertise at martial arts and marksmanship, and the street savvy of a child raised alternately by prostitutes and cops. Mallory's somewhat down-at-the-heels ex-partner, Riker, plays a strong supporting role, kibitzing and lending a hand when circumstances threaten to overwhelm her. If there is any criticism to be leveled at Dead Famous, it is that there are several references to events that transpired in the previous book, Crime School. A case could be made for reading Crime School first, as it is also a certified white-knuckler. Buy both at one time, or for that matter, get the whole set! Copyright 2003 BookPage Reviews
- Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2003 July #2
In her eighth outing, iconic detective Kathy Mallory takes on the FBI, a serial killer, a powerful shock jock, the depression of her ex-partner, and a determined woman nearly as brilliant and devious as herself.Loner Johanna Apollo lives at the Chelsea Hotel and works as a crime-scene cleaner. A hunchback with long black hair and extra long legs, Johanna resembles a giant spider maneuvering Manhattan's dicey streets. She works for Mallory's scruffy partner Riker (currently on medical leave after an on-the-job shooting) and has, like her fellow characters, a closetful of secrets O'Connell shrewdly doles out piecemeal, tilting the landscape with each new revelation. FBI agent Marvin Argus is hounding her about an unsolved Chicago case, the killing of Timothy Kidd, another Fed, her psychiatric patient and/or lover and/or victim. Meanwhile, New York shock jock Ian Zachary pushes his popularity through the roof by fomenting public outrage against a jury that let an apparent killer go free. Stopping just short of criminal activity, he exhorts his audience to locate the jurors. As the tale opens, eight of them have been killed by someone identifying himself as The Reaper. After grappling with personal demons and mental stability in her last case (Crime School, 2002), superwoman Mallory returns with a vengeance, and in total control. But clever Johanna tests both her wits and her will.Memorable characters and blazingly original prose. Once again, O'Connell transcends the genre.First printing of 60,000; author tour Copyright Kirkus 2003 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2003 October #1
In the latest "Mallory" novel, police detective Kathy Mallory takes a supporting role while the action centers on her partner, P. Riker. As Riker recovers from injuries sustained in Crime School, he grows close to the enigmatic Dr. Johanna Apollo, a woman with beautiful legs, a disfigured back, and many secrets. Meanwhile, radio shock jock Ian Zachary is encouraging listeners to ferret out jurors from a controversial trial. One by one, the jurors are dying at the hands of a character named the Reaper, but the FCC, FBI, and NYPD seem powerless to shut down Zachary's program and stop his deadly game. As Mallory investigates the disc jockey, she becomes convinced that Johanna Apollo is at the center of the mystery surrounding the vicious murders, and that Riker might be in danger. Fast-paced and complex, this novel offers a twist ending that readers won't see coming. Recommended for public libraries and popular fiction collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/03.]-Leslie Madden, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib., Atlanta Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2003 May #1
In her seventh outing, Kathy Mallory must discover what connects the deaths of an FBI agent and the entire jury of a notorious trial. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Review 2003 August #1
O'Connell's post-feminist detective Kathleen Mallory returns full-throttle for an eighth grisly urban crime saga. And O'Connell's prose-sharp, gritty and streetwise-is in top form. In her previous case (2002's Crime School), Mallory solved a very personal murder and faced the doubts of coworkers about her competence. Now she's in total control, overseeing the recuperation of old friend and partner Riker, victim of an arrest-related shooting (she sets up a bogus fund to send him disability payments) and staying two steps ahead of a belligerent FBI agent named Marvin Argus. Two other vivid characters figure prominently in the story (or three, counting New York City itself, which O'Connell gives a palpable neo-noir grit): Argus is hounding Johanna Apollo, who's fled Chicago in the wake of a high-profile murder of another FBI agent named Timothy Kidd. A hunchback with extra-long legs, porcelain skin and raven hair, Johanna is working long, difficult hours as a crime scene cleaner. In Chicago, she was Kidd's therapist, and maybe his lover... and maybe she killed him, too. O'Connell devilishly fills in the pieces of the puzzle so that the reader's perspective undergoes constant shifts. Shock jock Ian Zachary-more abrasive off the air than on, if possible-exhorts loyal listeners to locate the members of a jury that let a killer walk free. And with his encouragement (if not instruction), a serial killer calling himself The Reaper has been obligingly knocking off the jurors. The way these two cases fit together is ingenious; once again, O'Connell sets the standard in crime fiction. 60,000 first printing; author tour. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.