Stonemouth is the first novel I've read by Banks, and I'm having some difficulty classifying it. In point of fact, Mallory is both scary and dangerous, but altogether an original. These novels are definitely not cozy mysteries: the bad guys are scary, sinister, and very dangerous. The series begins with Mallory's Oracle, but I don't remember is that was the first one I read, and it isn't really necessary to read them in order. This is the 10th Mallory novel, and I've been reading them for at least 15 years.

'Īs usual with the Mallory novels, the murders are a bit bizarre, but it is the characters that keep me returning to the series. Briefly, these children have elfin features and ' an unusually cheerful demeanor and ease with strangers developmental delay coupled with strong language skills and cardiovascular problems, such as supravalvular aortic stenosis and transient hypercalcaemia. Unfamiliar with Williams Syndrome, I had to do some research to get a clearer picture. The little girl whose distinctive features and behaviors are indicative of Williams Syndrome is a witness that Charles Butler wants to protect and Mallory intends to use to gain information. And then they found the body in the tree.' It happened while she was looking for her Uncle Red, who had turned into a tree. It fell from the sky, she told the police. She looked perfect, like a porcelain fairy-except for the blood on her shoulders. ' The eight-year-old girl appeared in New York’s Central Park one day: red-haired, blue-eyed, dirty-faced, smiling widely.

Mallory, cold, manipulative, and distant, is never-the-less loved by many of the series' more sympathetic recurring characters: Charles Butler, the genius with a clown-like appearance Riker, the tough old cop and Mallory's partner and the various endearing members of her adoptive father's weekly poker game.įrom Amazon's Book Description of Chalk Girl: Mallory, a NY detective is an unusual and intriguing character, and I've read most (if not all) of these novels. The Chalk Girl is O'Connell's most recent Mallory novel.

Alarm of War by Kennedy Hudner