Carol O'Connell

Kathy Mallory Books
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Carol O'Connell published her first book, Mallory's Oracle, in 1994, and with it introduced one of the more interesting detectives in contemporary crime fiction. Kathleen Mallory was abandoned to the streets of New York at the age of seven, and there she learned that anything you do is just fine as long as you survive. Later, she was taken in by a kindly police detective and his wife, but although she tried, and pretended when necessary, she never got used to the rules that made their world go. Mallory has frequently been described as a sociopath, along with words like "beautiful" and "brilliant", and O'Connell's writing makes it all real.

The Mallory books are intricately plotted affairs, usually with a central mystery and several subplots that intersect in various ways and reinforce the overall theme of the books. Throughout the series, Mallory gives away little about her own past, until in Stone Angel she uncovers it all, including the brutal murder of her mother, two decades in the past.

Strong writing, mood, sense of place, and, especially, a strong central character make this a series worth keeping up with.