Whiskey Sour

Successful. I say successful because if the author wanted to make me squirm and completely creep the hell out of me, then he was truly successful in my opinion. Being in the head of a psychopath is not a place I want to be as experienced from the hair-raising writing of Mr. Konrath's. I've watched many a procedural crime shows but was never privy to the killers sociopathic mindset. I was not only thoroughly frightened but angry. Angry that there are actually monsters like this out there. Such a believable character, unfortunately.

Lieutenant Jack Daniels came across as a real life cop, bad-ass and sarcastic. Loved the sarcastic dialogue, something you would expect from cops, especially working in such a macabre work environment. A show more little humor goes a long way. The supporting characters also added to the believability of the story as well. From the over eating partner to the dumber and dumberer FBI agents. A cast of characters that are very likable and equally hateable.

Being in the head of the killer was so frightening it definitely added to the intensity of the story. It made me more anxious to see the killer caught. I felt like I was there along with Jack and Herb as they investigate the case step by step. Suspensefully spine-chilling and believable.

A truly heart-stopping read that really gave me that on the edge of my seat feeling I normally only get from watching. I really felt like I was seeing the story unfold like a movie in my head. show less

I found Whiskey Sour thoroughly engrossing and thoroughly gross. Not for the weak stomach.

Jack Daniels reminds me of Stephanie Plum (of Janet Evanovich's One for the money series), but with a lot more edge. There are many humorous moments, and many moments of graphic violence.
Jack has to deal with her glutton of a partner, her crazy mother, show stealing ex-partner, and cheating boyfriend. All while hunting the Gingerbread Man, possibly the city's worst serial killer.

I loved this book. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.

From the depths of my endless TBR pile, I finally tackled J.A. Konrath’s debut novel in the Jack Daniels series, and let me tell you, it was a great read! This book had me hooked right from the start with its fast-paced, heart-pounding thriller vibe. The killer plays a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game with our feisty, sarcastic protagonist and her array of quirky sidekicks.

The story unfolds through both the killer’s and Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels’ points of view, pulling me to the edge of my seat. Despite being published in 2004, it offers a captivating cocktail of grit, dark comedy, and suspense that feels refreshingly modern.

Lieutenant Jack Daniels is a force of nature. She’s a no-nonsense detective with a sarcastic wit and show more an unwavering sense of justice for her victims. But her dedication comes at a cost; she sacrifices personal happiness, including her marriage, for her work. Jack encounters a fair share of misfortunes, yet she takes every hit and perseveres. You go, girl!

Now, let’s talk about the killer, The Gingerbread Man. He has a rather twisted fixation on Jack, which leads to some nail-biting moments as she narrowly dodges his frighteningly sinister plans. The character development on the killer’s end is downright disturbing but utterly gripping. There were definitely times I found myself hesitant to dive into his headspace because his thought process is as horrifying as it is fascinating.

The supporting cast really uplifts the story, too. From Detective Herb Benedict’s atrocious eating habits (which gets him in trouble) to PI Harry McGlade’s desperate need for both a personality overhaul and a good bath, each character adds their own flair that keeps the story lively.

If you’re in the mood for psychological suspense sprinkled with humor and girl power, then you need to grab this book, preferably while sipping on a whiskey sour (Jack’s signature drink), which conveniently has a recipe at the beginning. Yum! Trust me, it’s a perfect pairing for this thrilling read.

For more of my reviews, visit The Eclectic Review. show less

I had shifted the focus from thrillers and after a stuttering start with experimenting with Fantasy books, I came to the conclusion that maybe I should halve my reading time and do other things. I mean if the biggest names in the genre were not doing much for me, maybe thrillers or Fantasy are simply not my cup of tea.

Despite all this, I had a hunch that Whiskey Sour would be a good enough read. See, I've been a visitor to J.A. Konrath's blog, and I thought, if he could devote his lampooning and mickey taking brain cells to writing fiction, then his book could not only be slick and smart, but also funny. And the book was all of those things and more. Till now, I didn't get the appeal of the umbrella term 'black humor' or black comedy. show more I found movies with that tag quite unfunny. Like Fargo, The Wolf Of Wall Street, and Pulp Fiction. No, Pulp Fiction was funny at times. Anyway, so was Whiskey Sour. The opening salvo of jokes and puns were relentless in the first half of the book. I found myself telling a couple of the jokes from the book to my brother. I haven't done that in ages.

The characterization in Whiskey Sour is nearly world class. It's very good. Not only that but the heroine, Jack Daniels, looks to be a person with a lot more to say and reveal. I did find the accumulation of details about her slightly overwhelming. I mean, if a character has too many mannerisms, he or she just becomes like a walking cliche or a bunch of tics. Just ask post 1950 Hercule Poirot. But fortunately the author stopped his tendency to elaborate at the right time. The other characters in the book were all much more interesting than the main villain, and that's something uncanny. Even the kind, gentle daughter of Booster, was very well sketched and made an impact with me. Same goes for the tubby, gluttonous, genial, kind, and optimistic Benedict and the sleazy Harry McGlade, and the brave, half good, half fallen, Phineas Troutt.

The plot itself is good, and Jack possesses quite some flair and talent as a detective - well lieutenant. She makes use not of abduction, like Sherlock Holmes did, but of plain old deduction. She makes her work sound simple when it's not. I wish the climax was better. It was not satisfying enough. I guess I wanted Jack to throw more one liners at the villain. I wanted the guy arrested instead of killed outright. That's because I wanted a sliver of self doubt to crawl in the villain's sick mind. I wanted him to live enough to know that he, the woman killer, has been bested by a woman. But he still got his comeuppance in a believable and somewhat symbolic way. This book rekindled my passion for reading and I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series. I really liked Whiskey Sour and that, I believe, is reflected in my rating and my review. Ta. show less

This one surprised me. I mean, I always expected to like it - it's your typical crime fiction and that rarely disappoints. But I really enjoyed this and I was surprised by just how much I loved it. Jack was a funny character and the plot was interesting and kept me riveted. There were some really great life quotes in here too. Little gems that just made it that extra bit worthwhile. One thing that did get me - I think the hate for the FBI was a little over the top - like looking for a horse really? Oh and I loved Jack's mum - she was awesome - can't wait to see more of her. And I liked Phin - and I was excited to see that he gets his own series. I thought he was going to be a love interest but doesn't seem to be the case. And Harry show more seems like a jackass but that's what makes him loveable.

So yeah, I'll be picking up the rest of the series asap. show less

Successful. I say successful because if the author wanted to make me squirm and completely creep the hell out of me, then he was truly successful in my opinion. Being in the head of a psychopath is not a place I want to be as experienced from the hair-raising writing of Mr. Konrath's. I've watched many a procedural crime shows but was never privy to the killers sociopathic mindset. I was not only thoroughly frightened but angry. Angry that there are actually monsters like this out there. Such a believable character, unfortunately.

Lieutenant Jack Daniels came across as a real life cop, bad-ass and sarcastic. Loved the sarcastic dialogue, something you would expect from cops, especially working in such a macabre work environment. A show more little humor goes a long way. The supporting characters also added to the believability of the story as well. From the over eating partner to the dumber and dumberer FBI agents. A cast of characters that are very likable and equally hateable.

Being in the head of the killer was so frightening it definitely added to the intensity of the story. It made me more anxious to see the killer caught. I felt like I was there along with Jack and Herb as they investigate the case step by step. Suspensefully spine-chilling and believable.

A truly heart-stopping read that really gave me that on the edge of my seat feeling I normally only get from watching. I really felt like I was seeing the story unfold like a movie in my head. show less

When Jacqueline Streng married Alan Daniels she became Jack Daniels. The name may have stuck but the marriage is long gone. Now a Lieutenant working in the Violent Crimes Unit of the Chicago Police Dept., she and her partner Herb pick up a new case when the body of a twenty-something woman is found with multiple stab-wounds with a note attached from the killer calling himself the Gingerbread Man. It's not long before a second body turns up and so they realise they may be dealing with a serial killer. Can they find him before he kills again?

This is no fluffy police procedural, the murder scenes are grisly as is the gallows-like humour of the banter between the investigating teams. Light relief comes in the shape of the two FBI agents who show more specialise in behavioural science. The profiles of the killer that they come up with are quite laughable and it's no wonder the police treat them with contempt. Every now and then the story will flip from Jack's investigation to the killer's perspective so it's not exactly a mystery as to who he is and what he's doing. The only thing that remains clouded are his motivations for selecting his victims. Jack's character is not of the fluffy variety either. She's not the flash her pretty green eyes and get a confession type of cop but one that's worked her ass off to get where she is and though it has cost her her marriage and pretty much any kind of social life as well as providing the cause of insomnia she suffers from she's far from discontent with her life and how it's turned out. But will she still be the same when the Gingerbread Man turns his attentions on her?

This is a fast paced thriller of a book that while quite gruesome in parts is also quite likeable in others and kept me turning the pages until the end. I'll certainly be on the lookout for the next book in the series.

I should add a warning for graphic violence. There are details of torture and animal killings involved and though it doesn't linger on these scenes they do exist. So if any of these things might put you off then it's probably best to avoid this one. show less