Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat Disappointing
Review: I'm definitely in the minority here in that I found Mallory in the first three books to be a thoroughly despicable character who grew more hateful in each succeeding book. Unlike most of those who agree with me, I've gritted my teeth and continued through the series cringing as the woman mows over other characters with complete lack of human compassion or sense of her impact on those around her. I do agree that Carol O'Connell is a powerful story teller who brings her quirky and often surrealistic characters to life. With this fourth book in the series, I do feel more of a hook which keeps me reading Mallory. This book takes her to her roots and I find myself beginning to understand her a bit better, but I still have trouble liking her. And I have difficulty respecting Charles Butler, rather pitying his obsessive love for this person. But although I felt as if I was plodding through the book, I feel a growing fascination. So in this review, I speak especially to those others who hate Mallory in tentatively recommending the book. You do learn more about her and the revelation as to why she insists on being called Mallory rather than by her given name. You may well find yourself caught up a bit more in this series. I read somewhere that Mallory is definitely, for many of us an acquired taste and my reaction was who in his right mind would want to acquire a taste for her. But as I labelled this review, it is a turning point and if you've gotten this far in the series, it may be worth your while to continue with this book.
Rating:
Summary: A turning point
Review: I'm definitely in the minority here in that I found Mallory in the first three books to be a thoroughly despicable character who grew more hateful in each succeeding book. Unlike most of those who agree with me, I've gritted my teeth and continued through the series cringing as the woman mows over other characters with complete lack of human compassion or sense of her impact on those around her. I do agree that Carol O'Connell is a powerful story teller who brings her quirky and often surrealistic characters to life. With this fourth book in the series, I do feel more of a hook which keeps me reading Mallory. This book takes her to her roots and I find myself beginning to understand her a bit better, but I still have trouble liking her. And I have difficulty respecting Charles Butler, rather pitying his obsessive love for this person. But although I felt as if I was plodding through the book, I feel a growing fascination. So in this review, I speak especially to those others who hate Mallory in tentatively recommending the book. You do learn more about her and the revelation as to why she insists on being called Mallory rather than by her given name. You may well find yourself caught up a bit more in this series. I read somewhere that Mallory is definitely, for many of us an acquired taste and my reaction was who in his right mind would want to acquire a taste for her. But as I labelled this review, it is a turning point and if you've gotten this far in the series, it may be worth your while to continue with this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not to be missed
Review: I'm lucky enough both to have read all the Mallory books in the order written, and to be a native of South Louisiana. Some have complained that the writing is complicated and difficult to navigate, but that's the mark of a great writer--someone who can think on many different levels while telling a story. O'Connell captures the local idiosyncracies well, and accomplishes perfect timing by revealing in this novel the explanation for Mallory's complexity. It and its preceding novels are a litmus test for who the truly dedicated (and compulsive) mystery readers really are. O'Connell is mystery writing's best kept secret.
Rating:
Summary: Not to be missed
Review: I'm lucky enough both to have read all the Mallory books in the order written, and to be a native of South Louisiana. Some have complained that the writing is complicated and difficult to navigate, but that's the mark of a great writer--someone who can think on many different levels while telling a story. O'Connell captures the local idiosyncracies well, and accomplishes perfect timing by revealing in this novel the explanation for Mallory's complexity. It and its preceding novels are a litmus test for who the truly dedicated (and compulsive) mystery readers really are. O'Connell is mystery writing's best kept secret.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful & Scary
Review: Kathy Mallory goes back to the southern town where her mother was murdered to seek revenge. This was one hell of a book and I read it word for word in order not to loose the thread. Deeply affecting. Charles and Riker show up in the book to try and influence Mallory. (Yeah, right!) I now have to read something fluffy in order to get my nerves back in order but I dont regret reading this book for a moment. I got shivers when it was revealed why Mallory insists in being called "Mallory". I hope subsequent books by O'Connell are as good as this one. The first ones were.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful & Scary
Review: Kathy Mallory goes back to the southern town where her mother was murdered to seek revenge. This was one hell of a book and I read it word for word in order not to loose the thread. Deeply affecting. Charles and Riker show up in the book to try and influence Mallory. (Yeah, right!) I now have to read something fluffy in order to get my nerves back in order but I dont regret reading this book for a moment. I got shivers when it was revealed why Mallory insists in being called "Mallory". I hope subsequent books by O'Connell are as good as this one. The first ones were.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Kathy Mallory series
Review: Kathy Mallory is back in the most riveting, complex novel of the series. Sociopathic New York Detective Mallory takes on the bayous of Lousiana as she returns to her hometown to set some things straight. The mystery is not as important as the story and O'Connell introduces several new, very interesting characters - specifically Sheriff Tom Jessop and Augusta Trebec. The interactions and the actions are fascinating and the plot twists and turns enough to mesmerize. Mallory is not the whole story in this novel, which is a turn for the better. In addition, we finally see a little bit of human reaction and emotion. Mallory may be made of stone, but the surface chips slightly here. This is a keep-you-up-at-night book; O'Connell keeps getting better and better. You must read this one but be forewarned, it makes more sense if you've read the other three Mallory novels first. Let's all hope that O'Connell continues to humanize Mallory more and more (but not too much, she's at her most interesting when she's in her total sociopath mode) and can find a way to bring Tom Jessop into future books - the surface stereotype small town southern sheriff with much more than meets the eye! Mallory is the most interesting hero(ine) introduced in many years and O'Connell characterizes her perfectly. Steve Isenhowe
Rating:
Summary: This author writes a compelling & insightful detective novel
Review: Kathy Mallory leaves New York City, minus her weapon and her police
shield, to return to her hometown to perform a little vigilante justice when
her repressed memories of the stoning death of her mother in Louisiana
resurfaces in her conscious mind. Within hours of her return home, all hell
breaks loose. The town's idiot savant has had his hands broken and a deputy
suffers a stroke. A man is murdered; the victim is a man who played a role
in Mallory's mother's death. Mallory is arrested and placed in jail. She
plays a psychological game of wits with the town sheriff, who wants s justice
for what happened to Mallory's mother, not the cold-blooded revenge Kathy has
in mind.
...... After looking for months for his business partner and unrequited love,
Charles finally catches up with Kathy, but before he can help her, she breaks
out of jail. The jailbreak leaves the sheriff looking foolish as he fears
what havoc Mallory will reap in her quest to find a way to break the
conspiracy of silence that envelops the town. Little does he know that she
has planned her sadistic little scheme down to the last intricate detail.
Nor does he realize that before she is through she and the accomplices she
enlists in her diabolical plot will come very close to dispensing justice
outside the parameters of the law.
....... STONE ANGEL is an insightful glimpse into the female protagonist's past;
a way of learning the forces that turned her into the anti-heroine she has
become. Anyone who has not read the earlier books in this series will not
fully appreciate how brilliantly the author has developed a sense of caring
and liking for a character who is a sociopath. Carol O'Connell is master of
characterization and a storyteller par excellence.
......Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: The most original book I have read in years!
Review: Mallory is not our typical heroine. This book grabs the reader within the first several pages and doesn't let go until several days after finishing the book. This book contains some of the most original and unexpected twists yet. It is also written for a more sophisticated reader. This book is a must read!
Rating:
Summary: still the best i've read
Review: my largest complaint about this book - the only criticism that i have, really - is that o'connell is just too good. not only can you not put the book down, you scan ahead, skipping paragraphs in your rush to devour her words. DO NOT CONSUME HER WORK IN THIS MANNER! i've read Stone Angel six times now, and each time i pick up something i've missed, and every detail is paramount. Mallory (Hopefully we can call her Kathleen after this one)is on her most painful, obsessive mission yet, and Charles has managed to keep both his convictions and his rose-colored image of Mallory. Riker, cynical to the last, threatens to thwart Mallory's plans for avenging her mother's brutal death. The climax is riveting; images of Mallory stepping from one pool of streetlight to the next in her other-era gunslinger clothes is ultimately satisfying. i confess i missed Slope and Rabbi Kaplan, and the interplay among the NY cop shop, but hopefully they'll be back in the next of the series. Carol O'Connell is the true master, and Mallory is my hero - strength personified, but completely vulnerable. we understand why she doesn't want to be human, and yet, in spite of her self, her humanity shines through in her code of honor and her desire to protect the men she cares about. Yes, she cares, and we care. read all four novels back to back on a rainy day, and if you haven't read O'Connell's work yet, you've really missed the boat.
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