Helpful Score: 13
Wow, this author knows how to pack a punch. I thought this would be a light fluffy read, but knew as soon as I saw a recommendation on the back by Andrew Vachss that it would be anything but. Meet Lt Jack Daniels, a hard working woman who's trying to catch a twisted serial killer. It gets a little gory when seen through the killers eyes, but this book keeps you on the edge of your seat. I already put the next three on my WL. I'm glad a fellow PBS'er recommended this new to me author!
Helpful Score: 9
I got the impression somehow that this was a funny cozy mystery. Whew! Not so. There are a few funny one-liners in it, but funny it is not. This is a hard-boiled lady policy detective chasing a serial killer of a particularly nasty type. (I personally get tired of authors working so hard to make their serial killers even more depraved than everyone else's serial killers....) It is, however, a good story, well written, and easy to read. I'll be ordering #2 in the series.
Helpful Score: 7
This book is one you won't be able to put down. Gritty thriller, police procedural, and all while having a few laughs thrown in. While the plot isn't light, Konrath brings a sarcastic humor to Jack Daniels as she hunts down a serial killer who has also set his sights on her. A great start to a series that I am looking forward to continue reading.
Helpful Score: 6
I loved this character and this book -- Jack Daniels rocks -- I can hardly wait to read more of her adventures!
Helpful Score: 5
This is the first in a series about Lieutenant Jack Daniels. It's suspenseful and funny. I couldn't put it down! I'm on to the 2nd book in this series!
Helpful Score: 4
I took a flyer on this one, even though the conceit that "Jacqueline Daniels'" nickname is "Jack" seemed corny. The story was compelling...I didn't want to put the book down. But a warning if you are normally a reader of cozy mysteries: this is no cozy. There are graphic descriptions of the violence the serial killer commits. The plot is tight and believable and "Jack" is a likable detective with a weakness for the Home Shopping Network and a family tradition of crime fighting.
Helpful Score: 3
This was a well written, very entertaining book. A great read, and I am really looking forward to the next book in the series!
Helpful Score: 2
I really enjoyed the first book in this seriees. i will certainly be looking for the rest. It is a good story, with memorable characters. It has some nice one-liners, but this is not a fluff piece it's a true mystery with some gruesome depictions, but certainly a must read for mystery/thriller lovers.
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. The reviews that I read prior to reading it all indicated a fast and funny read but I didn't expect to really like the main character, Jack Daniels, as much as I did. She comes across as exceedingly warm and human AND hard as nails when she needs to be. I love the interaction between Jack and her partner Herb. Very witty and funny. I'll definitely be reading more of J. A. Konrath's Jack Daniels series.
Helpful Score: 1
A serial murder, on the rocks, and with a twist.
Helpful Score: 1
Very well-written, gritty mystery. Jack Daniels is a good character. However, Janet Evanovich this is NOT. Closer to a boilerplate thriller.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the first book in the Jack Daniels series. If you like watching CSI you will enjoy reading this book. I found some similarities between the book and the show. But that is in my opinion. I look forward to reading more of the books in this series.
Helpful Score: 1
Great book! Lots of action, some of it kind of gory!
Helpful Score: 1
Great first novel about lieutant jacqueline "Jack: Daniels.
Helpful Score: 1
I did not find this "laugh out loud funny." Gruesome and gory along the lines of Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series. I did not like this series (and I have read the first 3 books) and will not read the rest.
Helpful Score: 1
Very enjoyable fresh take on the police procedural
Helpful Score: 1
I found this book slightly disturbing! I read and love all kinds of mystery books, but I rarely enjoy a book when it is told from the "perp's" point of view. This one does, in alternating chapters. I enjoyed the characters and the story, so I might give a second one a chance.
Helpful Score: 1
Tho' I liked the main character of this book, and it is probably well written, I do not like the "serial torture killer" type of book. So I quit half way through.
Helpful Score: 1
A great first novel by this author. I looked forward to reading it and wasn't disappointed. I love his writing style. His book was a little different than what I am used to... some of the crimes were even more stomach turning then others I read... and yet at the same time the book is humorous in parts... a weird mix that I am not used to. Not sure if I like it yet...
Helpful Score: 1
Intense, fast read! I liked the narrative flow of the book, the style of writing, as well as the main character. However, she in NO way compares to Stephanie Plum if you are looking for that type. This book was much more dark and intense than any Stephanie Plum book, in fact, to me they are like complete opposites. But, it was an easy read, nice flow, and kept me turning the pages anxiously awaiting what would happen next.
My only complaint is the graphic violence. I'm not the squeamish type, but parts of this was a little too much for me. Too many sick details from the killer's POV. Other than that I enjoyed the book and will probably give book #2 a spin.
My only complaint is the graphic violence. I'm not the squeamish type, but parts of this was a little too much for me. Too many sick details from the killer's POV. Other than that I enjoyed the book and will probably give book #2 a spin.
Helpful Score: 1
Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels is an insomniac Chicago cop with a train wreck of a personal life and a stalker bent on adding her to his murder list. Join Jack, her binge-eating partner, a sleazy PI, and two very stupid FBI agents on a wild hunt for the Gingerbread Man....a killer who makes Hannibal Lecter look like Huck Finn.
Helpful Score: 1
whiskey sour ,the first in the jack daniels series, cleverly combines laugh out loud humor with edge -of your seat-suspense. this is serial murder with a twist.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book. Jack Daniels is a strong female character that does not take any bull, but still comes across as a women. There were a few laugh out loud lines that I still get a chuckle from when I think about them. The killer was one of the most heinous characters that I have ever read. The only problem I had with this book was that Jack's partner made me crave junk food while I was reading.
Another great Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels book where Jack comes face-to-face with the Gingerbread Man serial killer. J.A. Konrath does it again! :-)
Not a cozy mystery.
Jack Daniels is a cool lead character in this debut chiller by J. A. Konrath. Promises to be the first in a new cop series set in Chicago. The detective story is solid, the tension and gore level higher than a standard mystery. I'll definitely be looking for the next in the series, Bloody Mary.
First in a series of Lt. Jack Daniels(female), well written thriller and keeps you turning pages as fast as you can, can be read in one day if you put yourself in a room without interruption. Start here and stick with Lt. Jack Daniels.
Very good book! First book in the series. I felt like the book was well written and entertaining! The main character is a female, and although the book is written by a man it seems to work well. Action packed and full of murder and danger, it is also full of oneliners and other comedy. Some say graphic but I don't think it is. QUICK to read. Flows smoothly and makes you want to pick up the next so you can get right back into the adventure. Best read in order so you understand the characters, the relationships and the past cases and situations referred to. Be sure to pick up Bloody Mary next!
A good read. 1st in the series of Lt. Jack Daniels.
This is the first time I read one of Konrath's book. I liked the main character, Jacqueline (Jack) Daniels. She is smart, witty, and cynical. Took me a little while to latch onto the story, because it was filled with so much gore, but I kept reading to see how long it would take her to capture the villian. I won't go out of my way to get a copy of # 2 though.
If you like quick readers with an interesting plot and some twists along the way with likeable characters, this is a good book and a nice series. The descriptions get graphic at times, but the graphic quality is necessary for a better understanding of the villain.
I absolutely loved this debut mystery! I can't wait to read the next one.
Great Book!!
From Publishers Weekly: "...Jacqueline Daniels (and, yes, she's known by her colleagues at the Chicago Police Department and by her friends as "Jack Daniels")...competent, fast-paced thriller by newcomer Konrath. A lieutenant investigating a particularly gruesome series of homicides, Daniels is like every other hard-boiled fictional cop-obsessed with work, afraid to commit emotionally and overcaffeinated. The other characters also follow formula: her partner is an overweight glutton with a heart of gold; her boss is tough but fair; the federal agents assigned to help her are territorial, superior and ineffectual. And the criminal himself, a serial killer who calls himself the "Gingerbread Man," only differs from others of his ilk in his methodology, not his psychology. He tortures and kills attractive young women, leaving their mutilated bodies in public places. Konrath, who has "performed improvisational comedy" according to his bio, likes to toss off one-liners, and while they're occasionally clever, they lend a jokey tone that jars with the seriousness of the almost gratuitously horrific crimes. Reading like an ill-conceived cross between Carl Hiaasen and Thomas Harris, this cliché-ridden first novel should find a wide audience among less discriminating suspense fans." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
Really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading the next one....Bloody Mary
a nice new mystery series !
I really liked this book! Great characters, funny but yet with a really creepy bad guy. Have already requested the second book, Jack is a great character!
WHISKEY SOUR by J.A. Konrath: Chicago Police Department Lieutenant Jacqueline Jack Daniels has a particularly gruesome series of homicides on her plate. The Gingerbread Man is torturing and killing attractive young women, and then leaving their bodies in very public places. Somewhat uneven and certainly not breaking any new ground, hopefully Konrath, like good Tennessee whiskey, will improve with age.
This was very great read. I am in love with Jack Daniels.
Excellent book in a new series! This writer can write a great mystery.
quick read
Funny, exciting, scary! Really great book! Want to read more by this author!
The Jack Daniels books are a cross between the humor of Janet Evanovich and the fast paced action of John Sandford.
Excellent series. Lt. Jack Daniels is an insomniac cop in Chicago with a mess of a personal life. She is top notch at her job but her love life is a train wreck.
Good mystery series
I just couldn't get into this book!
First of the 'Jack Daniels' books.
Hilarious sequel to Bloody Mary; Lt. "Jack" Daniels is an insomniac Chicago cop with a train wreck of a personal life and a stalker bent on adding her to his murder list.
I brought the book to a totally dark room, the cover doesn't glow in the dark, it only seems that way.
