Find Me: A Mallory Novel

by Carol O'Connell Narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan

Overview

A mutilated body is found lying on the ground in Chicago, a dead hand pointing down Adams Street; also know as Route 66, a road of many names. And now of many deaths. A silent caravan of cars, dozens of them, drives down, that road, each passenger bearing a photograph, but none of them the same. They are the parents of missing children, some recently disappeared, some gone a decade or more-all brought together by word that children's grave sites are being discovered along the Mother Road. Kathy Mallory drives with them. The child she seeks, though, is not like the others. It is herself-the feral child adopted off the streets, her father a blank, her mother dead and full of mysteries. During the next few extraordinary days, Mallory will find herself hunting a killer like none she has ever known, and will undergo a series of revelations not only of stunning intensity-but stunning effect. Twelve years ago, reviewing Carol O'Connell's first novel in The New York Times Book Review, Andrew Vachss wrote, “When a first novel evolves into a series, it usually proves to be the best or the worst of all the books that follow. My guess is that Mallory's Oracle, while powerful, will not prove to be this series' pinnacle. And given the book's excellence, the pinnacle promises to be a high one indeed.” And so it is-because this is it. Find Me is an extraordinary novel of love, loss death, and redemption by the writer who "raises the standard for psychological thrillers" (Chicago Tribune), "conjures up a world of almost Faulknerian richness and complexity" (People), and "masterfully creates a complex, stunningly unique protagonist who not only commands our attention, but stimulates our imagination” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

Editorial Reviews

Victim by victim, the Route 66 serial killer is building an ever-growing network of ghoulish defiance: He leaves each fresh young kill on the highway, one hand chopped off, replaced with the hand bones of a previous victim, which in turn point to a new corpse. New York detective Kathy Mallory is on vacation, but she can't ignore this demented child murderer, especially as the death count climbs above 100. With the help of her partner, Riker, and police psychologist Charles Butler, she pursues the fiend. Carol O'Connell's ninth Mallory novel is in our view the most gripping and revealing.

Janet Maslin

… the new book is entirely accessible and self-contained. Read the others if you like, but start with this one. The author has pared and fine-tuned what was once a cumbersome style so that it is now as clean, lean and forceful as the series’s heroine, whose spooky beauty and daunting manner make an indelible impression wherever she goes.
— The New York Times

Publishers Weekly

A complex tale of murder, betrayal and unexpected revelations of self-discovery are some of the compelling elements that make up this exceptional entry into O'Connell's mystery series featuring a NYPD detective and ex-feral child, Kathy Mallory. While on a deeply personal road trip along Route 66, Mallory gets caught up in a manhunt for a serial killer. The investigating authorities believe Mack the Knife has been murdering children and burying them along the old highway for over a decade, with the death toll reaching more than 100. When adult bodies begin showing up, Mallory embarks on a mission to end the murder's killing streak, no matter what the cost. Bresnahan manages to balance multiple viewpoints and a wide variety of characters without resorting to over-the-top vocal theatrics. Her clear, matter-of-fact delivery keeps the plot moving at a steady pace and works well with the material. She is especially effective in her portrayal of the no-nonsense Mallory, a troubled character who never lets emotions get in the way of her job. Bresnahan's narration pulls the listener deep into this absorbing and suspenseful story. Simultaneous release with the Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 16). (Jan.)

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Library Journal

In Find Me, the ninth Kathy Mallory murder mystery, the corpse of an apparent suicide is found in the NYPD detective's apartment while she-armed with letters written by the father who abandoned her mother before she was born-is off on a quest to follow his beloved Route 66. On the way, she stumbles on a caravan of parents of missing little girls, led by an online psychologist with a checkered past. The FBI is also following the route and finding the graves of many of the children. Now, the serial killer is after the parents. The most interesting part of the novel is when information about Kathy's missing father is revealed. Alyssa Bresnahan expertly narrates this work. Though it is quite complicated and difficult to follow in the beginning, it redeems itself toward the end. Bresnahan's voice captures the emotions and personalities of the various characters very well. Recommended for public library mystery collections, especially where the Mallory series is popular.
—Ilka Gordon

Kirkus Reviews

Plenty of creepy goings-on along Route 66, including missing children and serial killing. Call her "Mallory." Just one name. It fits, for blonde, beautiful, brilliant as she is, she's tight-lipped and tough. All action and results. Sending her ace detective back onto the mean streets, O'Connell (Winter House, 2004, etc.) makes her even more intriguing than in any of the eight previous Mallory novels. From the get-go, she's on the run. In her own Upper West Side apartment, the police discover a corpse-Savannah Sirus, shot in the heart-and by her side, a cryptic note: "Love is the death of me." No way Mallory could be the perp-she's a legendary sleuth, envy of the department. But still, gun freak, control addict, computer whiz and orphan raised up wild in the urban jungle, she's no Joe Friday, but a truly strange bird. Another corpse turns up, mutilated in the Windy City "with one arm extended, pointing down the road to say: Follow Me." Mallory hits Route 66 and gets her kicks showing up FBI agents and other bumblers, all the while questing to connect the homicide dots. On the highway, she's drawn into the wake of a caravan of cars that soon figures into the labyrinthine plot. For they're a funeral procession of sorts, kinfolk of packs of missing kids. Stopping at roadside eateries, they flash photos of the disappeared and search for clues, and then it's on the road again, relentlessly seeking. "Relentless" has become synonymous with O'Connell's series. She gets all the genre stuff right: the cops' jaded inside jokes, the forensics jargon, the violence. Mainly, though, she's masterful at revealing the detective mind. Very smart murder fare complete with a rain-swept mood and psychologicalheat. Agent: Larry Kirshbaum/LJK Literary Management

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169107791
Publisher:	Listen & Live Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	04/08/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

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