Advertisement Famous last request.
In the new audiobook “Fuzzy Navel” by J.A. Konrath (c.2008, Brilliance Audio $29.95, 6 CDs, approximately 7 hours), Jacqueline Daniels has a brand-new house just filled with people. And that’s not necessarily a good thing at all.
A house in the country is a dream for many, but for Detective Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels, it was a dream for her mother. Mary always wanted to live outside of town, and because Jack was a cop on the Chicago Police Department and was supposed to live within the city limits, this new house meant some fancy secret-keeping.
But isolation in the country has its drawbacks. When Jack’s old nemesis, twisted and murderous Alex Kork, came looking for Jack and instead found Mary alone, Kork knew it was a matter of time before Jack came home. In the meantime, she could have fun with Mary. A little torture does wonders for a girl.
Back in Chicago, Jack had her hands full. Snipers were killing seemingly random citizens and she had a shot at solving the crime — literally. The snipers had Jack, partner Herb and several officers pinned down, but Jack was as sharp a shooter as were the snipers. She knew they had an impressive arsenal, but she didn’t know they had GPS technology, and she didn’t know they tagged her car.
When Jack arrived home and saw Kork with a gun trained on Mary and Latham (Jack’s fiancé), Kork was gleeful. And when she forced Jack to summon Harry (Jack’s former partner) and Phin (an arrest-cum-friend), Kork was beside herself. She could wreak vengeance and kill everyone, all in one stop.
But she wasn’t alone in wanting revenge. The welcome mat wasn’t out, but Jack was about to have lots of company.
I really do love listening to Konrath’s books when I drive. It seems like I get in my car, slip the CD in the player, back down the driveway, blink once and the next thing I know, I’m at my destination. Konrath’s “Jack Daniels” novels are that absorbing.
“Fuzzy Navel,” the fifth in the series, is somewhat different than the past novels. This book is a little less gruesome (which isn’t to say it’s tame, because it’s not at all), and there’s double the action of the other books. And there’s a scream-in-irritation cliffhanger that almost guarantees you’ll be standing at the door of your favorite bookstore next summer so you know what happens next.
Send everybody home, lock the doors, take the phone off the hook and give a listen to this delicious mystery. “Fuzzy Navel” in audio is plenty good company.
Terri Schlichenmeyer lives in the La Crosse area and reviews books as The Bookworm. Send her messages via realtime@lacrossetribune.com.
