Lieutenant Jacqueline (Jack) Daniels is back, and this time she has to solve one of her goriest cases ever. Someone is running around Chicago dismembering women, and the spare body parts are winding up at the local morgue. In addition to the headaches of the job, she also has to deal with her mother showing up to live with her, as well as the reappearance of her ex-husband, right when she'd thought she was making progress in a relationship with a new boyfriend.
Along with her binge-eating partner Herb, who's on a failing quest to find the perfect diet, we see Jack track down and convict one of the scariest serial killers in recent memory--but not before she becomes a target of his wrath, as well.
Every once in awhile I have to step away from the romance genre and read something different, cleanse my literary palette. One author I've recently discovered in the last few months, though he's been around for awhile, is J.A. Konrath. He lives in the Chicago area, and in fact I can remember being at a nearby B&N store and seeing him doing a booksigning, though I didn't stop to see what was going on. Looking back, I really wish I would have. Fortunately, he has a new book coming out this summer, so I'll have to see if he's doing any local signings - I'll definitely be going if he is.
What I find interesting about his series is that the protagonist is a woman, Detective Jacqueline Daniels, a.k.a. Jack Daniels. She's tough but not hard, good at her job but not perfect. J.A. doesn't make her really bitter or over the top. She's just very human. Sometimes the goings-on have me cracking up (as in the recent shenanigans of demon cat Mr. Friskers), and other times it turns my stomach. But I'm never bored reading these books, and having just finished this one, the 2nd book, I'm already anxious to read the next one. However I'm going to wait because I already have 2 trillion other books waiting for my undivided attention, and I'm probably thinking I should get started on those right now.
What non-romance book/series have you enjoyed?
Labels: JA Konrath
posted by Stacy~ at 5/08/2009 06:42:00 AM
Stace - I'm on the look out for these books now that you mentioned them the other night.
byI read the Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray. They're kind of gothic and Victorian. That's the most recent non-romance thing I've read. I've got Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr on my iPod to listen to when I get done with Homeport by Nora Roberts.
Stacy- What comes quickly to my mind are The Alex Cross series and the Woman's Murder Club series both by James Patterson. I love his writing and can finish one of his books in two days.....one it it's a Saturday or Sunday.
byAlthough hers aren't series books I also can read a Mary Higgins Clark book really fast and enjoy her writing.
Also read Lawrence Block when I am in the mood for a good mystery. He has two series that I keep up with one features detective Matthew Scudder but the ones I really love feature cat burglar Berrnie Rodenbarger....not sure if I got the spelling right but he is a "reformed" cat burgler who now runs a bookstore but always seems to be getting in situations where his cat burgler skills come into play.
I have seen this series you have mentioned before and they did look interesting so I may have to look them up again.
Thank you Stacy! This sounds like a very interesting series (so I've made a note); I'm quite an ecletic reader, and it is nice to occasionally pick up a non-romance book.
byAs for who I like..off the top of my head: PJ Tracy (crime) [the first book is called, I think, Want to Play?], Lee Child (thriller) (I think his Jack Reacher series is up to the 14th book), Karin Slaughter (crime).
Oh, I also like Julia-Spencer Fleming. She writes suspense with just a touch of romance. I've also recentely discovered CS Harris & Deanna Raybourne (both historical suspense).
That sounds like a nice serie !! I love series, even non-romance series. Nothing, NOTHING can prevent me from buying a new Myron Bolitar novel or a Harry Bosh novel. I love harlan Coben and Michael connelly's work but their respective serie is what I prefer...
byHarlan Coben and Michael Connelly? Yes! Love both those authors, although I haven't read any of the Harry Bosch books for a while :( Must change that!
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