Thursday, August 10, 2006
Rusty Nail
JA Konrath is on a huge tour this summer attempting to get to 500 bookstores with his new book, Rusty Nail.
The main character of his series is named Jacqueline Daniels. Everyone calls her Jack. This allows Konrath to come up with a list of great book titles all named for drinks made with Jack Daniels whiskey; Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, and next year, Dirty Martini.
Jack is in the middle of a personal crisis in this book. Her mother is in a coma after the events in the last book, her love life is in shambles after she and her boyfriend broke up, and her partner on the job is having some health related problems of his own.
Amidst all this, Jack is hunting for someone who sent her a snuff film. It is just like the films made by the Gingerbread Man in Whiskey Sour, but that killer is dead. The victim's head is covered but Jack is certain she knows her identity leading her into territory she though was dead and buried.
Konrath has a talent for mixing humor with horror. The scenes with the killer are always creepy and sometimes I read them with one eye closed. They can be a bit graphic. I have heard that some people who are squeemish actually skip those parts. (Do you know there are people who actually skip prologues just because they aren't named Chapter 1??) The humor is natural, never forced, and is expressed in normal, everyday situations and conversations.
If your tolerance level for creepy is quite low, Konrath may not be a good choice for you. But, the rest of you should check out the Jack Daniels series. I recommend them.
The main character of his series is named Jacqueline Daniels. Everyone calls her Jack. This allows Konrath to come up with a list of great book titles all named for drinks made with Jack Daniels whiskey; Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, and next year, Dirty Martini.
Jack is in the middle of a personal crisis in this book. Her mother is in a coma after the events in the last book, her love life is in shambles after she and her boyfriend broke up, and her partner on the job is having some health related problems of his own.
Amidst all this, Jack is hunting for someone who sent her a snuff film. It is just like the films made by the Gingerbread Man in Whiskey Sour, but that killer is dead. The victim's head is covered but Jack is certain she knows her identity leading her into territory she though was dead and buried.
Konrath has a talent for mixing humor with horror. The scenes with the killer are always creepy and sometimes I read them with one eye closed. They can be a bit graphic. I have heard that some people who are squeemish actually skip those parts. (Do you know there are people who actually skip prologues just because they aren't named Chapter 1??) The humor is natural, never forced, and is expressed in normal, everyday situations and conversations.
If your tolerance level for creepy is quite low, Konrath may not be a good choice for you. But, the rest of you should check out the Jack Daniels series. I recommend them.
# posted by Kim Reis @ 8:35 AM 
