Stirred

Wow, this was definitely a zinger. A bit twisted, but that is Luther Kite. A bit scarey given Jack is pregnant and Herb and Phin are also in danger, and definitely a nail biter until the end. I honestly could not figure out how these crazy people survive…the good AND the bad guys. Luther Kite is back and his goal is to get Jack Daniels where he wants her. Jack being Jack, when Luther begins leaving dead bodies with presents just for Jack, she cannot help but to get involved. Even when it places her unborn child at risk. Nearly 9 months pregnant, suffering from preeclampsia, and no longer a cop doesn\’t keep her away. Not even when all the men in her life are working hard to convince her while also keeping her safe. At the end of the day, Jack ends up right where Luther wants her and playing a game she isn\’t sure she will survive. As dark as this was, I was pulling for Jack, but still as frustrated with her as normal. Pigheaded to the extreme, but still resilient. Almost unbelievably so. Everyone is dying around her, and as usual, her team takes a beating, and at the end, the bad guys will suffer…then rise again.

WOW! Jack Daniels, Herb, Phin, McGlade, Luther, Donaldson, Lucy. Damn this was an edge of your seat thriller with serial killer Luther staging an elaborate plan for Jack. Jack is 8 1/2 months pregnant, retired, & happy with Phin. Luther Kite, serial killer extraordinaire that got away, is back & pulling Jack back into his game. Elaborate setups from a demented mind & senseless murders for showing off starts the chase. Jack & Co use every ounce of strength to fight back & catch Luther or be killed. Edge of your seat with loads of twists and turns.

I really like the Jack Daniels series, but they quickly went from her solving crimes and being thrillers to just Jack and her friends being chased and tortured by people whom she put away and magically escape prison and come after her. I went from liking the character to now despising her, hoping maybe the killER will actually killHER. So ho hum…another Jack Daniels story where she gets chased and captured and shows what low down human being she is. I\’ve read beyond this book in the series, and nothing changes except more and more Blake Crouch easter eggs throughout the books. Spoiler! All the rest of the books are like the last 5 books!

Ok, I am glad that I went ahead and finished this series. They do need to be read in order for complete understanding. Each book tells a story about Lt. Jack Daniels and her job solving homicides. I loved this series up until the last book, where the author started using other authors killers trying to tie the stories together. It didn\’t go well, because you are completely in the dark. I hated it! I am not going to applaud you for trying to force me to buy anothers books so I can understand the LAST book in your series. Nope. I went for it without reading the other authors books and was able to piece it together just fine. I love that we finally get a proper finale for Jack and get to see her evolve so much through these books. The ending was perfect!!! So if your reading the book before this and wanting to quit, don\’t, it pays off in the end.

In the final book of the Jack Daniels\’ series, \”Stirred\” we find Jack Daniels very pregnant (suffering from preeclampsia) and being stalked by another creative killer. The problem is, she\’s not sure if it is the elusive Luther Kite or the brilliant novelist turned killer, Andrew Thomas. To the dismay of Phin (the father of her baby), Jack is determined to interject herself into the investigation even if it means continued seizures and risking the life of her baby. And while a very sadistic killer tries to impress Jack with his hunting skills (leaving mutilated victims with cryptic messages inside of them), two other psychos (Donaldson & Lucy) escape wanting to exact their own special kind of revenge. Semi Spoilers…. Lovers of the series should know that \”Stirred\” is a collaboration between JA Konrath and Blake Crouch. Personally, I think that was the problem. You have two writers who are trying to bring resolution to the main characters in their individual books (a battle of wills perhaps). While it should have been a riveting read, at times it was a bit confusing, especially the big reveal (that you saw coming) at the end. To be honest, this was the first time that I found Jack to be a tad bit selfish (although in the end she did come around) when it came to her health and Phin\’s feelings. I understand that she was suppose to be hormonal, but her whole attitude about risking her life seemed a bit disingenuous and silly. And in terms of the killers, Lucy and Donaldson, Luther and or Andrew, they were just plain weird and over the top. Especially, the whole creation of the town mimicking Dante\’s Inferno (levels of Hell), which included a grizzly bear and death chambers. It was all just a little hard to swallow. To me, while this was suppose to be a book or resolutions, it ended up being one full of cliffhangers and innuendo. AND this really wasn\’t a good stand alone book, and I\’m not so sure that it was a good book in the series either. And maybe because I was not familiar with Crouch\’s series, or any cross over books (if there are some), I found it to be, at times, a very difficult read. Some of the stuff, I just didn\’t get. BUT what \”kind\” of worked was the fact that on the Kindle, I was able to select various key words that took me to a brief explanation about a character or an event. So I was lost, but not as lost as I would have been had there not been these references. In conclusion, what normally would be a thrilling read, was just ok. Between a very fickle \”Jack Daniels\” (which I am not use to) and a convoluted plot, I found myself vacillating between interest and disgust. And then when I got to the ending, I was just plain baffled/dumbfounded. Unfortunately, although it breaks my heart…I can only give this one a 3 (and that\’s being generous).

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