Winter House (Kathleen Mallory, #8) by Carol OConnell

Winter House (Kathleen Mallory, #8) Reviews

• 
  Roman Clodia

  Wedged in tight between two condominium behemoths, this dwelling was in the wrong place at the wrong time and regally unrepentant, though the police were at the door

  
  If
  Joyce Carol Oates ever decided to write police procedurals would she channel O'Connell? What both women share is a grotesque and macabre imagination, a literary sensibility and a unique ability to twist a genre from the inside.
  
  Here O'Connell, in her 8th entry in the utterly compelling Mallory series, gives her take on the haunted house of Gothic fiction complete with murder, massacres, money - and a family who give Poe's Ushers a run for their money. That she can locate all this within the modern framework of a NY police investigation complete with overworked cops and an angsty lieutenant constantly watching his budget is quite an achievement.
  
  If you haven't read O'Connell before then both she and her psychopathic (or is she?) lead, Kathy Mallory, are probably an acquired taste. In this episode we see more of Charles Butler and learn about Riker's upbringing with his father and grandfather centred, of course, on a series of ice-pick murders that stretch over a century. There are no kick-in-the-gut moments with Mallory this time round - that's saved for the next book in the series.
  
  I originally read these randomly and have now been slowly making my way back through them in the right order: definitely the way to go.
  
  For very clever, very dark stories, often weird and violent but always full of emotional and literary intelligence O'Connell is a standout voice who stretches the crime genre gloriously out of shape.
• 
  LJ

  WINTER HOUSE (Psychological suspense-NYC-Cont) - VG
  Carol O’Connell – 8th in series
  G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004- Hardcover
  Mallory is called to investigate the murder by scissors of an intruder by an elderly woman. But it turns out the intruder was a serial killer, the murder weapon was actually an ice pick, the elderly woman someone who had been missing for fifty-eight years since nine members of her family had been killed with an ice pick.
  *** There are layers upon layers in this story of a house, a family, relationships and greed. I have loved the Mallory series from the start and this is one of the best. You learn more about Mallory’s partner Riker and vulnerability of Charles, Mallory’s friend and business partner, is a wonderful contrast to the character of Mallory. I would not recommend starting the series with this book, but it is a definitely an excellent addition to the series.
  
• 
  d4

  I used to love crime and mystery novels when I was a pre-teen. Carol O'Connell was one of my favorite authors. That time has passed and so maybe it's a bit unfair of me to even read and rate a novel that's part of a genre I already know I don't particularly enjoy anymore. But I did... so suck it.
  
  Plot-wise there's a little too much going on in this one--too many "twists" making it seem more like a soap opera than a crime novel. Character-wise, I can see how the calculating, nearly emotionless Mallory would have appealed to me as a kid, but now she seems a bit over the top in the fear and awe she inspires in everyone she encounters.
• 
  A.M. Riley

  I don't know how Carol O'Connell gets away with it. Her principal character is an emotionally distant sociopath whom is almost impossible to love. And yet one does.
  
  O'Connell breaks many of the rules my writing teachers pounded relentlessly into my head and I adore her for making it work. On occasion, it is a little tedious, figuring out where one is at as one carwheels through several pov's in one chapter. (I know, I know, imagine ME complaining about pov shifts!) The plots of these mysteries are crafted so beautifully and so intricately that one has that satisfying feeling upon closing the book that the solution was inevitable and that a sort of justice had been obtained.
  
  
• 
  KJ

  Oh, dear God. Why does Carol O'Connell not just ensure that the words "Katherine Mallory - she's damaged and dangerous" are engraved as a header or footer on every page of this novel JUST IN CASE we've been too dumb to get the message.
• 
  Keith

  Good - but pretentious writing style would prevent me from picking up another one of her novels.
• 
  Alli Bax

  Loved the characters and the laugh-out-loud funnies, but there were a few unbelievable and confusing twists. I'm definitely an O'Connell fan, though, and will pick up other Mallory mysteries!
• 
  Diletta Pagniello

  Il tutto è così intricato che alla fine non riesci a credere a ciò che è successo. Lettura mozzafiato
• 
  Ava Parker

  A great, convoluted mystery. I had no idea who was to blame until the end. The story has an interesting cast of characters - Mallory is feline, feral, and single-minded, and I didn't always like her, but I don't think we're meant to always like her. The plot is rich with detail and family history and it's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys because most characters seem to have a little of both in them. Pay attention! Every detail is important.
• 
  Jayde Hope

  I picked this book up from a book exchange at a camp ground in Bremer Bay, WA. I didn’t realise it was a series and immediately feel in love with the sociopath detective. I really enjoyed the content of this story and while the “bad guy” wasn’t really a twist It was still a great end. I will go back and read the rest of the books now.
• 
  Celia Lewis

  The BEST Mallory novel
  
  Complicated. Fascinating characters. Possible multiple murders. A long time-span mystery. Oh, and did I say complicated-? Indeed. In the end, a very satisfying ending tinged with pathos. Highly recommended.
• 
  Alexandra

  1/8/18 Kindle version on sale for $1.99.
• 
  Jeff J.

  Another great Mallory novel from Carol O'Connell. Mallory is one of the most intriguing heroines in fiction today.
• 
  Michele bookloverforever

  more about Kathy Mallory, a troubled and troubling main character.
• 
  Rita

  
  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
• 
  Pisces51

  WINTER HOUSE [2004] By Carol O’Connell
  My Review Five Stars*****
  
  This is Book 8 of the New York Times bestselling author Carol O'Connell’s widely acclaimed Mallory series. It features the disturbed and dangerous NYPD Special Crimes Detective Kathleen Mallory. This installment of the 12-book collection was initially released nearly two decades ago but has lost none of its luster or power and remains as fascinating as it was when a legion of avid fans first devoured it.
  
  I first discovered the Mallory books the first of this year. I’ve been so addicted to O’Connell’s style of writing, to the unique and fascinating character of Mallory, and to the recurring characters in her universe that I have already read through book eight and it is only the third of June.
  
  This eighth installment is another impressive work by a superlative author who deftly unpacks another multi-layered and complex murder mystery that contains several intriguing subplots as well. The story line pulls the reader in smoothly and seamlessly, and the hours just melt away as you are solidly ensconced in the tale the writer is weaving for you. This particular intricate plot involves a legendary family massacre that took place nearly six decades ago and a “ghost story” that dates back 100 years.
  
  I love O’Connell’s writing. Her imaginative story lines are genius and she is a master story teller. Her Mallory novels unfold against the atmospheric backdrop of New York City both past and present, are infused with more than a generous splash of the supernatural sometimes, and offer the reader richly developed protagonists and villains, poetic prose, perfect pacing, and a sardonic wit that is displayed frequently in the scintillating dialogue among the cast of characters.
  
  Detective Riker, Mallory’s partner at the NYPD, friend, and beloved series regular takes a turn as it is revealed that he is an ice pick murder buff. In fact, this was the reason that he and Mallory dropped by what at first seemed like a garden variety burglary during which the robber was killed by the home owner. However, first impressions were discovered to be deceiving when Mallory concludes that the intruder was killed by a single ice pick thrust to the heart and didn’t die because of the pair of scissors glaringly sticking out of his chest. Things go father afield when it is revealed that the victim was a hired killer and the crime scene in the mansion in Central Park is the infamous Winter House, the scene of the most famous cold case in the annals of the NYPD. The homeowner who killed the intruder was identified as “Red Winter”, the famous missing 12-year-old girl, believed by the authorities to have been abducted more than 60 years ago after the massacre of her entire family by an ice pick wielding murderer.
  
  The narrative weaves the tale of a dynasty of murder-for-hire two party teams that date back a century. In each generation there was the fortuneteller’s storefront as a drop site for the money, and it was also the reader of the Tarot Cards that brokered all of the hitman’s murders. The killer for hire was dubbed “Stick Man” and he deployed a unique MO with a needle-sharp ice pick. The precise mechanism of the kill was determined upon autopsy and it was as distinctive as a fingerprint. The novel methodically unravels how the 100-year-old unsolved Stick Man Case and the Winter House Massacre of nearly six decades past were intertwined.
  
  This entry in the series showcases the myriad depths and dichotomies of the damaged psyche of the enigmatic Mallory. The novel features the recurring people in it that fans of the series have grown to love. It is my understanding that the novels are written in a style similar to that of books by Elizabeth George. The unique plots of their books are continued with the same characters. Those readers who like continuing characterization and following the character arcs of a fantastic assortment of a supporting cast will love the entire Mallory series.
  
  I was absolutely blown away by this utterly fantastic, imaginative tale from the creative mind of O’Connell. I would say that it was one of my favorite installments in the series to date, but then I have loved every one of them. This installment is, however, unique in that it imparts some new qualities to the character of Mallory that tend to strengthen the implied notion that she is a creature without a category, unique and standing alone, defying all diagnostic labels in the textbook of abnormal psychology.
  
  ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE BEST BOOK SERIES I’VE EVER READ, HIGHLY RECOMMEND
• 
  Martip

  I recently read a review about It Happens in the Dark (2013) that disparaged Mallory in this book as a character because of no growth, even less humanity (as usual), and berated Carol O'Connell as an author who relied on tired, same old-same old phrases to bring character description to the page. I can't say I disagreed entirely. I also happened to have purchased Winter House at the same time I purchased It Happens in the Dark. While I won't give Winter House a 5 stars 'it was amazing' review, I can say this book, (2004) reveals amazingly satisfying characterization of Mallory (and Charles Butler) and unrolls a heckuva mystery. What's a faithful, appreciative reader to do? Well, buy more of O'Connell's books, keep reading, and maybe reread Happens in the Dark to give it a second look, but for now, I aim to fully enjoy the warm feelings I have for Winter House Carol O'Connell, and the artistry, time, effort and plain old brain power it takes to be a successful author.
• 
  Ton

  O'Connell proza is definitely high quality, literature with a hint of poetic. That is rare for a crime story. So far so good. But we are talking thrillers and that is different from novels. It makes it a complicated reading. I did not feel pleased with it. Add to that the fact that I did not like the character of inspector Mallory and there we are: the first and at the same time the last Mallory I read.
• 
  Sherrill Watson

  See Kae's review. It WAS difficult to keep track of so many characters and twists of plot; you almost have to read it twice, or at least go slowly; Mallory plays a minor part; but it IS worth reading.
  
  You won't be disappointed in the ending -- the murderer[s?] are not who you think he / she / they are! P.S. "Winter House" is named for the Winters, so if you're hoping for a gothic novel -- nah -- this takes place in NYC. But like Kae says, Pay Attention!
• 
  Linda

  Ugh! I didn't realize Mallory is a sociopath when I found this at the library. Sorry, but I don't find that entertaining or, in her case, acceptable. I doubt she could get away with that behavior in the real world, regardless of her family history. Badgering witnesses, ignoring their rights, insubordination. She would have been fired in Mallory #1. I can suspend my disbelief up to a point. This went way beyond that.
• 
  Reader57

  A great murder mystery, with multiple mysteries to solve, but I cannot recommend the audio version as I found the reader's voice for Mallory unsatisfactory. Quite frankly, I did not like Mallory either as she is a bully, but I think that is part of the point of her character, like Elliott of Law and Order SVU.
• 
  Denise

  The mystery was a good one, but it took me almost halfway into the book to get interested in it. There are too many twists and turns and the Mallory character was completely unlikable. I won't be reading another book from the series mainly because of the Mallory character's personality.
• 
  Wade

  I finished chapter one and part of chapter two, then I decided that I had subjected myself to enough of Kathleen Mallory. The writing style seemed very odd to me and the dialogue was quite jerky. I won't be trying another in this series. Just not my cuppa.
• 
  R.S. Whitfield

  Found this book in a little stand at the markets in Bicheno, Tasmania. This book is one of my favourite reads, Drew me in immediately and I have now read every book written by Carole. Mallory is such an amazing, intriguing and infuriating character, I’d follow her anywhere!
  
  
• 
  Jeannine

  Excellent. This one concentrates a bit more on Charles than Mallory. The characters at the Winter house are all fascinating, so throw in a historical unsolved mass murder with a new death matching the method and the story explodes with glorious complexity. Highly recommended.