Thu 25 Apr 2019
Reviewed by Barry Gardner: CAROL O’CONNELL – The Man Who Cast Two Shadows.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[5] Comments
CAROL O’CONNELL – The Man Who Cast Two Shadows. Mallory #2. Putnam, hardcover, 1995; paperback, 1996.
I was really afraid to read this, after liking O’Connell’s debut with Mallory’s Oracle as much as I did.
TV news reports policewoman Kathy Mallory dead at 6 o’clock, but she’s not. Someone who resembled her and was wearing one of her castoff coats is, however, and Malory naturally takes an interest in who she was and who saw to it that she wasn’t any more.
Mallory is technically on suspension because of a shooting incident, but she doesn’t fret about technicalities. She quickly determines by computer-aided deduction that the killer must live in a particular building, and shortly thereafter is ensconced in the same building, determined to smoke him out.
But there are several suspects, and though Mallory wouldn’t agree, there seems to be some question as to who is the hunter, and who the prey.
This didn’t have the impact on me that Mallory’s Oracle had. Having said that, I should probably say that there’s a real tendency on my part (and I imagine on that of most of us) to judge the follow-up to a highly regarded book by standards that are perhaps set too high. I should judge it on its own merits, and not by how it compares to its predecessors, but I don’t know if I’m able to do so.
O’Connell is still a superb prose stylist. There were no passages that “grabbed” me as there were in the previous book, but there was a sustained quality of word-crafting that not too many equal. I felt there were some plot problems here, and some character problems, the latter mostly causing the former.
It’s impossible to discuss them without giving away the plot, which I almost guarantee will have some surprises for you. Too many, maybe; some mental gear-shifting that O couldn’t easily manage.
This is the kind of book that I hate to review briefly, as its pluses and minuses call for a critique that I’m probably not qualified, certainly not prepared to do. O’Connell is a vastly talented writer, but I think she needs an editor. And I don’t think she had one here. Still—
The Kathleen Mallory series —
1. Mallory’s Oracle (1994)
2. The Man Who Cast Two Shadows (1995)
3. Killing Critics (1995)
4. Stone Angel (1997)
5. Shell Game (1999)
6. Crime School (2002)
7. Dead Famous (2003)
8. Winter House (2004)
9. Find Me (2006)
10. The Chalk Girl (2012)
11. It Happens in the Dark (2012)
12. Blind Sight (2016)
April 25th, 2019 at 5:58 pm
I am a big fan of the Mallory books. The writing and character development is among the best I have found in series fiction. Few writers draw me into the characters lives and suffering better than O’Connell. Titles such as CRIME SCHOOL and THE CHALK GIRL had decent plots and mysteries but you are often distracted by the horror and pain the characters go through.
April 25th, 2019 at 6:32 pm
Her first book received a lot of favorable publicity at the time, and it was highly promoted, as I recall. The second came out before I read the first one, though, and like Barry, many readers thought it was a letdown. I somehow got stuck on that thought and never read either one, and lost track of the ones that followed. And now look how many there are!
For an interesting interview with Carroll O’Connell, follow the link:
An Unlikable Lady Detective: PW Talks with Carol O’Connell
April 26th, 2019 at 7:26 pm
Beginning in this era, “needs an editor” is a complaint you hear a lot, and a fair one I think since fewer editors beginning in this period nurtured and guided a writer they way they once did.
That isn’t to say no editors do, but there seems to be more writers who could use a firmer editorial hand in the modern era.
April 27th, 2019 at 1:09 am
I like that her editor gives her such freedom. The books are long, longer than I like, but the length allows her to give the characters -even the minor characters – more depth. It also allows her to let the plot wander until there seems to be more than one plot. I don’t remember reading THE MAN WITH TWO SHADOWS but THE CHALK GIRL was the last one I read and it wasn’t until near the end she brought the wandering story together and by doing so surprised me.
So much of the story is not about the mystery or crime or plot but it is about the mood and emotions of those involved. Minor victims are not just throw-away cardboard cutouts but become real people and increases the readers involvement with the story.
One of the most unusual things she does is she has Mallory an outsider to the story. While most writers would share every thought in their character’s head, Mallory remains a mystery to all the characters and to the reader. This mystery and distrust Mallory has with the world gives her a damaged character the readers can forgive no matter how cruel and ruthless she appears to be.
April 27th, 2019 at 3:29 pm
An excellent overview, Michael. Thanks!!