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393rd out of 590 books
—
555 voters
Winter House (Kathleen Mallory #8)
A reclusive senior citizen kills an intruder—but there's more to the story. In Carol O'Connell's new novel New York City officer Kathleen Mallory purges a woman of her mysterious past—and the flesh-and-blood ghosts of a violent family legacy.
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
September 6th 2005
by Berkley
(first published 2004)
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Carol O'Connell is terrific! I read this story some years ago, loved it, and loved it even more on the re-read. Kate Mallory is a truly unique character among female detectives. Of course she's beautiful; aren't they all? But she's much more interesting than that. She's beyond bristly. And brilliant. And hard. Many of the people who love her also fear her. And even if/when she does something that puts her at risk, it's never something stupid or simpering.
The plot here is great. The Detroit Free...more
The plot here is great. The Detroit Free...more
Got this from Julie as the get-away weekend was starting, and was oh so looking forward to immersing myself in a total "mind candy" release starring Kathleen Mallory (aka Malloyr), NYPD Detective and former feral child raised by now deceased NYPD police officer.
The back cover describes it as "densely plotted" -- I found it so full of characters and historial detail that was supposed to fit in here, there and everywhere that I could hardly keep track.
The gist of it: burglar is murdered with ice...more
The back cover describes it as "densely plotted" -- I found it so full of characters and historial detail that was supposed to fit in here, there and everywhere that I could hardly keep track.
The gist of it: burglar is murdered with ice...more
I'm sad because I only have one more Kathleen Mallory book to read - then, I'll have to wait until another one is published! (I've read this in the most mixed up way possible - I read #10, the most recently published, first - my last one will be Stone Angel).
In my opinion, this was one of the better of the series. I could almost visualize Nedda and her siblings dancing through the house as a child - and then Nedda as an adult, dodging the ghosts of her family as she goes through the house.
I did...more
In my opinion, this was one of the better of the series. I could almost visualize Nedda and her siblings dancing through the house as a child - and then Nedda as an adult, dodging the ghosts of her family as she goes through the house.
I did...more
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When I reread these books some day, if I do, I'll figure out which is truly my favorite. For now, this book is. There are levels of enjoyment: the parlor mystery level, psychological thriller, detective story, true crime, all with noir shadows. The mirrors in the Winter House are genius casting. Read this on the iPad in the dark, face hovering over the white screen. The contrast fits the genre. Mallory, Butler and Coffey are all evolving, more deeply interesting. The past creeps into the present...more
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 Mal...more
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 Mal...more
c2004. excellent read. This is the 3rd book that I have read by the same author and they have all been page turners to the detriment of my normal life. Classy detective novel and whilst I do tell myself not to try and unravel the story before the time, I keep doing it. I did not like the ending at all but it only goes to underline the fact that sometimes things just don't go right. Highly recommended. "Riker leaned far forward in his chair, caught between surprise and confusion./ "You heard righ...more
Source: Library
Characters:Kathy Mallory – detective (series), detective partner Riker; business partner, savant Charles Butler; vic: Willy Roy Boyd; perp Nedda Winter, (Bitty Smyth, Cleo Smyth, Lionel Winter, Sheldon Smyth).
Plot: Mallory attends a crime scene--a burglar killed by old woman (Nedda). But the burglar is WRB, who Mallory incarcerated for serial killings. Although his trademark knife is strapped to his leg, and ice pick is found by his hand. Mallory is suspicious. The murder isn't wh...more
Characters:Kathy Mallory – detective (series), detective partner Riker; business partner, savant Charles Butler; vic: Willy Roy Boyd; perp Nedda Winter, (Bitty Smyth, Cleo Smyth, Lionel Winter, Sheldon Smyth).
Plot: Mallory attends a crime scene--a burglar killed by old woman (Nedda). But the burglar is WRB, who Mallory incarcerated for serial killings. Although his trademark knife is strapped to his leg, and ice pick is found by his hand. Mallory is suspicious. The murder isn't wh...more
This is a Goodreads first reads giveaway review.
I have to say, although this was not my favorite plot, O'Connell's Mallory is one of my favorite characters. I recommend Mallory's Oracle often, and buy it constantly to give to people to read and pass along.
That being said, this book showed a touch more humanity on Kathy's part and a little less patience from Charles. I was also disappointed with the fact that Kathy's gift to Charles was "off the mark." Mallory herself is often "off" a bit, a wo...more
I have to say, although this was not my favorite plot, O'Connell's Mallory is one of my favorite characters. I recommend Mallory's Oracle often, and buy it constantly to give to people to read and pass along.
That being said, this book showed a touch more humanity on Kathy's part and a little less patience from Charles. I was also disappointed with the fact that Kathy's gift to Charles was "off the mark." Mallory herself is often "off" a bit, a wo...more
I was lucky enough to win a copy of Winter House through Goodreads, and I am so glad that I did. This book was the first one that I have read by O'Connell, and I really enjoyed it. O'Connell delivered a good mystery that kept the reader guessing until the end. With so many twists and turns, it was hard to discover the truth about what happened at Winter House sixty years before. Mallory was an interesting character who was fun to read about. I did like how she did her own thing her own way, and...more
Carol O'Connell and her heroine Kathy Mallory make a formidable team. Mallory has enthralled me ever since I read The Man who Lied to Women and my favourite, The Flight of the Stone Angel, is officially one of my top 26 books.
Mallory is on the trail of a serial killer who just happens to be murdered with an ice pick by 70 year old Nedda Winter. Nedda has been missing for 60 odd years, fleeing Winter House at the age of 12 when she found her family massacred by someone who also used an ice pick t...more
Mallory is on the trail of a serial killer who just happens to be murdered with an ice pick by 70 year old Nedda Winter. Nedda has been missing for 60 odd years, fleeing Winter House at the age of 12 when she found her family massacred by someone who also used an ice pick t...more
Not my favorite Mallory book. Unfortunately, I intuited the killer once the character was introduced (rather early on in the book) so there wasn't a lot of suspense, nor did I find my curiosity peaked as to why this particular character would plot to kill. Most of the characters felt one dimensional, or I simply did not care about their background. The exceptions to this were Neda Winter and her niece. The attempt at making the house into another character in the book, fell short for me. Eventua...more
This was such a good book! I'm reading a book on how to write mysteries, and this book was recommended reading for setting/description. It was so much more than that! I could picture the "Winter House", the Winters-how Cleo and Lionel communicated, the frail yet strong little Nedda, short and weak Bitty and the strong detectives-Riker and Mallory. Even Charles was an unforgettable character.
I love how she wove details, characters and time lines together. It was such a well-written and unforgetta...more
I love how she wove details, characters and time lines together. It was such a well-written and unforgetta...more
Winter House was my introduction to Mallory. The fascinating plot, about a woman who comes home to a New York mansion where numerous family members were slaughtered almost 50 years away keeps the reader engaged. She and her family members are well described, but the woman herself is always a mystery, right to the very end of the book. A very enjoyable read.
Ellen Besso
Author of An Indian Sojourn &
Surviving Eldercare
Facebook: AuthorEllenBesso
Ellen Besso
Author of An Indian Sojourn &
Surviving Eldercare
Facebook: AuthorEllenBesso
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,...more
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,...more
Pretty good mystery until what should have been the end. I didn't love the ending or who the author made to be the "killer" although-- well that would ruin the story so I won't. Anyway it should have ended with that disappointment, but then the author insisted on trying to wrap up all the loose ends and make it into some kind of ghost thing. I'm going to give her another try before throwing her books on the not to be read again heap.
I loved this entry in the Mallory series. I first tried a Mallory book several years ago and didn't like it, couldn't imagine what the fuss was about. A couple of years later, after seeing repeated raves for the series on DorothyL, I decided to try it again and I was hooked. I do get annoyed with the italicized sections when her mentor is supposedly speaking to her from the beyond, but I skip those and get back to the meat of the story. I like how Mallory, Charles and Riker work together, and so...more
I always think I dont care that much for the Kathy Mallory books, but I notice I always read them to the end. This one hooked me with the mystery of "who dunnit" and kept me reading because I wanted to know.
This one wasn't quite as hard to follow with the multitude of characters that are all pieces of the puzzle as other O'Connell books I have read, but still a bit tricky to remember who was who and when.
This one wasn't quite as hard to follow with the multitude of characters that are all pieces of the puzzle as other O'Connell books I have read, but still a bit tricky to remember who was who and when.
This book is number eight in the Kathleen Mallory series. This is the first one I have read.
The apparent regulars in this series are Mallory, Riker and Butler. Yet I had trouble understanding their relationships or conjuring up any real feeling for Mallory. Perhaps if I read the previous novels in this series, I would have more buy-in to the regulars.
Nedda Winter is the real focus in this novel. Her story is the interesting one, and the author kept me guessing as to both her sanity and her guil...more
The apparent regulars in this series are Mallory, Riker and Butler. Yet I had trouble understanding their relationships or conjuring up any real feeling for Mallory. Perhaps if I read the previous novels in this series, I would have more buy-in to the regulars.
Nedda Winter is the real focus in this novel. Her story is the interesting one, and the author kept me guessing as to both her sanity and her guil...more
The Mallory books are a bit surrealistic - their world is just a little different from ours. O'Connell paints that world in wonderful detail. The characters are rich and deep and unusual. This book is no exception.
The house, its history, the the people who lived and partied in it are all central. Mallory's relationships with other major characters is strained by circumstances and their different reactions to the case.
The house, its history, the the people who lived and partied in it are all central. Mallory's relationships with other major characters is strained by circumstances and their different reactions to the case.
An orphan, Mallory was rescued from the streets as a child by a kindhearted police officer and his wife. Now grown and a homicide detective herself, she has been so psychologically scarred by her horrific past that in some ways she is still feral and dangerously amoral. In Winter House, Mallory encounters an older woman, Nedda Winter, suspected of a number of brutal murders. As a child of twelve, Winter disappeared when eight members of her family were murdered. Where has she been in the fifty y...more
This was the second Mallory book I've read and was very pleased. It's almost like an English country house mystery set in current day NYC. I wish I had read this one first. All of this is in prepartion for reading the most current O'Connell mystery, The Chalk Girl which has gotten great reviews. Looking forward to more of her books which I checked out of the library today.
This book has a lot of really great elements filled with intrigue and mystery. For a mystery lover, there is a bit of everything for your liking...massacre, kidnapping, coverup, crazy cop and on and on, and it's all wrapped up in a page-turning story that will leave you changing your mind a few times on "how it's gonna end".
I have never read a novel by Carol O'Connell before but will be sure to pick up some more after reading this one! This book was a gift through a Goodreads.com giveaway.
I have never read a novel by Carol O'Connell before but will be sure to pick up some more after reading this one! This book was a gift through a Goodreads.com giveaway.
I had a little trouble at first getting into this book and keeping some of the characters straight
However, after I had read a few chapters, I had to keep reading. I was surprised by the ending. Maybe some day I can go back and read it again to see if I missed some clues. I think I may read some more of her books. .
However, after I had read a few chapters, I had to keep reading. I was surprised by the ending. Maybe some day I can go back and read it again to see if I missed some clues. I think I may read some more of her books. .
I was so excited by the write up on the back of the cover that I jumped right in.
That was it. The excitement ended there.
The story may have been great, but the writing was crap.
I got very tired of redundant character descriptions and unnecessary explanations.
I get that the detective is that way - shush about her and get on with the story!
Once I gave up, I found out that this is like number 8 in a series about the same detective... really!? I felt the author was trying to hard to describe the...more
That was it. The excitement ended there.
The story may have been great, but the writing was crap.
I got very tired of redundant character descriptions and unnecessary explanations.
I get that the detective is that way - shush about her and get on with the story!
Once I gave up, I found out that this is like number 8 in a series about the same detective... really!? I felt the author was trying to hard to describe the...more
I thoroughly enjoy Carol O'Connell's Mallory novels and this too had some very compelling characters new as well as her old ccp cronies. A murder mystery involving an upper easst side Manhatten ancient mansion, a family of old money and the ghosts it does not want to give up.
Ammetto che in questo periodo ho poco tempo e molti problemi, per cui non dedico alla lettura una grande attenzione. Tuttavia, questo "giallo" fa abbastanza "schifo" e riesce ad annoiare non poco: trama inverosimile, personaggi mal delineati, linguaggio pessimo. Tempo e soldi sprecati.
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Carol O'Connell has a way of developing characters that hook you, and as the main ones progress from one book to the next they only grow dearer to the reader. Mallory and Charles have multiple layers as do her partner, LT, and his cleaning lady!
Sep 08, 2011
Robinjane
added it
This one at the end had a touch of supernatural and Mallory would deny that some strange had happen the radio. You could proably get Charles to talk about the radio. But don't ever try to harm Mallory, for Charles can protect if he needs to.
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 ar...more
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 ar...more
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Born in 1947, Carol O'Connell studied at the California Institute or Arts/Chouinard and the Arizona State University. She lives in New York City.
Series:
* Kathleen Mallory
More about Carol O'Connell...
Series:
* Kathleen Mallory
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