Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

1. Plot/Story
2. Setting/Worldbuilding
3. Characterization
4. Your overall opinion of this novel out of 1-5.
5. Other books like this you'd recommend?

Let's discuss.

The Kindle version is free if you're an Amazon Prime member, or $4.79 otherwise.

Thanks, for info, Lady D!

I think I paid 99 cents for mine. I should have waited. I'd have saved eight bucks.

You're welcome. I paid full price for my paper copy, so now I have an extra ebook edition.

Started reading last night and was so deeply engrossed in the story I'm already 3/4 of the way done.

Then you've passed one of my favorite humorous scenes (view spoiler)[ In Chapter 6 When Jack and herb get visited by the FBI for the first time. I don't know why but I laughed. "We think the killer may have had sculeosis"...."Is that a hunch?"

It's also interesting how cops don't like VICAPS but in the Bowers Files they do. (hide spoiler)]

All the scenes with the FBI is humorous, (view spoiler)[just picturing the agents out looking for a man with sculeosis who rides a horse cracks me up. I also found very interesting the handwriting expert (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ Has she gone to the dating service yet? That was fun too. (hide spoiler)]

I'm now at the part(view spoiler)[where, Charles has Jack's date(can't think of his name) tied up in the closet. (hide spoiler)]

Have fun, and watchout for Harry McGlade! (everyone should watch out for Harry McGlade.)

Harry McGlade is creepy. Can't wait to find out more about Jack's and Harry's past.

Yeah, those Feebs crack me up! Personally, I really want to shoot McGlade. Ugh.

Finished last night, really good book!

Review to come shortly.

Everhybody wants to shoot McGlade... of course a twisted wicked man like Konrath would give him his own series.

That is what is fun about Harry, everybody wants to shoot him, but who wants to clean up that mess? He is like a train wreck, you just can't look away.

I've read the entire series and.... he gets worse... I don't want to think about the Monkey... (Shudder) ... no, not the Monkey!

I didn't know McGlade had his own series, what's it called?

McGlade kind of reminds of someone I knew a long time ago and both their names are very similiar. I don't know if I could really call him a friend? Back then, I was a bartender and he would always come in. He had similiar traits like McGlade...always in shabby looking cloths, no car, no steady income and always lived on the shady side of the street, not all that trust worthy either. For some unknown reason I kind liked the guy. I would always tell him if you want to meet a nice girl there are three rules you need to follow. One...have a job...two...a car....and three...a place to live. I haven't seen him in years and I wonder if he followed my advice.


Thanks for listening and letting me go down memory lane...LOL!

It's called Banana Hammock - A Harry McGlade Mystery and I'm sure it's a euphamism ... I just don't want to know what for.

I think he's also inShot of Tequila

LoL Hugh. Yes, sometimes we are better off not knowing. I went ahead and added Banana Hammock. I had read his Harry shorts in the past off his website.

I liked the plot and setting, fairly predictable but I don't really object to that. Characterization was very good for the most part though I think it was overdone for the sake of interest in a place or two ... Harry for one ...

I was a little conservative with my 3-star rating. What brought this down from a 4-star to 3 for me were the FBI agents. I know this is a personal issue for me, but I was involved in the law enforcement community myself for many years and the author's depiction of these two was just, for me, irritating. I know it was done for 'comic relief' and I can handle that if the entire book is obviously slanted that direction (some of the Donald Westlake books, for example) but I found it an annoying intrusion to a book that seemed to be generally a straightforward police procedural.

I will read another book in the series to see how it goes on only if it is available through the library loan system.

Eileen wrote: "I didn't know McGlade had his own series, what's it called?

McGlade kind of reminds of someone I knew a long time ago and both their names are very similiar. I don't know if I could really call..."



Heheheh... sorry... had to go there. (B-{D>

Sharon wrote: "I liked the plot and setting, fairly predictable but I don't really object to that. Characterization was very good for the most part though I think it was overdone for the sake of interest in a pla..."

The other January Read The Pawn by Steven James is a lot kinder to law enforcment and the FBI.. since Patrick Bowers, of the files by the same name, is one of them.

And the FBI Guys make peace with Jack and the gang later on in the series. You'd have to go more than one more to get there I think.

(and Harry does pay for his ...."winning" ... personality, eventuallyh.

Hugh (A.K.A. Hermit the Curmudgeon) wrote: "
(and Harry does pay for his ...."winning" ... personality, eventuallyh."

Actually, I suppose it is a tribute to the author that I hope Jack shoots him!

(view spoiler)[ REALLY Biting my fingers not to type the answer to that! (read it yerself heh.) (hide spoiler)]

Okay ... good thing I wasn't drinking coffee when I read that or I'd have had to wipe off the monitor and hope the keyboard keys wouldn't end up sticking.

Your Welcome ... heh. (P-{D>

I added Banana Hammock to my ever going tbr list.

Now the song Memory is stuck in my head!

I know how to get that one out and put another in, if you'd like?

{8-{D>

That's very kind of you, Hugh. I think I'll stick with Memory for today. : )

Oh come on Eileen!
You know what I mean!

(heh, sorry, had to say it. {P-{D>)

Sharon wrote: "I liked the plot and setting, fairly predictable but I don't really object to that. Characterization was very good for the most part though I think it was overdone for the sake of interest in a pla..."

I can understand how you feel Harry was a little overdone. When reading the parts about Harry and Jack I did have the feeling he was brought in for the soul purpose of future books. Which is ok with me.

This was a fast, fun, thrill ride. You can check my review.

Couldn't agree more with your review, Lee. It was a fun, fast paced, page turning read.

Thanks, Eileen.

Just wondering...

The next time you hear the ice cream truck music or see the ice cream truck coming down the street, are you going to think of the Gingerbread man killer?

I know I will and I'll be keeping an arms length away from the window!

Eileen wrote: "Just wondering...

The next time you hear the ice cream truck music or see the ice cream truck coming down the street, are you going to think of the Gingerbread man killer?

I know I will and I'll ..."


Yea, make him have to throw the ice cream to you. He reminded me of the serial killer in John Sanford's firt "Prey" book (Davenport stories).

of course if you did, you might get to be in the movies with Harry McGlade. (Which comes up in the next book or so.)

Just started this today. I think it will be good, if a bit gruesome.

Yes, a bit gruesome ... reminded me a bit of some of the John Sandford "Prey" series books where the serial killers get pretty graphic ... well, the "In Death" books by Robb do as well. But I liked the characters and it reads well.

I just finished another book by the same author that I guess you could call a 'prequel' to Whiskey Sour ... Shot of Tequila and it had the same gruesome element to it but in some ways I liked it even better than Whiskey Sour. Told from the point of the primary 'bad guy' with an interesting connection between "Tequila" and "Jack Daniels".

Sharon wrote: "Yes, a bit gruesome ... reminded me a bit of some of the John Sandford "Prey" series books where the serial killers get pretty graphic ... well, the "In Death" books by Robb do as well. But I liked..."

Yes, I think they are very similar!

Hugh The Curmudgeon wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Yes, a bit gruesome ... reminded me a bit of some of the John Sandford "Prey" series books

Yes, I think they are very similar! "

A bit off topic, but I found a lot of similarities between Certain Prey with Lucas Davenport and Clara Rinker as the hitwoman and
Shot of Tequila with Tequila as the hitman and Jack Daniels as the detective.

This series is one of the most gruesome I've read. And that is why I only read them at work. Gives me time to scrub my brain before bed.

Hugh The Curmudgeon wrote: "The other January Read The Pawn by Steven James is a lot kinder to law enforcment and the FBI.. since Patrick Bowers, of the files by the same name, is one of them. "

This one is next up.

Yep and currently on the cheap or free list at Kindle Amazon I think. by Steven James.

I finished this last night. I liked it, but the serial killer POV was pretty nasty. He was one sick freak! I really liked Jack's character, so I want to read more of this series.

Plot: Good. I like how there was this game of cat and mouse between Jack and the Gingerbread Man. It was kind of scary that he made it personal with Jack. Konrath keeps the tension going, so I was holding my breath.
Setting: Who doesn't love Chicago? I grew up in the suburbs and I still consider it home! Made me want to go back to eat some Chicago food and enjoy the Windy cold weather.
Characterization: Jack is pretty awesome. Hated the serial killer. What a lowlife. Other characters didn't particularly stand out, but I did like Herb. Harry was sleaze big time! Horrible hygiene!
Overall opinion: 4/5 stars. I don't like serial killer stuff much, but I liked Jack, so I'll keep reading this series.

Other books: Not a lot like it, but Eve Dallas is tough and a good cop, so you might like the In Death series by JD Robb.

Yay, I participated in a group read!

I couldn't agree more with the review, Lady D!

Harry was a disgusting freak. Never in my wildest dreams could I ever imagine anyone doing what Harry did to his victims after he sliced them open.

I enjoyed Jack because she was forty something with a brain. She's a strong female character. Herb always made me want to go and eat something, lol.

One of these days I will get around to reading JD Robb. Thanks for the suggestion, Lady D!

I agree with both of you. Jack is great. I like that she's not packaged up like a "Perfect Person." (Nobody in that series is) but, she's dedicated, strong and comes to work with a job to do, and she does it.

Their flaws humanized them for me. Jack's insomnia and shop-a-holicing on the shopping channel. Failed marriage. Herb's eating. Harry's...(do I really need to point that out?)

And they keep a sense of humor amid all of the misery and pain around them.

Even the thug she plays pool with has cancer.

And the Gingerbread man.. boy... ew.. I get shivers just remembering him. (Harry helped out there though, didn't he?)

"There flaws humanized them for me."

I liked that, Hugh!

We all have flaws, that's what makes us all so interesting.

Eileen wrote: ""There flaws humanized them for me."

I liked that, Hugh!

We all have flaws, that's what makes us all so interesting."

Somebody likes something I said... I don't know wheterh to strut my stuff or fall over in a dead faint. (I guess I shouldn't let it go to my head.... but that's soooo hard!)

(Yes, Jack's like real people. I may be goofey, which is beside the point, of course, but I like the little scenes in this book, like the Feebies and Jack, high on Oxycotin at the dating service thinking she's too boring. Even the part after she's been shot and refuses to take the elevator, one of the cops coming by and going "We have an elevator in here you know Lieutenant?"

It's good read.