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| Plot Summary of Whiskey Sour |
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"
Hyperion, June 2004, 21.95, 288 pp.
ISBN 1401300871
Forty-six years old Lieutenant Jacqueline (Jack) Daniels of the Chicago police department heads the Violent Crimes Unit. She's dedicated to the job, but that cost her when her husband left her because she paid more attention to work than to him. She has lived with Don for six months but he dumps her for his personal trainer because she doesn't spend enough quality time with him. Jack suffers from a bad case of chronic insomnia but that still doesn't prevent her from putting many hours in on the job.
Jack knows with the discovery of the first victim, strangled to death and tortured post-mortem, that she has a serial killer. He calls himself the Gingerbread Man and wants media attention. His next victim is tortured for hours before he finally kills her and as with the previous fatality leaves the victim in the garbage can with her arse pointing out. Two FBI agents arrive to help then profile the killer but they act more like Abbot and Costello then government investigators. The Gingerbread Man intends to make Jack his final victim in a duet dance to the death.
The protagonist makes this book a cut above the best in the saturated sub-genre. She is mature, with a wry wit and a delightful sense of humor. She knows her life is lacking balance but she doesn't feel sorry for herself. Instead, she takes the advice of her partner and joins a dating service. Her ability to lead her unit and walk the streets with them makes her a popular and respected superior.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"The novel starts with police cars skidding into the parking lot of a 7-11 store and Konrath telling us: “they weren't there for Slurpees.” No, they were there because a horribly mutilated body had been discovered in the trash. And that's when an attractive, intelligent, and tenacious homicide cop named Jack Daniels starts the hunt for a psycho who calls himself The Gingerbread Man. The Gingerbread Man is such a vicious and evil serial killer, he'd make Hannibal Lecter squirm. "
Jan Evan Whitford, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Whiskey Sour |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
- trader
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- mentally ill
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- touching of anatomy
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- mostly dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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