Book 49-Rusty Nail by J.A. Konrath

I've said it many times on this blog...I love J.A. Konrath, and with every book I read by him I love his characters and writing style more and more.

Rusty Nail is the third book in the Jack Daniels mysteries. This one takes place after the events of Bloody Mary. Jacks mother is in the hospital suffering from a coma, Latham, Jacks beau has left her, and her cat Mr. Friskers is running amok in her home as usual. Jack is trying to keep her personal, and professional life together when a video tape shows up at her work.

The video shows a woman tied to a chair, naked. The woman struggles against her binds, but then a person walks slightly into view, and slices her throat. Jack is struggling to figure out why this video seems very, very familiar....

This story was one of the better Daniels novels. The story line really shows how much of a kick ass cop Jack is, but also how she is a sensitive and caring individual. I love how Konrath can take Jack from a sarcastic smart ass (reminds me of myself) to a dead serious police officer working to get the job done. She is able to dish the butt kicking out, but also able to take some beats as well. I totally respect (and love) her character.

Reading the kill scenes in this book made me smile. The killer is one twisted S.O.B. who enjoys peeling the skin off his victims while they are alive, cutting a small hole in the stomach and feeding intestines to the victim (Choo, Choo here comes the train!), and other wonderfully gorey death scenes filled this book. Konrath definitely has a knack for describing the gore factor in words, he does an absolutely "fandibulous" job.

Finally we have the humor. All the Jack Daniels books have a nice mixture of intensity, gore, romance, and laughs. I actually caught myself laughing out loud as some of the crazy things the characters say and do...I loved Harry with the midgets! To know what I am talking about, go pick up the first book in the series, Whiskey Sour, and get to know Jack. You won't be disappointed.

I was planning on reading the next book in the Daniels series "Dirty Martini". I want to catch up on the series as I have been given a copy of "Shaken" the newest book in the series via email by Joe Konrath (It was a surprise to all of us who pre-reviewed Draculas. Thank you Joe!) but my BF Dawn just read what sounds like an amazing YA novel called "Under My Skin". It sounds really good! If you want, check it out on her blog, it tells you about the book! http://dawn-ius.blogspot.com/2010/10/book-49-under-my-skin.html

Dirty Martini, or Under my Skin...decisions, decisions...