Rusty Nail (A Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels mystery)

Great series, but can read as a stand alone, as well.

Just wanted to write and say thank you to Mr Konrath for entertaining me for the last few years. Jack Daniels is one of the freshest characters to hit print in a long time. Until Whiskey Sour, in order to get mystery in the same package as humor, you had to settle for Evanovich. Don't get me wrong -- I still love Evanovich when I'm in the mood for some brain candy, but it is a bit unfulfilling. Jack brings me the suspense and terror of Thomas Harris with the intelligent, twisted humor of the Farrelly Brothers. On top of it all, being an ex-Chicagoan, I get to visit home with Jack. Also in favor of the books, my wife, the lifelong South Side Chicagoan, actually got physically ill during one of the scenes in Rusty Nail. Now THAT is good entertainment. If you haven't already done it, do yourself a favor and buy all of Konrath's work. You won't be disappointed . . . unless, of course, you are a no-humor stiff. Even then, at least Konrath will have a bit more money to go towards entertaining me.

Okay, another unhelpful rave review. Sorry, but Konrath just writes great. RUSTY NAIL was a hoot. I grinned and laughed all through it. Now writing funny isn't that hard of a trick, but Konrath went on to make this a very dark and scary novel. How in the hell can you make dark and scary blend with gut-splitting funny? The word needs to get out. I've written a fancier review for CEMETERY DANCE magazine, but I thought I'd throw in my two bits here. RUSTY NAIL is a great read. So are Konrath's other two books. I'm pleased as all get-out to hear that there will be more Jack Daniels. We all need to get drunk on this man's writing. Konrath nailed it! Steve Vernon

You need to start with Whiskey Sour and then read Bloody Mary before you start Rusty Nail. If you haven't it will be a little confusing but still a good read. If you are already caught up on your Konrath Jack Daniels series, you can't miss this one! Jack's mom is still in a coma from Bloody Mary, her partner is in the hospital so she has to turn to her ex-partner, his fiance & her ex-con drinking buddy for back up. This book does the same twists and turns and keeps to guessing until the very end!

Chicago police lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels receives an anonymous snuff video that appears to be the classic work of serial killer the Gingerbread Man, Charles Kork. The only problem with holding the Gingerbread Man culpable is that he is already a guest of the state. Jack assumes it is copy cat with insider information. Since her partner Herb Benedict is hospitalized, she decides to go it alone looking closely at Kork's relatives and friends. However, though she finds perversion, insanity, criminality and worse as the norm, Jack fails to get any closer to identifying and catching the killer. Instead the unknown murderer seems to target those related to the beleaguered cop who leaves taunting clues like toes in the cookie jar for Jack insisting he is back. Jack knows she must stop this brilliant but psychopath copy cat killer before he toasts the deaths of her loved ones because he seems to be fixated on her. The killer ironically is obvious to the reader early on while Jack remains clueless as the culprit outplays her at every turn in their cat and mouse encounter. As always with a Jack Daniels police procedural (see WHISKEY SOUR and BLOODY MARY) gore and humor are mixed together often in the same scene. Fans will laugh and groan as Jack battles against a diabolical lethal lunatic, who seems always one step, make that multiple steps, ahead of her. Harriet Klausner

This was an excellant read. Keeps you glued to every page. J.A. Konrath is an exellant author, I have read his first two novels and enjoyed those as well, I highly recommend anyone to read him. With each novel it just gets better and better. Looking forward to his next novel.