The Chalk Girl (Kathleen Mallory, #10)

Mar 05, 2013 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

The Chalk Girl is O'Connell's most recent Mallory novel. Mallory, a NY detective is an unusual and intriguing character, and I've read most (if not all) of these novels.

Mallory, cold, manipulative, and distant, is never-the-less loved by many of the series' more sympathetic recurring characters: Charles Butler, the genius with a clown-like appearance; Riker, the tough old cop and Mallory's partner; and the various endearing members of her adoptive father's weekly poker game.

From Amazon's Book D...more The Chalk Girl is O'Connell's most recent Mallory novel. Mallory, a NY detective is an unusual and intriguing character, and I've read most (if not all) of these novels.

Mallory, cold, manipulative, and distant, is never-the-less loved by many of the series' more sympathetic recurring characters: Charles Butler, the genius with a clown-like appearance; Riker, the tough old cop and Mallory's partner; and the various endearing members of her adoptive father's weekly poker game.

From Amazon's Book Description of Chalk Girl:

"The eight-year-old girl appeared in New York’s Central Park one day: red-haired, blue-eyed, dirty-faced, smiling widely. She looked perfect, like a porcelain fairy—except for the blood on her shoulders. It fell from the sky, she told the police. It happened while she was looking for her Uncle Red, who had turned into a tree. Right, they thought, poor child. And then they found the body in the tree."

The little girl whose distinctive features and behaviors are indicative of Williams Syndrome is a witness that Charles Butler wants to protect and Mallory intends to use to gain information. Unfamiliar with Williams Syndrome, I had to do some research to get a clearer picture. Briefly, these children have elfin features and "an unusually cheerful demeanor and ease with strangers; developmental delay coupled with strong language skills; and cardiovascular problems, such as supravalvular aortic stenosis and transient hypercalcaemia."

As usual with the Mallory novels, the murders are a bit bizarre, but it is the characters that keep me returning to the series. This is the 10th Mallory novel, and I've been reading them for at least 15 years. The series begins with Mallory's Oracle, but I don't remember is that was the first one I read, and it isn't really necessary to read them in order.

These novels are definitely not cozy mysteries: the bad guys are scary, sinister, and very dangerous. In point of fact, Mallory is both scary and dangerous, but altogether an original.

Fiction. Crime/Mystery. 2012. 528 pages.(less)

like · see review

Nov 16, 2012 PEI Public Library Service rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Chalk Girl by Carol O’Connell

New York City detective Kathleen Mallory (known to everyone simply as “Mallory”) comes to the aid of Coco, an eight-year old girl who has witnessed a kidnapping and murder. Coco is revealed to have Williams Syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder that results in an unusually cheerful demeanor and ease with strangers, but also developmental delay. As a result, Coco is incapable of describing the killer. In the course of investigating the murder Coco witnessed, Mal...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 24, 2012 Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-modern

C2012. FWFTB: NYPD, damaged, blackmail, complicity, cruelty. When I found out that Ms O’Connell had, at last, published another Mallory novel, I pre-ordered this so long ago. Patience, patience, patience. And some more patience. 5 years worth! I have to say it was well worth the wait.The British paperback version does not yet seem to be on GR but I was very cross with the publishers for putting a comparison to Lisbeth Salander on the cover but I can imagine that this would attract some additiona...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Gloria Feit rated it 4 of 5 stars

Carol O’Connell’s twelfth book, and the tenth Mallory novel, finds that NYPD detective having recently returned from a mysterious three-month ‘leave’ [translation: she disappeared from her job in the Special Crimes Unit, and apparently from New York, to unknown locations and simply showed up again for work one day], promptly receiving an evaluation of being a dangerously unstable sociopath from the department shrink and assigned to desk duty, that “graveyard of damaged cops.” That assignment is...more Carol O’Connell’s twelfth book, and the tenth Mallory novel, finds that NYPD detective having recently returned from a mysterious three-month ‘leave’ [translation: she disappeared from her job in the Special Crimes Unit, and apparently from New York, to unknown locations and simply showed up again for work one day], promptly receiving an evaluation of being a dangerously unstable sociopath from the department shrink and assigned to desk duty, that “graveyard of damaged cops.” That assignment is short-lived, however, upon the discovery of the body of a man in a tree in Central Park. When two more bodies turn up in short order, there is an outcry, not unreasonably, from the public, as well as within the police department, for a quick solution and arrest. The ensuing investigation opens a Pandora’s Box of corruption. [There are, e.g., references to ‘high-ranking politicians and other criminals’.] I loved the description of a hospital administrator, “a man who amazed one and all by the act of walking upright in the absence of a spine.”

I must admit I’m late to the party: This was my first book in the Kathy Mallory series. Not only is her protagonist a character unlike any other - - Mallory the Machine as she is known within the cop shop, a tall, slim 26-year-old blonde with electric green eyes, incredible computer hacking skills, raised by her foster parents, and “late, great cop” Lou Markowitz and his wife; but the supporting cast is terrific as well. Among them are Charles Butler, technologically retarded 41-year-old psychologist and consultant to the police, he of the unspoken and unrequited love for Mallory, who permitted him to use her first name – - a very exclusive group, to be sure - - , and her partner, Detective Sergeant Riker, a regular at Birdland, the jazz club in Manhattan. But the most fascinating is Coco [“like the hot chocolate,” as she says], the little red-haired eight-year-old girl who initially reported the first body, a very bright child who suffers from Williams syndrome, a rare disease typified by hyper-acuity, and certain distinctive facial qualities, among other things. The child has huge commonalities to Mallory herself, in background and lack of ability to communicate easily with others, and the two bond immediately.

This case presents a huge challenge for Mallory, but when has that ever stopped her? It is fascinating to follow the painstaking steps that finally [albeit somewhat slowly] bring the detectives to the solution to this baffling case. I found this book to be many things: chilling, unsettling, somewhat disappointing and unsure why this was so, but ultimately recommended.
(less)

like · see review

May 28, 2012 Glee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pretty remarkable book. All of the characters are damaged and/or broken. The purported heroine, Kathy Mallory, is described as a sociopath -- high functioning, of course. In fact, it is that quality that separates her from much of humanity which ironically makes her so good at what she does. (Homicide detective.) She comes across as a female Sherlock Holmes, as portrayed in the current BBC/PBS series with Benedict Cumberbacht (sp?).

The general parameters of this mystery are a horror. Children to...more

like · see review

May 27, 2012 Ms.pegasus rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense, fiction

The brittle prose and unlikeable heroine are at first off-putting. Yet, the creepy memories of childhood-robbing trauma and present-day series of grisly crimes hold the reader in the grip of an awful attraction. The heroine, Kathy Mallory -- usually referred to as simply “Mallory” – could the author have conceived of a more unfeminine means of reference? – is appearing in her 10th book, so it is a bit unfair to be critical of her. This is my first encounter either with the author or her characte...more The brittle prose and unlikeable heroine are at first off-putting. Yet, the creepy memories of childhood-robbing trauma and present-day series of grisly crimes hold the reader in the grip of an awful attraction. The heroine, Kathy Mallory -- usually referred to as simply “Mallory” – could the author have conceived of a more unfeminine means of reference? – is appearing in her 10th book, so it is a bit unfair to be critical of her. This is my first encounter either with the author or her character. Mallory's past and her relationship to numerous secondary characters such as her partner Riker, the self-effacing and (of course) brilliant psychologist Charles Butler, police lieutenant Jack Coffey, and chief medical examiner Edward Slope are briefly alluded to but have obviously been firmly established in past books.

The subject of unlikeable heroines is particularly relevant. Mallory is portrayed as a sociopath who is incapable of forming intimate human attachments, quick to take offense, and patient in the cultivation of retribution. The part of the human psyche she does understand is greed. From appraising the environs of a crime suspect (“All of this she saw with a cost accountant's eye.”) to the actual interview (Mallory moved on to her favorite subject, 'Let's talk money....'”), she is relentless. The author provides conversation interspersed with 3rd person narrative that shifts abruptly from character to character's viewpoint. In this way, she controls the reader's reactions. At times, the constant shifts can be confusing. The author/narrator seems to interrupt the ruminations of her characters. We assume these interruptions are reliable, but sometimes, they are not. However, for the most part, it is a skillful deployment of the technique of the unreliable narrator. Thus, we accept Mallory's short-comings, and then listen to Charles' second thoughts: The tantalizing inference that Mallory might be capable of greater humanity than we have been led to believe.

The strength of this book is the plot. In addition to the macabre crimes enumerated, there is a thread of official corruption which make this book interesting and potentially cinematic. Horrific suspense is not my usual genre, but I'd be interested in reading another of the “Mallory” series – particularly the initial books of the series. (less)

like · see review

Apr 22, 2012 Lee Koopman rated it 5 of 5 stars

O'Connell's best yet! Kept me turning pages. I'm not a die hard "Mallory" fan but do enjoy the series. This one kept me on my toes and I didn't get bored with Mallory's infallible scams and schemes. O'Connell has a cast of misfits and psychotics from the rich and powerful to the lower minions in Mallory's own police force, a charming child that will remind you of Mallory's own childhood. The convoluted plots keep you on your toes. It's a challenge to stay abreast of our author as she twists and...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 15, 2012 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, reading-list-2012

God I love Mallory! Twisted broken sociopath or brilliant unorthodox detective? I'm going with the first answer, but there is always enough of a hint of the second to make her a compelling, fascinating character. As always, O'Connell surrounds her star with a great secondary cast of characters: trusty partner Riker; Charles Butler, the brilliant pychologist who loves her hopelessly; and her foster father's old poker buddies who are always looking out for her. And the victims and villains always...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 09, 2012 Cameron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

A dirty little red haired, blue-eyed smiling girl was running around Central Park with dried blood on her clothing and hugging anyone who would let her. She says that her Uncle Red turned into a tree. Everybody thinks that's just child's imagination until they find a body in a tree. By the time they are done, that number will jump up to three. Her first meeting with Kathy Mallory NYPD, she wraps her arms around her while talking incessantly. Mallory is back in the Special Crimes Unit after doing...more

like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller-goodies

I am a big fan of the Mallory books(I've been reading the series since the first book was released) and this book was a worthy entry.
This was a fairly (for a Mallory book)straight-forward story involving multiple murders, police corruption, and school bullying. Throw in a pedophile with a penchant for young, red-haired girls, a child with a talent for identifying motor sounds and a knowledge of rats and you've got the basics of this story.
This is not really a Mallory centric story (unlike Find M...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 14, 2012 Clark Isaacs rated it 4 of 5 stars

New York Times bestselling fiction writer, Carol O’Connell, is back with her 10th Mallory crime mystery, “The Chalk Girl.” This is a psychological thriller guaranteed to keep readers in suspense, when New York City detective Mallory sets out to unravel a complex story, which involves present and past murders seemingly related. Numerous characters emerge, all having their own twisted agendas. This is a tale of cold-blooded murder, revenge, and corruption among the political and social circles.

Thi...more New York Times bestselling fiction writer, Carol O’Connell, is back with her 10th Mallory crime mystery, “The Chalk Girl.” This is a psychological thriller guaranteed to keep readers in suspense, when New York City detective Mallory sets out to unravel a complex story, which involves present and past murders seemingly related. Numerous characters emerge, all having their own twisted agendas. This is a tale of cold-blooded murder, revenge, and corruption among the political and social circles.

This story opens in New York’s Central Park where a young redheaded girl, with elfin-like features joins a group of schoolchildren on a school outing. She is out of place. Her clothes are dirty and she had blood splattered on them. She was lost and muttering strange things about “Uncle Red” who turned into a tree and rats running all over and falling out of the sky.

The child had been snatched by pedophile, “Uncle Red.” Moreover, she was a witness to this murder in the Ramble area of the park. Authorities found three bodies hanging in the trees, bound and gagged. Coco, the elfin girl, was in danger and thusly secreted in a safe place.

The investigation takes off with Mallory and her partner detective Riker now looking for a murderer, they called the “Hunger Artist.” They believe these murders were connected to a couple of deaths 15 years ago in the Ramble when a wino was beaten to death and a young boy was hung up to die in a tree.

The detectives had some convoluted issues to solve, as a man, woman, or even a child could have committed these crimes! All records regarding the old cases were mishandled on purpose making the investigation even harder. Old buried secrets, schemes, and many cover-ups made it extremely difficult for the duo detectives generating numerous questions and getting few answers.

Mallory and Riker were relentless in their investigation, but they encountered many characters that were insanely keen in their quest to lead them astray. Money, madness, and murder are the plot! Chaos abounds.

Most intriguing was each chapter beginning with a narration of past events slowly revealing what really happened years ago. It is compelling and O’Connell skillfully ties it all together at the conclusion. Hidden secrets explain who are “The Chalk Girl” and the narrator in this summation.

You will not forget this terrific thriller! A must read four-star novel.
(less)

like · see review

Mar 10, 2012 Connie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am a whole-hearted fan of Carol O'Connell's writing, and a lover of all the Mallory books. While I gave this highly-anticipated book four stars, I did so out of respect for her story telling talent and her writing craft. This book, however, left me feeling disappointed. If you have followed the series, her New York City detective, Kathleen Mallory, is in the authors word a "sociopath", emotionally/psychologically damaged by her early childhood trauma and her years spent as a child living on th...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 08, 2012 LJ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary_post_1945, female_author, new_york_city, new_york_state, mystery, police_procedural

First Sentence: The first outcry of the morning was lost in a Manhattan mix of distant sirens, barking dogs and loud music from a car rolling by outside the park.

Coco is a young girl found wandering in Central Park. She has stars in her eyes, a desperate need to be loved, an affinity for rats, blood spatters on her clothes and claims her uncle was turned into a tree. Coco has Williams Syndrome. When a body is found suspended in a tree, Mallory claims the case and quickly, with the help of her fr...more First Sentence: The first outcry of the morning was lost in a Manhattan mix of distant sirens, barking dogs and loud music from a car rolling by outside the park.

Coco is a young girl found wandering in Central Park. She has stars in her eyes, a desperate need to be loved, an affinity for rats, blood spatters on her clothes and claims her uncle was turned into a tree. Coco has Williams Syndrome. When a body is found suspended in a tree, Mallory claims the case and quickly, with the help of her friend, Charles Butler, becomes the girl's guardian. Does this wounded child put a chink in the armour of another female wounded, or is she the sword who severs relationships?

Trying to describe a Carol O’Connell book is hard enough. Trying to describe a Carol O’Connell Mallory book is nearly impossible. Mallory is a character you either love or you don’t see the appeal of her. Mallory, rather as is the 20th Century Sherlock Holmes, is a high-functioning sociopath. At the age of seven; nearly feral, a seasoned thief and an expert at survival, she was found and taken in by police detective Lou Markowitz and his wife. Since their deaths, she has been watched over, protected and loved by Lou’s friends, including her partner Riker, and Charles Butler who loves her knowing she can never love him back. Yet Mallory does “love”, but not in any conventional way. She protects the innocent, is relentless in her pursuit of criminals and unrelenting in her exacting of justice. Mallory is the type of character you wouldn’t personally want to know, but find yourself drawn to and sad for. For those who may be J.D. Robb fans, Eve is a much milder version of Mallory.

On the other hand, O’Connell creates amazingly vile characters, but ones that are as far from the street-thug, gangster or classic murderer as one can get. There is more psychology than physicality behind the violence and, in some ways, that’s even more disturbing.

O’Connell’s plot is wickedly, wonderfully twisted. You never know where she’s going; it surprises you, amuses you, shocks you, devastates you and warms you. Whether the scene be heart-breaking or vile, there is such beauty to her words.

I was told by a friend that this was one of the saddest books she’d ever read. She was right, yet O’Connell also gives us a bittersweet gift at the end. As with every book O’Connell has written, it is excellent. It also one of the most haunting of her books—although her standalone “Bone by Bone” rivals it--and leaves you with a longing for her next book.

THE CHALK GIRL (Pol. Proc-Mallory-NYC-Cont) – Ex
O’Connell, Carol – 10th in series
Putnam, 2011

(less)

like · see review

Feb 28, 2012 Bonnie Brody rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am not a stranger to the Mallory series but it's been quite a while since I've read one of the books. This one, The Chalk Girl (A Mallory Novel), is quite good. As in past books, this one is psychologically astute, discussing how Mallory's past and present impacts her relationships with the characters she works with and those she comes into contact with through her work. Mallory was a wild child when she was young, a child foundling, taken in by the Markowitz family as a foster child and loved...more I am not a stranger to the Mallory series but it's been quite a while since I've read one of the books. This one, The Chalk Girl (A Mallory Novel), is quite good. As in past books, this one is psychologically astute, discussing how Mallory's past and present impacts her relationships with the characters she works with and those she comes into contact with through her work. Mallory was a wild child when she was young, a child foundling, taken in by the Markowitz family as a foster child and loved as though she was their own. Lou Markowitz was a cop and gave Mallory the desire to become a detective herself. Despite the love she received from the Markowitz's, Mallory's wildness never escaped her and she is distant and remote with others as though she suffers from attachment disorder.

The novel opens in Central Park with rats running all over the place. There is a young girl named Coco, all alone, who is obsessed with facts about rats and believes that they rain from the sky or fall from the trees. She is right about the trees. Rats have climbed the trees to get into the wrappings of bodies placed there by a murderer. There are three bodies found in trees initially, two alive and one dead. One of the living dies shortly after. Coco is a child with Williams syndrome, a rare syndrome that gives children faces like fairies, makes them want to touch others incessantly, and provides them with areas of brilliance and deficits. Coco says that her Uncle Red was 'delivered' to the park. We find out very early in the book that Uncle Red is not really her uncle but abducted her and is one of the victims of the murderer. Coco had been living with her grandmother who died. After Coco's grandmother died, she went outside the apartment to seek help and Uncle Red abducted her. It was a crime of opportunity.

Mallory has been on probation and at a desk job after disappearing from the job for three months. She had been traveling around the contiguous 48 states trying to find herself. She left her job with no words - no request for leave or formal absence. Finding Coco's abductor and working on the murders is Mallory's first foray into the street and the type of detective work she loves. She works with her partner, Riker, with whom she gets along well. This is rare for Mallory who has antagonized almost every one else she works with.

The murderer is called 'The Hunger Artist' because his victims have all been starving. Their ears are plugged with pieces of wax, their mouths covered with tape, and their eyes covered up. Who is he and why are these victims chosen?

Each short chapter begins with a piece of writing by Ernest Nadler from his school days. Some of the people mentioned in his writing are either victims of the murderer or related to them. How does he fit in with the big picture here?

This is as much a psychological study as it is a murder mystery. Mallory is a complex and difficult person to understand. Even her therapist, Charles Butler, who has worked with Mallory for years, finds her difficult to understand. He also harbors a secret love for her.

I found this book fascinating though at times I felt puzzled by what was going on as I haven't read all of the Mallory novels. I recommend that anyone interested in this book start with the first one in the series, Mallory's Oracle (Kathleen Mallory Novels).
(less)

like · see review

Feb 10, 2012 Tonya rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is so much to this book, it's hard to decide where to start. I haven't read any books about this character (Kathy Mallory), but I will definitely pick up more in the future. I'm not sure who the book revolved around the most. It starts with a little red-haired girl being found in the park after a deadly rat infestation suddenly occurs. She is all alone and has blood on her shoulders. Through this little girl (who has Williams Syndrome, something I knew nothing about), they discover some to...more

like · see review

Feb 05, 2012 Shell rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you are a fan of complex thrillers, this is the book for you. This is the first Kathleen Mallory book I've ever read, but it won't be my last. O'Connell weaves a tale that will keep the reader on their toes throughout the book. A little girl is found in the woods of Central Park. She talks to a tree who she says is her uncle. She may know who a murderer is. But Coco has Williams syndrome and has attached herself to Mallory.

Mallory is bent on protecting Coco and getting her help with the biza...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 30, 2012 Kitty rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book takes childhood bullying and cruelty to a new level. It touches on parents who want to fix everything to those who don't even know where to start. The book has its charming sweet moments, stirred with terror, helplessness and some pretty mixed up characters. (Lots of characters) Sometimes I was asking myself, "Now, who was that?" I was kept guessing on some aspects, but felt the plot was a little far fetched. The killings were unique in their torture, and I still can't visualize how th...more

like · see review

Jan 22, 2012 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

I used to have a pretty hard and fast rule that I would not pick up anywhere in the middle of a series. But on a couple occasions I've picked up in the middle out of some type of necessity and found it isn't always so bad. And I was really interested when The Chalk Girl came to my attention, even though it's the 12th in the series! I am so happy I took a chance with this one because I loved this book and excited about reading future books in the series (as well as the first 11).

Kathy Mallory (be...more I used to have a pretty hard and fast rule that I would not pick up anywhere in the middle of a series. But on a couple occasions I've picked up in the middle out of some type of necessity and found it isn't always so bad. And I was really interested when The Chalk Girl came to my attention, even though it's the 12th in the series! I am so happy I took a chance with this one because I loved this book and excited about reading future books in the series (as well as the first 11).

Kathy Mallory (better known just as "Mallory") is a detective in the Special Crimes Unit in New York City. Mallory is a hardened, rough around the edges girl with a crazy past. She grew up in the foster care system, and I'm sure there's a lot more back story in previous books, but I felt like I was given a lot of information in this installment. Some compare Mallory to Dragon Tattoo's Lisbeth Salander, but I think Mallory is much scarier and seemed more emotionally hardened. In The Chalk Girl, a little girl is found lost in Central Park. No one knows where she belongs since no one has filed a missing child report. The child seems different in some way, and no one knows what to make of her statements that her uncle turned into a tree. Surprisingly, the little girl attaches immediately to Mallory and through this connection they slowly unravel the mystery of the current situation as well as unearthing a long hidden crime.

The setting, the "special victims unit", and the complexity of the situation reminds me of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit which I love. The characters are different, of course, but I think otherwise that fans of the show would likely be fans of this book. I'm curious to learn more about the characters, although I will say that for this being the 12th book I wonder that Mallory's character hasn't grown more than she has. But then, I don't know where she started.

One interesting aspect of the writing was the way the author sometimes added in her own short commentary of sorts; the narration, overall, is the traditional third person past tense, but I noticed a sarcastic or facetious comment every now and then. Usually I would find this distracting, but it was amusing it its context. The Chalk Girl also tells two related stories... the main story is the one I've described, but the beginning of each chapter has a quote or paragraph from a different story. Those pieces in themselves were intriguing, albeit somewhat confusing, but the further you get in the book the more you realize the two stories are intertwined.

I have to apologize because it's been at least a few weeks since I read this so I'm not saying as much as I may have if I'd reviewed it then. But I do know that this story absorbed me and I'm excited to read more in the series!

Taken from my blog at www.takemeawayreading.com (less)

like · see review

Jan 22, 2012 Chelle Bell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller

I love Kathy Mallory. The depth of her character is amazing, and each book leaves me wanting more. This one is especially good, perhaps because of the long wait between books. A bit about the characters.

Mallory is an incomplete story - nobody knows her well. Many fear her, others love her, and everyone keeps their distance. Well, except for her partner Riker. And Charles (who is hopelessly in love with her). And her late father's poker playing buddies, who want so much for her. Some call her ps...more I love Kathy Mallory. The depth of her character is amazing, and each book leaves me wanting more. This one is especially good, perhaps because of the long wait between books. A bit about the characters.

Mallory is an incomplete story - nobody knows her well. Many fear her, others love her, and everyone keeps their distance. Well, except for her partner Riker. And Charles (who is hopelessly in love with her). And her late father's poker playing buddies, who want so much for her. Some call her psychopath. But one thing is clear. She has a definite sense of morals and knows no boundaries when it comes to protecting the innocent.

Coco, is a beautiful little red-head with a smile that lights up a room, suffers from Williams syndrome which prompts her to reach out to anyone for a hug putting her life at risk. She has brilliant qualities, such as recognizing any vacuum by sound alone and playing the piano; and can't lace up her shoes or button her clothes. She simply thinks differently.

Mallory gets through to Coco on a deep level, and Charles (friend, therapist, police adviser) wants to protect Coco from Mallory's investigative motives.

There is so much to this book, it's simply quite beautiful to read. Except maybe for the rats. Lots of rats.

The mystery is excellent as always, although the characters in this series are more important than the events. It's a psychological study of the highest level, and more fascinating because we aren't given all the answers. Sometimes there's aren't any. Well, the crime is solved, and repercussions handled well (and by Mallory). But we still know so little about Mallory - it's like peeling an onion one layer at a time. I'd love to see a Mallory book written from her point of view.

My only complain about this story is a disturbing paragraph about Charles Butler at the end of the book. "This summer afternoon would remain in his memory forever, a bookmark to a sad and curious passage that he must return to again and again. Weill into his nineties and long after the death of Kathy Mallory, on every fine, warm day, he would sit in a garden where he would only suffer daisies to be planted." (less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 19, 2012 Gaby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-and-mystery, thriller

Review:

This latest book, Chalk Girl, was my first exposure to Detective Kathy Mallory. Mallory is a gifted detective whose flaws make her stand out.

How to describe her? Physically, she's a stunner. Even in New York City, she's unforgettable with her silky blond hair, high cheekbones, bright green and almond shaped eyes, a gorgeous figure, clothes that are noticeably expensive and yet comfortable. ("silk T-shirts and custom-made blazers. Even her blue jeans were tailored, and her running shoes co...more Review:

This latest book, Chalk Girl, was my first exposure to Detective Kathy Mallory. Mallory is a gifted detective whose flaws make her stand out.

How to describe her? Physically, she's a stunner. Even in New York City, she's unforgettable with her silky blond hair, high cheekbones, bright green and almond shaped eyes, a gorgeous figure, clothes that are noticeably expensive and yet comfortable. ("silk T-shirts and custom-made blazers. Even her blue jeans were tailored, and her running shoes cost more than his car payment.") She can move quietly, quickly and with deadly precision such that she brings to mind a large golden cat. She's in the top 1 percentile mentally as well - her powers of observation and deduction make her one of the best detectives in NYC. These skills are complimented by her uncanny ability to understand and use computers - her "hacking" skills scare her superiors who are careful not to ask how and where she gets her information from. Mallory's a survivor who'd lost her family at a young age and somehow survived on the streets. Though we don't know much about these early years, we do know that Mallory was saved when she was caught and adopted by the renowned Detective Lou Markowitz. Markowitz brought her home to his wife Helen who saw and treated Kathy Mallory as a gift. Helen Markowitz loved Kathy and Kathy would do anything for her new mother. Kathy's behavior is circumscribed by what Helen would want her to do and what Helen taught her daughter to be wrong. Mallory's moral code is difficult to predict and it makes her one of the more interesting characters. As a detective, Mallory is well aware of the rules of criminal procedure and the suspect's constitutional rights.

In Chalk Girl, the young victim has the rare Williams syndrome, a rare condition characterized by elfin features and unusual gifts. She is extraordinarily gifted in music, languages, reading, and interpersonal skills. She is warm, outgoing, and needs human contact. The young girl doesn't have the usual inhibitions or defense mechanisms which makes her particularly vulnerable. "I'd like to give you a hug." Just think about it - a gorgeous young child who engages strangers and is looking for affection - a recipe for heartache and abuse. Somehow Coco brings out a protective side to Mallory.

But as her friends and admirers see "Mallory the Machine" as self-sufficient and unable to relate to those around her, there are scenes in Chalk Girl that are so sad and poignant that I'd have to put the book down. It's these scenes that haunted me long after I'd put down the book.

The one thing that bothered me about Chalk Girl was the degree of violence and cruelty that Mallory and the detectives unearthed. Chalk Girl is not a tame detective story but it's a fascinating and satisfying read. After reading Chalk Girl months ago, I ended up hunting down and reading 10 more of Carol O'Connell's mysteries. That's how much I enjoyed Chalk Girl and reading about Kathy Mallory.

ISBN-10: 0399157743 - Hardcover $25.95

Publisher: Putnam Adult (January 17, 2012), 384 pages.

Review copy provided by the publisher.(less)

like · see review

Jan 17, 2012 Luanne Ollivier rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well, I was going to take lots of notes and quotes while I was reading Carol O'Connell's newest book, The Chalk Girl, so I could write a fabulous post telling you how much I love this character and author.

The notes and quotes didn't happen.....because I couldn't put the book down long enough!! But I can tell you that I do love O'Connell's 'Mallory' books.

As a child, Kathleen (Kathy) Mallory was found living alone on the streets of New York City by NYPD Lieutenant Lou Markowitz. She was taken in...more Well, I was going to take lots of notes and quotes while I was reading Carol O'Connell's newest book, The Chalk Girl, so I could write a fabulous post telling you how much I love this character and author.

The notes and quotes didn't happen.....because I couldn't put the book down long enough!! But I can tell you that I do love O'Connell's 'Mallory' books.

As a child, Kathleen (Kathy) Mallory was found living alone on the streets of New York City by NYPD Lieutenant Lou Markowitz. She was taken in and raised by Markowitz and his wife (with some help from Lou's fellow cops and friends). She is streetwise, cunning, an expert thief and described as 'a baby sociopath.'

Following in Lou's footsteps, Mallory (she refuses to answer to Kathy) has joined the NYPD and is paired up with Markowitz's old partner. She is a brilliant detective, but her methods and her relationships with people are strictly on her terms. No one breaks through the walls she has erected. The term sociopath is still bandied about.

In The Chalk Girl, the 10th in the series, there may be a little chink in Mallory's armour. A small girl is found wandering alone in Central Park...with blood on her tee shirt. She says the blood fell from the sky while she was looking for her uncle who turned into a tree. There is something special about Coco. She has Williams Syndrome and can't really tell them exactly where she's from or who she is. But with help from psychologist Charles Butler, they are able to decode what she's trying to tell them. Coco seems to stir something in Mallory - one wounded child recognizing another.

When Mallory locates the uncle, the case leads to places no one could have ever predicted.

And that's the beauty of O'Connell's books. You just never have an idea where the plots will lead. They're inventive, intriguing, intelligent and will keep you guessing until the end. They might keep you up late too - the crimes are bizarre and gruesome - perfect fodder for crime thriller aficionados. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from what seems to be a journal of someone called Ernest Nadler. I'm glad I read everything on the page - these entries told a story on their own that eventually met Mallory's path.

The character of Mallory continues to intrigue me. Small details about her past and small glimpses past the barriers she has erected have been slowly inserted into each new entry in this series. We still really have no idea who Kathy Mallory really is. But I am inextricably hooked by this flawed protagonist.
(less)

like · see review

Dec 31, 2011 Jaylia3 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Author Carol O'Connell has been doing this series long enough that this latest volume reads like a well-oiled machine with a fast pace and a macabre sense of humor, that's somewhat balanced by main character Kathy Mallory having a heart of gold beneath her well groomed but stone cold exterior. Mallory was out in the world on her own from a very young age and it shows in the ruthless survival skills she brings to her police work. This is the first Kathy Mallory novel I've read and it was a little...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 17, 2011 Linda B rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Chalk Girl is an odd mystery/crime novel. I had trouble maintaining any interest in the story, and I could only read one chapter at a time before I lost interest. I made it through eventually, but I wouldn't recommend this book unless you have read some of the others in the series first. Perhaps if I had, I would have been more sympathetic toward Mallory instead of just thinking her as a rude, violent, crooked cop.

Mallory has returned to her job as detective after a mysterious absence, and t...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 10, 2011 S.D. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

A homeless girl is found wandering the park. School children on a park tour remember the girl because she looked just like a pixie with red hair, bright eyes, and a wide smile. They also remember the blood on her shoulder. Mrs. Ortega, Charles Butler’s cleaning lady, witnesses a man trying to lure the young girl who runs away. She enlists Mallory’s help in finding the young girl before some pervert does. Coco, the young girl, leads Mallory to a section of the park where she claims her uncle turn...more A homeless girl is found wandering the park. School children on a park tour remember the girl because she looked just like a pixie with red hair, bright eyes, and a wide smile. They also remember the blood on her shoulder. Mrs. Ortega, Charles Butler’s cleaning lady, witnesses a man trying to lure the young girl who runs away. She enlists Mallory’s help in finding the young girl before some pervert does. Coco, the young girl, leads Mallory to a section of the park where she claims her uncle turned into a tree. Not one to dismiss a little girl’s fantasy stories, Mallory happens to find the uncle in a sack hanging from a tree. Not only is the man not dead, but there is another body. Soon there are three victims. Coco has become attached to Mallory. Charles has become attached to Coco whom he has diagnosed with Williams syndrome because of her facial features, poor motor skills and sensitivity to sounds, among other things. Charles wants to find her a good home. Mallory isn’t ready to release her star witness. Thus starts the battle of wits. Whom Coco thinks is her uncle is actually a child predator with a fondness for redheads. He comes from a rich family with ties to powerful people. As usual, Mallory likes to follow the money and it leads to the acting police commissioner. As with previous Mallory books, the author has suspects with psychological flaws. Mallory is still at the top of her game and Riker is still unable to stay one step ahead of her. CHALK GIRL is well worth the wait. If I have one complaint it is that the author never reveals what happened between Mallory and her father in the previous book, FIND ME. In CHALK GIRL not one person knows where Mallory was for three months. She just walked back into the precinct without a word. Her boss, Jack Coffrey, placed her on desk duty pending her psyche eval. But Charles was with her when she found her father so at least Charles knows where she was but nothing is said about Mallory’s father, whether she spent time with him, whether he’s still alive or dead, nor the fact that Charles was there. And I for one am quite fond of Charles and the unrequited love is getting a bit frustrating. There is one passage where the narrative is that Charles will be well into his nineties and still thinking of something Mallory did and his grandchildren will be concerned. Is that a hint from the author that she has every intention of leaving the impression there will be no future for Charles and Mallory? If so, please kill him off now and end his and our suffering. (less)

like · see review

Nov 20, 2011 Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars

I could not stop reading this book and because I couldn't I finished about 400 pages in two days.

The book was intense and captivating and riveting.

Characters were fascinating...especially Kathy Mallory. Actually I loved her weirdness, strength and over the top behavior.

Totally charmed by Charles and Coco...psychologist and little lost girl.

The story involves murders, cover ups, private school bullies, wealthy divas, blind lawyers, drug addicts, agoraphobic wives, nosy neighbors and so much more....more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This review falls a little closer to 2.5 stars than to 3.

I've been reading the Mallory series for some years now, and I've become to think of it as magical realism by way of serial killer novels.

The newest Mallory opens in the usual way - there are some bizarre happenings, some bizarre killings, and some excellently bizarre characters. In this case, we start every chapter with information from an Ernest Nadler about his school experiences - it isn't till at least a quarter of the way in that we...more

like · see review

Mar 14, 2012 Linda Branham Greenwell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery-crime

Kathy Mallory is a sociopath detective and has just reappeared from a cross-country trip taken without notice or permission from her police department. So when a little girl who can't stop talking about rats is found wandering alone in an area of Central Park where three bodies strung up in the trees are also found things are just crazy enough that they need Mallory.

Mallory and her partner Riker discover that the little girl was picked up by one of the people strung up in the trees who is an hei...more

like · see review

Aug 07, 2012 Claudia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-book-challenge-160-books, suspense-fiction

I had forgotten how very twisted any story starring Kathy Mallory could be. O'Connell knows her character so well and she pushes the edges with her. I don't remember that much of the action actually is through the eyes of people who must work with Mallory...Charles who's so in love with her, Riker, her partner -- other professionals who've watched her grow up from an essentially feral child to a...a what? functioning member of society? Not really. A feral adult? not really. She seems to have att...more

like · see review

May 11, 2012 Wendy Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

I must admit to loving the Kathy Mallory series by Carol O'Connell, and this one is as good as all the previous. Mallory seems a touch more human and empathetic in this one but she is still antisocial and does things her own way. In this book a young girl is found wandering in the park saying her uncle has turned into a tree. I won't be giving the game away by saying he is found hanging in the tree. This is a complex book but the story unfolds at a cracking pace and I found myself always wantin...more

like · see review

Jun 08, 2013 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery, thriller, psychological-thriller, new-york-city, police-procedural

Fires on all cylinders for me: good engagement of the mind with an intriguing mystery and depth in the characters, of the heart with empathy for the investigator and victim, and of the gut with thrills and chills in the plot and roots of evil. That’s a rare combination for me in my pervasive escapist reading of mysteries and police procedurals. James Lee Burke and Michael Connelly achieve such a trifecta for me sometimes.

This 2011 outing is number 10 out of 11 in the series featuring NYPD Detec...more Fires on all cylinders for me: good engagement of the mind with an intriguing mystery and depth in the characters, of the heart with empathy for the investigator and victim, and of the gut with thrills and chills in the plot and roots of evil. That’s a rare combination for me in my pervasive escapist reading of mysteries and police procedurals. James Lee Burke and Michael Connelly achieve such a trifecta for me sometimes.

This 2011 outing is number 10 out of 11 in the series featuring NYPD Detective Kathy Mallory. Like Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander, she is young, damaged, and dangerous and plays computers and people to achieve her own version of justice. One can’t help wonder if O’Connell provided some inspiration for Larsson’s hero. Mallory too lost her parents and lived on the street and in foster care, learning at a tender age how to fight back against abuse and corruption with subterfuge, manipulation, and violence. Adoption into the loving family of a Manhattan police chief and his wife put her on a path to law enforcement; Salander’s taming influences were less substantial. What keeps the Mallory tales away from the cartoonishness of twisted superheroes like Mel Gibson’s role in the “Lethal Weapon” movies is a satisfying level of psychological depth to her character and of the bad guys she pursues.

In this tale, Mallory has recently returned from an unapproved absence of many months, about which nothing is revealed (to the chagrin of readers of the prior novel on that period, “Find Me”, published a long 5 years before this installment). Her partner Riker and lieutenant Coffey are too scared of her to press too hard on her mysterious absence and are eager to get her out of probation desk work into the field because of a tough case. A grisly discovery has been made in the Ramble are of Central Park, a body bagged and gagged in a tree, ravaged by rats. They need her skills to find a missing child spattered by blood, who is the only likely witness. The 8-year old child, Coco, once found, provides a strange babbling over her traumatic experiences (she has Williams syndrome, gifted in some ways like an idiot savant). Her clues are slowly parsed by Mallory and her psychologist friend Charles, who bend the rules in taking private custody of the child. More victims are found, the link being that they students many years ago of a private school run by a prominent charitable foundation.

As evidence for an old crime and cover-up are turned up, much pressure and interference entangles Mallory and Riker from higher up the food chain from rival powers, the acting police commissioner and the chief of detectives. Meanwhile, the reader is presented with segments from a boy’s diary at the beginning of each chapter, which highlights his heroic struggle to deal with an extreme campaign of bullying by a group of wealthy kids at the school. This approach by O’Connell is very well done. Here are a couple of sample entries:

Before they can grab me, I warn them that I have superpowers. I can run like a rabbit, shiver like a whippet, and I can scream like a little girl. The three of them look at me like—what the hell? This buys me a few seconds, and I jump into the slipstream of a passing teacher. At lunchtime, they come along every few minutes like taxicabs. …

My guidance counselor tells me that school days are the best time of my life, and I should relish every second. When she tells me this, I want to scream, “You silly old fuck! It’s hell every day, five days a week! It’s war!”

So many other thrillers focus on a cat-and-mouse game between one hero and one evil guy, with romance thrown into the mix. O’Connell, based on the two previous ones I read, tends to be guilty of dividing the reader’s focus too much between the cult of Mallory’s badass personality and an overly complex nest of bad guys. This one has the balance right. A clear theme is that “monsters are beget by monsters.” Her lack of romantic interests is refreshing on one hand, but a disturbing sign of her inhuman qualities. The levity comes from the persistent hope and expectation that Mallory must have some hidden empathy for the victims and must have some affection for Riker and Charles. In this tale, I was moved how both cross swords with her over the right approach to use and come away perturbed by rare victories. In Riker’s case, he finds some satisfaction in his alternate approach to playing the wolves in power:

The man had avenged fair lady and won her a prize, and he had done this in a way that Mallory never could have managed. For one thing, the event was bloodless. And shame was not a word in her lexicon, nor a weapon in her arsenal.

In the case of Charles (who secretly loves Mallory), his interest in protecting Coco from further trauma leads him to keep Mallory from pressing the girl too hard as a witness, thinking her only concern was for the case. When he later discovers that Mallory has replenished Coco’s jar of lightening bugs, he is blown away over missing signs of deep caring on her part. O’Connell projects an imaginary future with Charles playing a version of the “she loves me, she love me not” game:

He, who was whole and sane and fully human—he would never have thought to light a child’s way through the night with fireflies. And so he plucked the daisies bald, alternating Mallory’s possibilities, saying with one torn petal, “She had no heart,” and with the next petal, “She did.”

That’s what I mean about depth. O’Connell thrills and shocks you on one line, then moves you in tender and subtle ways on another.
(less)

13 likes · like · see review

title link	preview: The Chalk Girl
avg rating	preview: The Chalk Girl Goodreads rating: 4.04 (1334 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10856198-the-chalk-girl?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331237667l/10856198.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10856198-the-chalk-girl?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Chalk Girl by Carol O'Connell[/url]

The Chalk Girl (Kathleen Mallory #10)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (14)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Carol O'Connell

Books by Carol O'Connell

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Chalk Girl