Cheap Crime School (Book) (Carol O'Connell) Price

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Customer Reviews of Crime School

Another hit in the Mallory series
This 6th in the series (following Mallory's Oracle, The Man Who Cast Two Shadows, Killing Critics, Stone Angel, and (for me)the disappointing Shell Game)expands the character and pysche of the troubled Sgt. Kathleen Mallory. This borderline pysocopath/sociopath cop battles her own personal demons of murder, betrayal, and revenge as she sets out to stop a serial killer. The similarities between the killer and the cop are both subtle and striking. We learn more about her twisted childhood and her relationship with Riker and Charles Butler. I thought this book was a fascinating portrayal of a very disturbing woman. The story was fast-paced and very suspenseful. I suggest that readers finish the earlier volumes in the series to better understand Mallory's background.

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Apparantly a much-loved heroine, but not by me...not yet
I wonder if I'm not a masochist. I hated this ... from the first book and while other readers gave up on her after a couple of books, I kept plodding away. As despicable as I found the main character, the writing had a powerful spell over me as I found myself involved in Mallory's perverted and quirky world. STONE ANGEL was a turning point, and this book continues the revelations started in the earlier book.

Part of what makes me continue reading the series is the hope that there is some spark of humanity in the woman, and there are indeed times that it looks like there is one there, but then there's the feeling that the character has coldly manipulated those around her to believe there's something that isn't there.

If you are to tackle this series, you should start from the beginning, MALLORY'S ORACLE, and be prepared for a long arduous journey into the character's psyche. There is a feeling of development in this book, but there's also frustration because the development is slow in coming. And yet I feel now that there is something coming up in the series that will reward me for continuing my relationship with Mallory.

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Vague characters in a predictable police drama
What a waste of time and money! I bought this book per a bookseller's recommendations and don't understand what the hype is all about!

The characters are never fully formed so you feel like they are ghost-like with no substance and no depth! I tried, I really did try getting into this but I sped-read the last half and then gave up...who cares what happens at the end when there is no character development and the storyline drags!

If you want a good thriller, try Cruel and Unusual Punishment by Patricia Cornwall.