Series
Publication
G.P. Putnam's Sons (2012), 528 pages
Original publication date
2011
Collections
Genres
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Thriller/Suspense — 2013)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Mystery — 2013)
RUSA CODES Listen List (Selection — 2013)
Description
"Before Lisbeth Salander, there was Kathy Mallory. The astonishing new Mallory novel from the New York Times-bestselling author. The little girl appeared in Central Park: red-haired, blue-eyed, smiling, perfect-except for the blood on her shoulder. It fell from the sky, she said, while she was looking for her uncle, who turned into a tree. Poor child, people thought. And then they found the body in the tree. For Mallory, newly returned to the Special Crimes Unit after three months' lost time, there is something about the girl that she understands. Mallory is damaged, they say, but she can tell a kindred spirit. And this one will lead her to a story of extraordinary crimes: murders stretching back fifteen years, blackmail and complicity and a particular cruelty that only someone with Mallory's history could fully recognize. In the next few weeks, she will deal with them... all in her own way. "--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Stewartry
It took a while, but I finally decided that it wasn't really necessary for me to read all the other Mallory novels before reading the ARC of The Chalk Girl I received as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer (thank you!). While it is good to read the books in sequence, thereby having a better idea of who
A horrifying sequence of events comes together in the beginning of this book to break out into two separate but very much related Issues for Mallory and her partner Riker, and of course her other partner Charles Butler, to deal with: three people found hanging from trees in Central Park; and a blood-spattered little girl called Coco who is rootless and helpless and strange, in great need of Team Mallory and also of invaluable aid to them.
Never, ever, in all of the murder mysteries I have read and seen has there ever been a potential victim like Willy Fallon. She was introduced in mortal danger, and I hoped against hope that she would be saved. By the time she regained consciousness again I wished the rats had eaten her alive. Within another chapter or two I wished the rats had eaten her alive and done it slowly. Over several days. Weeks, if possible. Rats with dull teeth. Incontinent rats with dull teeth and tapeworms. I've never experienced such a whiplash reversal of emotions about a character. And it's been a long time since I've felt such an extravagance of hatred for a character.
About Kathy Mallory there is no real whiplash. I don't like her. I'm not supposed to. Compassion is called for, from anyone with any familiarity with previous books in the series and Mallory's past, but liking? Only, perhaps, as some science fictional future person might like some alien who might look human but lack most human qualities. (Yes, of course, I was going to say Vulcan – but that doesn't work even jokingly.) Mallory is damaged. The damage was mitigated, slightly, when Lou Markowitz plucked her from the streets when she was ten (or twelve, but probably eleven), but the influence he and his lovely wife managed to have over her created something like a trompe l'oiel mural – it looks right, especially from a distance, but it's not what you think. Manners, respect for others' property and feelings, empathy: with her it's all a veneer, learned rote behavior without understanding. So, no, she's not likeable; if you're her friend, she will use you as needed, because she has little conventional understanding of what friendship is or should be. (A comment which actually could apply to several people I've known, but that's beside the point.) Her interactions with the child in this book are … disturbing. Is she growing a soul? Or is this just more evidence of her sociopathy, the ability to charm, and charm into usefulness, without meaning or feeling a bit of it? She sits on the floor with Coco to play or tie shoes – but is that simply a means to an end, or a temporarily gentler way of using the little girl? Is this line of questioning even a valid one, or just me still trying to jam Mallory into a more traditional pigeonhole?
The Mallory novels are a study in how a sociopath – made, apparently, not born – can function in society, and particularly in a position of power and responsibility: as a police officer. How she reconciles her overlay of training as a child with the lessons she learned fighting for her life on the streets of New York. How the people in her life reconcile her incomprehension of basic empathy and all that springs from it with the love they can't help having for her from her childhood. Mallory is occasionally called a "paladin" in the text, and while it seemed completely wrong to me at first – the image the word brings to mind a paragon of virtue and goodness. If Mallory is a paragon of some of the traditional virtues – say, chastity (that's the only one I can think of that fits her) – it's almost incidental to her character; her morality is highly dependent on circumstance. But "any determined advocate or defender of a noble cause" fits. Determined? No one ever was moreso. And if she learned anything from the only father she ever knew, it is that killers are to be hunted down and taken out of society. Her addition to that credo is in whatever manner presents itself.
The horror element is strong in The Chalk Girl. There is not only the cluster of appalling murders (and attempted murders) and all of the horripilous events surrounding them at the beginning, there is the chain of events leading to the murders. An expensive, exclusive school, plus some evil children with rich parents, plus one child with less wealthy parents all but on his own in said school, plus school administrators who literally look away as the one child is set upon by others … But really, what could be done? The image of a teacher or the headmaster taking an unwavering stand and defending the boy, launching an barrage of punishments and requirements at the offenders and their parents, is a lovely one … but it seems very clear that such a stand would be met by the moneyed accuseds' parents with a prompt pink slip, character assassination to prevent further employment, and immediate replacement by someone more malleable. "Not my child" would be the uniform response – even (especially) from the parents who knew damn good and well what their children were made of – that is assuming the complaints ever even reached the parents to start with – and one little boy's suffering would have in the end been every bit as unheeded as if no one spoke up for him at all. Administrators acted, heinously but almost understandably, out of self-preservation. The boy's own parents … there might be blame that could be laid there, but under the circumstances perhaps not. Someone, somewhere might have gone to the police – but given that the responding officer might have been the filthily corrupt waste of flesh who became involved when it was too late that might have been as pointless as anything else. It was a terrible confluence of events – and all terribly realistic.
And therein lies the horror. The fact that no one would listen combined with the fact that the boy (and his attackers) knew no one would listen to produce tragedy. And from that tragedy – a pair of tragedies, actually, or perhaps a triad depending on how you look at it – a path was laid directly to the events that begin the book.
There is something of a pattern emerging among the Mallory novels. Magic: check; the beginning of the book has a dark fairy tale feel to it, and Coco is half an inch away from being a fairy. Isolation of story: check; while events in the previous book are mentioned, they are all but irrelevant, and seem to have had no impact on Mallory and not much on anyone else – and I'd bet money we'll never hear from Coco again. Two separate yet connected storylines following a case for Charles and a murder or several for Kathy and Riker: check. Crime in the distant past sparking/laying groundwork for/leading up to present day crimes being investigated by Mallory and Riker: check; a wino (her word, not mine) was murdered some fifteen years ago, and a boy died, and while an innocent was jailed the perpetrators went their merry ways untouched. Till now. Mallory investigates said old case, whether it's considered closed or not, whether she's courting dismissal by doing so or not: check.
Still, formula or not, the Mallory novels are out of the ordinary. The writing is infallibly lovely, even describing the ugliest things. Even though the formula is fairly closely adhered to in each novel, there is no real sense of déjà vu. The characters are every bit as vivid, the story just as gripping, here as in the first one.
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Kathy Mallory is and why, I don't think it's mandatory; with these books there is a trend of "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" – while it is very much a series (and they are all very good), little that happens in any given book affects anything in any book that follows. So I skipped a couple, and will return to them one day soon. A horrifying sequence of events comes together in the beginning of this book to break out into two separate but very much related Issues for Mallory and her partner Riker, and of course her other partner Charles Butler, to deal with: three people found hanging from trees in Central Park; and a blood-spattered little girl called Coco who is rootless and helpless and strange, in great need of Team Mallory and also of invaluable aid to them.
Never, ever, in all of the murder mysteries I have read and seen has there ever been a potential victim like Willy Fallon. She was introduced in mortal danger, and I hoped against hope that she would be saved. By the time she regained consciousness again I wished the rats had eaten her alive. Within another chapter or two I wished the rats had eaten her alive and done it slowly. Over several days. Weeks, if possible. Rats with dull teeth. Incontinent rats with dull teeth and tapeworms. I've never experienced such a whiplash reversal of emotions about a character. And it's been a long time since I've felt such an extravagance of hatred for a character.
About Kathy Mallory there is no real whiplash. I don't like her. I'm not supposed to. Compassion is called for, from anyone with any familiarity with previous books in the series and Mallory's past, but liking? Only, perhaps, as some science fictional future person might like some alien who might look human but lack most human qualities. (Yes, of course, I was going to say Vulcan – but that doesn't work even jokingly.) Mallory is damaged. The damage was mitigated, slightly, when Lou Markowitz plucked her from the streets when she was ten (or twelve, but probably eleven), but the influence he and his lovely wife managed to have over her created something like a trompe l'oiel mural – it looks right, especially from a distance, but it's not what you think. Manners, respect for others' property and feelings, empathy: with her it's all a veneer, learned rote behavior without understanding. So, no, she's not likeable; if you're her friend, she will use you as needed, because she has little conventional understanding of what friendship is or should be. (A comment which actually could apply to several people I've known, but that's beside the point.) Her interactions with the child in this book are … disturbing. Is she growing a soul? Or is this just more evidence of her sociopathy, the ability to charm, and charm into usefulness, without meaning or feeling a bit of it? She sits on the floor with Coco to play or tie shoes – but is that simply a means to an end, or a temporarily gentler way of using the little girl? Is this line of questioning even a valid one, or just me still trying to jam Mallory into a more traditional pigeonhole?
The Mallory novels are a study in how a sociopath – made, apparently, not born – can function in society, and particularly in a position of power and responsibility: as a police officer. How she reconciles her overlay of training as a child with the lessons she learned fighting for her life on the streets of New York. How the people in her life reconcile her incomprehension of basic empathy and all that springs from it with the love they can't help having for her from her childhood. Mallory is occasionally called a "paladin" in the text, and while it seemed completely wrong to me at first – the image the word brings to mind a paragon of virtue and goodness. If Mallory is a paragon of some of the traditional virtues – say, chastity (that's the only one I can think of that fits her) – it's almost incidental to her character; her morality is highly dependent on circumstance. But "any determined advocate or defender of a noble cause" fits. Determined? No one ever was moreso. And if she learned anything from the only father she ever knew, it is that killers are to be hunted down and taken out of society. Her addition to that credo is in whatever manner presents itself.
The horror element is strong in The Chalk Girl. There is not only the cluster of appalling murders (and attempted murders) and all of the horripilous events surrounding them at the beginning, there is the chain of events leading to the murders. An expensive, exclusive school, plus some evil children with rich parents, plus one child with less wealthy parents all but on his own in said school, plus school administrators who literally look away as the one child is set upon by others … But really, what could be done? The image of a teacher or the headmaster taking an unwavering stand and defending the boy, launching an barrage of punishments and requirements at the offenders and their parents, is a lovely one … but it seems very clear that such a stand would be met by the moneyed accuseds' parents with a prompt pink slip, character assassination to prevent further employment, and immediate replacement by someone more malleable. "Not my child" would be the uniform response – even (especially) from the parents who knew damn good and well what their children were made of – that is assuming the complaints ever even reached the parents to start with – and one little boy's suffering would have in the end been every bit as unheeded as if no one spoke up for him at all. Administrators acted, heinously but almost understandably, out of self-preservation. The boy's own parents … there might be blame that could be laid there, but under the circumstances perhaps not. Someone, somewhere might have gone to the police – but given that the responding officer might have been the filthily corrupt waste of flesh who became involved when it was too late that might have been as pointless as anything else. It was a terrible confluence of events – and all terribly realistic.
And therein lies the horror. The fact that no one would listen combined with the fact that the boy (and his attackers) knew no one would listen to produce tragedy. And from that tragedy – a pair of tragedies, actually, or perhaps a triad depending on how you look at it – a path was laid directly to the events that begin the book.
There is something of a pattern emerging among the Mallory novels. Magic: check; the beginning of the book has a dark fairy tale feel to it, and Coco is half an inch away from being a fairy. Isolation of story: check; while events in the previous book are mentioned, they are all but irrelevant, and seem to have had no impact on Mallory and not much on anyone else – and I'd bet money we'll never hear from Coco again. Two separate yet connected storylines following a case for Charles and a murder or several for Kathy and Riker: check. Crime in the distant past sparking/laying groundwork for/leading up to present day crimes being investigated by Mallory and Riker: check; a wino (her word, not mine) was murdered some fifteen years ago, and a boy died, and while an innocent was jailed the perpetrators went their merry ways untouched. Till now. Mallory investigates said old case, whether it's considered closed or not, whether she's courting dismissal by doing so or not: check.
Still, formula or not, the Mallory novels are out of the ordinary. The writing is infallibly lovely, even describing the ugliest things. Even though the formula is fairly closely adhered to in each novel, there is no real sense of déjà vu. The characters are every bit as vivid, the story just as gripping, here as in the first one.
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LibraryThing member seashellmoore
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
Mallory is bent on protecting Coco and getting her help with the bizarre murder. Coco's temporary guardian, a psychologist familiar with Williams syndrome, is trying to keep Mallory from getting to close to the girl and from overwhelming her with questions about the murderer.
The characters are well written, each intertwined in the history of others. Maybe it has been this way throughout the whole Mallory series, but it works in this book even if this is the first Mallory book you read. Mallory is a bit psycho. She will do almost anything to reach her end goal. The NYPD is lucky she is on their side. But somehow, it seems Coco touches her cold, cold
heart.
This was a very enjoyable book to read. The intricacies of the plot and relationships will keep you guessing about what happens on the next page. But, it wasn't the kind of book I couldn't put down. Even so, I want to go back and read the rest of the series.
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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 bizarre murder. Coco's temporary guardian, a psychologist familiar with Williams syndrome, is trying to keep Mallory from getting to close to the girl and from overwhelming her with questions about the murderer.
The characters are well written, each intertwined in the history of others. Maybe it has been this way throughout the whole Mallory series, but it works in this book even if this is the first Mallory book you read. Mallory is a bit psycho. She will do almost anything to reach her end goal. The NYPD is lucky she is on their side. But somehow, it seems Coco touches her cold, cold
heart.
This was a very enjoyable book to read. The intricacies of the plot and relationships will keep you guessing about what happens on the next page. But, it wasn't the kind of book I couldn't put down. Even so, I want to go back and read the rest of the series.
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LibraryThing member tymfos
This book is reviewed based on a copy of bound uncorrected proofs provided by the publisher through LT's Early Reviewer program.
Oh, what a treat to get wrapped up in a good mystery that's almost impossible to put down! Carol O'Connell has done it again, revealing even more facets of her amazing
The story begins with an almost surreal (and icky) scene of swarming rats. (Rats -- both the animal and human types of vermin -- are a theme throughout this disturbing but compulsively readable mystery.) There is a creepy reference to it raining rats and blood, and there are mysterious quotations -- from a journal, maybe? -- at the head of each chapter. O'Connel begins bringing it all together just as the reader is wondering what it can possibly all be about. Then there is the charming and compelling character of young Coco, a child with Williams syndrome. I knew little about Williams going into this book, and meeting Coco was an education in itself.
In many ways this book is about ongoing relationships -- those that nurture, those that are strained, and those that are patently toxic. The investigation reveals a web of deceit that stretches back over fifteen years in time, to the highest levels of New York's power structures, and involves a vast cast of characters linked by greed, self-preservation, power, money, and fear. Where will it all end? Who will pay, and how? Mallory is something of a law unto herself, defining and attending to justice (as she sees it) via any route her calculating mind can envision -- and her mind is nothing if not creative.
This was one roller-coaster ride on the dark side of life in New York.
Oh, what a treat to get wrapped up in a good mystery that's almost impossible to put down! Carol O'Connell has done it again, revealing even more facets of her amazing
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Mallory character while spinning a delicious, complex mystery that spans a decade and a half of pure evil. A brutal series of crimes in Central Park are more than a modern-day whodunit; they carry echoes of the past and whispers of conspiracy. Where will the evidence lead Mallory and her partner Riker? The story begins with an almost surreal (and icky) scene of swarming rats. (Rats -- both the animal and human types of vermin -- are a theme throughout this disturbing but compulsively readable mystery.) There is a creepy reference to it raining rats and blood, and there are mysterious quotations -- from a journal, maybe? -- at the head of each chapter. O'Connel begins bringing it all together just as the reader is wondering what it can possibly all be about. Then there is the charming and compelling character of young Coco, a child with Williams syndrome. I knew little about Williams going into this book, and meeting Coco was an education in itself.
In many ways this book is about ongoing relationships -- those that nurture, those that are strained, and those that are patently toxic. The investigation reveals a web of deceit that stretches back over fifteen years in time, to the highest levels of New York's power structures, and involves a vast cast of characters linked by greed, self-preservation, power, money, and fear. Where will it all end? Who will pay, and how? Mallory is something of a law unto herself, defining and attending to justice (as she sees it) via any route her calculating mind can envision -- and her mind is nothing if not creative.
This was one roller-coaster ride on the dark side of life in New York.
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LibraryThing member jastbrown
Kathleen Mallory is back.. and so is Carol O'Connell. After fearing that the uber reclusive author had wrapped up her career with 2008's Bone by Bone and her Mallory series with 2006's Find Me, This magnificent storyteller is back with The Chalk Girl which will be released in January, 2012. As she
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did in 2003's Dead Famous, O'Connell deftly weaves a co-protagonist into the plot who is dealing with a serious handicap. I thought this was extremely effective and poignant in 2003.. this time it's both effective and charming (and still poignant). You'll get no spoilers from this review.. but Mallory's absence has been explained as a six month, unofficial hiatus. For which she is paying by becoming the most overqualified file clerk in the NY police deptartment. Through her own weaseling abilities and those of her friends, begrudging or not, she manages to be temporarily reinstated as a working detective. With the most interesting cast of supporting players in current crime fiction, and a superb plot, Mallory manages to fight her way back. Way to go Ms. O'Connell! Show Less
LibraryThing member owlie13
I was so happy to see that a new Mallory novel had been written. After reading The Chalk Girl, I will say that I was not disappointed. Mallory is back in New York after her leave of absence, and finds herself in the middle of a horrific string of murders. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I
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would not recommend this as your introduction to Mallory. This series is one where knowing the back story is particularly important. Otherwise, as some reviewers have said, Mallory can come across as an unpleasant, unsympathetic character. Show Less
LibraryThing member TallyDi
I had thought that [Find Me] was [[Carol O'Connell]]'s last novel about Kathy Mallory. I am so glad to be wrong. In [The Chalk Girl] Kathy Mallory, who is far from normal in one direction, deals with a small girl who is far from normal in an entirely different direction. The girl is at the core of
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a mystery that piles up bodies and reveals emotional grotesques among the rich and privileged. Vivid. Graphic. Not for the squeamish. Show Less
LibraryThing member Readanon
This was a great read! I had never read anything by Carol O'Connell before and don't know how I missed her, but I'm very grateful that I now know about this series. I went ahead and bought the first four books in the series before I was halfway through The Chalk Girl. Great characters, great plot,
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great writing. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of this series, and anything else by this author. Show Less
LibraryThing member MmeRose
The Chalk Girl is a fantastic addition to the Mallory series. I have been a fan of the series since Mallory's Oracle, the first book, and have enjoyed O'Connell's stand alones also.
Mallory is a complex and twisted character. The Chalk Girl reveals even more aspects of her damaged soul. The
Mallory is a complex and twisted character. The Chalk Girl reveals even more aspects of her damaged soul. The
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mysteries are also complex; but I read these for Mallory. Show Less
LibraryThing member busyreadin
Good story of the results of bullying. Mallory is a hard character to like.
LibraryThing member jamespurcell
Carol O'Connell just gets better and better. Mallory, in her quest for justice for a murdered boy, is ruthless as she follows evidence trails both hot and cold. She, shamelessly and with great aplomb, manipulates computer and justice systems to expose and punish the wicked.
LibraryThing member Beamis12
O'Connell started writing the Mallory novels long before Steig Larson and his Salander character and long before Taylor Stevens and her Michael novels, though comparisons can be made. Love these books and the characters in them, Mallory herself has such an interesting back story. Good plots and
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interesting psychological meanderings make this series my favorite. Show Less
LibraryThing member SandyLee
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
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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. Show Less
LibraryThing member Twink
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
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.
The notes and quotes didn't happen.....because I couldn't put the book down long enough!! But
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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.
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LibraryThing member readinggeek451
Several victims are found hanging in trees in Central Park, left to slowly die. And a rather odd small girl is the only witness. Detective Mallory, on desk duty after her extended unauthorized absense, is determined to get to the bottom of things.
Convoluted.
Convoluted.
LibraryThing member maryintexas39
Mallory's back!!! Oh how I so loved reconnecting with Mallory and friends. I love the quote on the cover saying before Salander there was Mallory, truer words have never been spoken. The biggest kick was seeing Mallory's "softer, maternal side." A great read from start to finish. You can't put this
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one down. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tmtrvlr
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.
Mallory has returned to her job as detective after a mysterious absence, and then with no questions asked is back investigating murders in Central Park. We know that she has a troubled past, but very little information about her past is given in this book, and perhaps that is why I cared so little about her and her unknown problems. Mallory is not likeable, and most of the characters are just odd and unpleasant. When the book began, I thought it was going to be a surreal fantasy story with the opening chapters about hoards of rats, but no, just rats roaming the park attacking and killing people as if it were a real life setting.
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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 then with no questions asked is back investigating murders in Central Park. We know that she has a troubled past, but very little information about her past is given in this book, and perhaps that is why I cared so little about her and her unknown problems. Mallory is not likeable, and most of the characters are just odd and unpleasant. When the book began, I thought it was going to be a surreal fantasy story with the opening chapters about hoards of rats, but no, just rats roaming the park attacking and killing people as if it were a real life setting.
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LibraryThing member BillPilgrim
When three people are strung up in the trees of Central Park, two of them found dead, the investigation turns on the death of a school boy 15 years earlier, who was being bullied by his wealthy classmates. He had been found strung up in a tree, and he died later in the hospital. But, his case had
I found the book to be enjoyable. Mallory is a compelling character, and child adds a dimension that kept me interested in the story through the end.
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been covered up. The main detective is Mallory, who is a gifted detective who uses sometimes questionable methods. There is a child witness who suffers from a rare disease, which seems to be a form of autism. I found the book to be enjoyable. Mallory is a compelling character, and child adds a dimension that kept me interested in the story through the end.
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LibraryThing member caitemaire
If you have an issue with rats, you may want to steel yourself. A beautiful summer day in New York City, and an elderly teacher is leading a group of day campers through Central Park. But as she stops to do a head count, she notices there is one child too many. A sweet elfin looking little girl,
Gosh, if the beginning of this book does not get your attention, you must be dead. Wow!
It turns out there is a man in a tree, strung up while he was still alive, in the Ramble, left to die. But he is not the little girl's uncle. No, he is a very bad man, a bad man who has done bad things in the past, starting more than 15 years ago when he was in school. He was not alone in his evil deeds then and he will not be alone in his horrible death now.
But it seems it is time for payback and it is up to NYPD Detective Kathy Mallory and her partner Riker to protect the little girl who is their only witness and stop any more bodies from showing up in the trees.
This is the tenth book in the Mallory series, which does seem daunting if you have not read any of them. But I will say that I have only read a couple of them but had no trouble following this book. Mallory is a fascinating character, with a childhood that has resulted in making her a very unique adult and if you are not familiar with her and her 'group', you are going to have to pay attention and put the clues together. But if you reading a mystery, I assume you like clues!
This is a complex story, with a lot of characters...more than a few more rats.. and a story that reached back decades, but I think O'Connell is so skilled as a writer that the attentive reader will have no problem. Coco, the little red headed girl is a fabulous character. She suffers from something called Williams Syndrome, which results in her distinctive appearance as well as giving her a unique musical talent..and maybe her also unique ability to find a place in Mallory's heart, the rarest thing of all. How even knew she had a heart? But fans, fear not. Mallory will not be going all soft on us. No, she is as strange and brilliant and as unorthodox as always and deals with it all in a very Mallory like way.
This all comes to a conclusion with an excellent ending. Even when you think you have it figured out, there will be a few unexpected twists that will wrap it all up in a quite satisfactory way. Although I must say, it is hard to beat that beginning!
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with blood on clothes, going on about the rats and her uncle in the tree, has attached herself to the group. But wait..it will get worse. Suddenly the park is swarming with rats, seemingly drugged, crazed rats, the teacher has a stroke , falls to the ground and... well, how to say this..is eaten. Well, the rats did not get to finish her before animal control turned up.Gosh, if the beginning of this book does not get your attention, you must be dead. Wow!
It turns out there is a man in a tree, strung up while he was still alive, in the Ramble, left to die. But he is not the little girl's uncle. No, he is a very bad man, a bad man who has done bad things in the past, starting more than 15 years ago when he was in school. He was not alone in his evil deeds then and he will not be alone in his horrible death now.
But it seems it is time for payback and it is up to NYPD Detective Kathy Mallory and her partner Riker to protect the little girl who is their only witness and stop any more bodies from showing up in the trees.
This is the tenth book in the Mallory series, which does seem daunting if you have not read any of them. But I will say that I have only read a couple of them but had no trouble following this book. Mallory is a fascinating character, with a childhood that has resulted in making her a very unique adult and if you are not familiar with her and her 'group', you are going to have to pay attention and put the clues together. But if you reading a mystery, I assume you like clues!
This is a complex story, with a lot of characters...more than a few more rats.. and a story that reached back decades, but I think O'Connell is so skilled as a writer that the attentive reader will have no problem. Coco, the little red headed girl is a fabulous character. She suffers from something called Williams Syndrome, which results in her distinctive appearance as well as giving her a unique musical talent..and maybe her also unique ability to find a place in Mallory's heart, the rarest thing of all. How even knew she had a heart? But fans, fear not. Mallory will not be going all soft on us. No, she is as strange and brilliant and as unorthodox as always and deals with it all in a very Mallory like way.
This all comes to a conclusion with an excellent ending. Even when you think you have it figured out, there will be a few unexpected twists that will wrap it all up in a quite satisfactory way. Although I must say, it is hard to beat that beginning!
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LibraryThing member cal8769
Police detective Mallory is called to a crime scene in Central Park that involves rats, bodies hanging in trees and a strange young girl who is drawn to Mallory like a moth to flame.
This is the tenth book in the Mallory series. When I found out that I won this book I read the first two books so I
This is the tenth book in the Mallory series. When I found out that I won this book I read the first two books so I
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would have a foundation to build on. I liked this book a lot. There are plenty of twists along with a backstory that will disturb you. I will read more books from this author and series. Show Less
LibraryThing member wcath
As another reviewer here said... How have I never heard of Carol O'Connell? The Chalk Girl has fueled my interest in reading the entire series from the beginning. A blurb on the back cover compares Kathy Mallory, the NYPD detective and star of the series, to Lisbeth Salander of Stieg Larsson's
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trilogy that begins with "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." This comparison is an apt one and I will go one step further to say that I liked The Chalk Girl better than I liked the Larsson books. This is a smart and sometimes gritty and graphic murder mystery that begins in Central Park with bodies hanging in the Ramble's trees and a rat invasion in Sheep Meadow. I wasn't sure that I could get through the rats at the beginning but I soldiered through and was rewarded with a first class read. Kathy Mallory is fierce and I am her newest fan! Show Less
LibraryThing member Beecharmer
Mallory is the main character in this novel. Her character is utterly ridiculous and unbeliveable at best. An abused child raised by foster parents who just happen to be cops, Mallory grows up to be somewhat of a super hero who gets away with cheating, stealing, and basically not following rules
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that others have to. The story starts out with a little girl who is found in a park with blood on her clothes and desperate for love & human contact. The blood is finally traced to corpses hanging in trees and so begins the mystery. These murders were traced to a child that was killed years ago that turned out to be a case of bullying to the extreme I did not care for this book and struggled to finish it. I would have quit on it if not for agreeing to review it. Show Less
LibraryThing member suballa
School yard bullying and revenge are taken to new heights in Carol O’Connell’s newest Mallory novel.
Detective Kathy Mallory has returned from an unauthorized and unexplained absence, and just in time to investigate the “Hunger Artist” murders. While the victims were incapacitated but still
Through exhaustive investigating using more than a few questionable tactics, Mallory discovers that several years earlier, all three victims were involved in a similar crime against fellow student Ernest Nadler. The reader is privy to excerpts of Ernest’s diary in which he wrote of the horrible, daily abuse he suffered at the hands of these three tormentors. Mallory and her partner must sort through conflicting accounts, evidence of police cover-ups, uncooperative victims and much more to finally get to the truth.
This is the first Mallory novel I’ve read but it definitely will not be my last. “The Chalk Girl” is action packed from beginning to end with some of the darkest and most disturbing characters I’ve ever encountered. If you’re looking for a fast paced novel and you don’t mind blood and guts, this definitely a book for you.
Detective Kathy Mallory has returned from an unauthorized and unexplained absence, and just in time to investigate the “Hunger Artist” murders. While the victims were incapacitated but still
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alive, the killer placed them in burlap bags which he then hung from trees in Central Park. Two of the three victims were dead by the time they were found. Needless to say, strung up in a tree with no food or water and only the rats to keep you company, is an awful way to die. The only witness Mallory and the police have is a young girl named Coco whose Williams Syndrome makes her statements cryptic and unreliable. Through exhaustive investigating using more than a few questionable tactics, Mallory discovers that several years earlier, all three victims were involved in a similar crime against fellow student Ernest Nadler. The reader is privy to excerpts of Ernest’s diary in which he wrote of the horrible, daily abuse he suffered at the hands of these three tormentors. Mallory and her partner must sort through conflicting accounts, evidence of police cover-ups, uncooperative victims and much more to finally get to the truth.
This is the first Mallory novel I’ve read but it definitely will not be my last. “The Chalk Girl” is action packed from beginning to end with some of the darkest and most disturbing characters I’ve ever encountered. If you’re looking for a fast paced novel and you don’t mind blood and guts, this definitely a book for you.
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LibraryThing member woodsathome
How is it that I have never read Carol O'Connell before? I LOVED this. The richness of detail, the character development and the plot twists place this several notches above your standard detective pot-boiler. The comparisons to Stieg Larson entirely justified. I can't wait to read the entire
P.S. Make sure you read the little quotes at the start of each chapter - they are a story themselves.
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series.P.S. Make sure you read the little quotes at the start of each chapter - they are a story themselves.
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LibraryThing member echasc
Kathy Mallory, the protagonist in Carol O'Connell's novel The Chalk Girl, can be as compelling as any character in mystery fiction. In the last few years, she has often been referred to as the original Lisabeth Salander, and indeed the two have much in common. Both are emotionally damaged,
Unfortunately, in The Chalk Girl, O'Connell does not succeed as well as he has in other books at weaving the spell that makes us rush through the pages that do not feature Mallory, impatient for her next appearance. In this book, Mallory's appearances were a bit flat. She doesn't startle, amaze or confound the reader. Perhaps, this being the tenth Mallory novel, O'Connell has allowed herself to take Mallory's magic a bit for granted. And so, I found myself ultimately disappointed, not feeling that I had gotten the Mallory fix that I was hoping for.
That said, O'Connell is a good story-teller who rolls out an unnerving tale of monstrous adults and their equally unappealing children doing unspeakable evil in a society that is all too willing to turn a blind eye when the perpetrators have enough money to make their crimes "go away."
The author also offers an interesting subplot to all the mayhem. Mallory's relationships with the cast of regular supporting characters becomes increasingly strained throuhout the book as her friends try to decide if indeed there is a human heart at the core of her very machine-like personality. We will undoubtedly see this theme explored further in future novels.
So, while this was not my favorite Mallory book, I was sufficiently engrossed to finish it in a weekend. If you like Mallory, her friends and the dark world they inhabit, this book should be on your "to read" list.
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possessed of a wide range of survival skills and fundamentally unknowable. And both inhabit very dark worlds. If anything, Mallory's almost superhuman abilities are even more impressive than Salander's. However, unlike Salander, Mallory is first and foremost a detective intent on using her skills to insure that justice is done in a very immoral world.Unfortunately, in The Chalk Girl, O'Connell does not succeed as well as he has in other books at weaving the spell that makes us rush through the pages that do not feature Mallory, impatient for her next appearance. In this book, Mallory's appearances were a bit flat. She doesn't startle, amaze or confound the reader. Perhaps, this being the tenth Mallory novel, O'Connell has allowed herself to take Mallory's magic a bit for granted. And so, I found myself ultimately disappointed, not feeling that I had gotten the Mallory fix that I was hoping for.
That said, O'Connell is a good story-teller who rolls out an unnerving tale of monstrous adults and their equally unappealing children doing unspeakable evil in a society that is all too willing to turn a blind eye when the perpetrators have enough money to make their crimes "go away."
The author also offers an interesting subplot to all the mayhem. Mallory's relationships with the cast of regular supporting characters becomes increasingly strained throuhout the book as her friends try to decide if indeed there is a human heart at the core of her very machine-like personality. We will undoubtedly see this theme explored further in future novels.
So, while this was not my favorite Mallory book, I was sufficiently engrossed to finish it in a weekend. If you like Mallory, her friends and the dark world they inhabit, this book should be on your "to read" list.
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LibraryThing member elbakerone
There are two types of readers that will approach Carol O'Connell's newest book The Chalk Girl: those who know Kathy Mallory and those who are meeting her for the first time.
As a part of the former category, I was thrilled to discover novel number ten in O'Connell's Mallory series featuring the
Complexly layered with a storyline spanning past and present, O'Connell once again keeps the reader guessing throughout the entire story. Though I was a longtime Mallory fan when I picked this book up, the beauty of this series is that each entry can be enjoyed as a solid novel on its own. Granted, the back stories and character development of Mallory, Riker, Charles Butler, and the rest of the well-drawn cast are painted over time throughout the series so that constant fans will have the benefit of closer ties to the key players, but that is not to say that newcomers to the books will enjoy this one any less.
As a part of the former category, I was thrilled to discover novel number ten in O'Connell's Mallory series featuring the
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brilliant, beautiful, sociopath who is the law but doesn't quite object to bending it. The mystery presented in The Chalk Girl finds Mallory placed in desk duty after her unexplained absence but pulled into active service with a case of a serial killer stringing up victims from trees in Central Park. The only witness to the crimes is a young girl named Coco starving for human contact. Coco instantly latches on to the cold-hearted Mallory causing many - especially Charles Butler - to wonder if Mallory has a soft spot for a kindred spirit or if she's just using the girl's trusting nature as a means to solve her case.Complexly layered with a storyline spanning past and present, O'Connell once again keeps the reader guessing throughout the entire story. Though I was a longtime Mallory fan when I picked this book up, the beauty of this series is that each entry can be enjoyed as a solid novel on its own. Granted, the back stories and character development of Mallory, Riker, Charles Butler, and the rest of the well-drawn cast are painted over time throughout the series so that constant fans will have the benefit of closer ties to the key players, but that is not to say that newcomers to the books will enjoy this one any less.
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Media reviews
Mallory’s idiosyncrasies make her a natural for this bizarre case, but her professional skills and belligerent manner are broadcast in a comic-book idiom so lurid it would make even Lisbeth Salander blush.
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
042525030X / 9780425250303
Physical description
528 p.; 4.2 inches
Pages
528