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In Konrath's last Jack Daniels book, someone close to her was killed. CHERRY BOMB opens at the funeral; someone calls Jackie to rub salt in her wounds. The killer informs Jackie that the game isn't over yet. Jackie is going to receive a picture; twelve hours later the man in that picture will die unless Jackie can find him. If she wins round one, there will be another round, and another, and another, until Jackie has lost so many rounds that she won't be able to live with herself. Obviously, Jackie knows who is calling her and knows that the killer is perfectly capable of making it all happen. The police department, sensibly, thinks that Jackie is too distraught to deal with this. She refuses to go through channels after they inform her that as a victim, she isn't allowed to do much of anything. Jackie refuses to buy this, and goes off on her own. While she does get results, the damage to her psyche is enormous. Will the killer succeed in breaking Jackie? Konrath has written yet another page-turner. The only mystery here is how long will it take Jackie to get her head together. We know from the beginning who the killer is. In spite of that knowledge, Konrath manages to throw in twists and turns that most readers won't see coming. This killer really is a piece of work; the mental processes remind me a great deal of Chelsea Cain's serial killer. While it is not very pleasant to watch Jackie disintegrate, that discomfort makes Jackie's switch from reactor to actor all the sweeter. The jacket blurbs refer to "a generous splash of humor," and a mix of "comedy and grit." There's a lot more mayhem and suspense than comedy or humor in CHERRY BOMB. It's a good read, just not as funny as some of Konrath's previous books have been.
Reviewed by P.J. Coldren, August 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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