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Judas Child
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399143809
ISBN: 0399143807
Label: Putnam Adult
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 340
Publication Date: June 15, 1998
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Studio: Putnam Adult
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Editorial Review:
Readers familiar with Mallory, the intriguing and original heroine of O'Connell's four previous suspense novels, will recognize familiar themes of loss and abandonment in the brilliant, enigmatic forensic psychologist Ali Cray, whose scarred face only hints at the emotional residue of a childhood trauma. Ali ties the mysterious disappearance of two young girls to the rape and murder long ago of Susan Kendall, the twin sister of a small-town New York policeman, Rouge. Realizing that the priest who was convicted of Susan Kendall's murder is probably innocent, Rouge has a personal as well as professional reason for joining Ali in tracking down Susan's killer before he completes the ritual murder of at least one of the missing girls.
The protagonists of Judas Child are direct literary descendants of Mallory, the author's earlier creation; like her, their childhood suffering illuminates their adult character and motivation. But while Mallory can only react to the past, Rouge and Ali find in each other a mirror that lights up the dark corners of their past and frees them of the survivor guilt both suffer. O'Connell's same penetrating psychological insight animates the novel's other characters: Dr. Mortimer Cray, Ali's uncle, a psychiatrist who bears the awful burden of knowing who the killer is but is constrained by professional ethics from revealing it; gutsy, clever Sadie Green, the Judas child of the title, and her irritating, annoying, desperate mother, Becca; FBI agent Arnie Pyle, who's dying to know how Ali got her scar; and Father Paul Marie, jailed for 15 years for a crime he may not have committed. The opening sentence grabs the reader, and doesn't let go till the last page. In her skilled rendering of psychological suspense, O'Connell is on a par with Barbara Vine and Frances Fyfield; like Jonathan Kellerman, she is also an astute observer of children, especially those who survive the most terrifying youthful traumas and betrayals. Judas Child may be O'Connell's "breakout" book, and it will surely send readers who've just discovered her in search of her backlist while they await her next one. --Jane Adams
Carol O'Connell has been consistently praised as a gifted storyteller (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), the author of stylishly innovative (San Francisco Chronicle), immensely affecting (Miami Herald) novels with an irresistible narrative force (Publishers Weekly). Now, she gives us a stunning new creation. It is three days before Christmas, and two young girls have disappeared from the local academy. This hasn't happened for fifteen years, since Rouge Kendall's twin sister was murdered. The killer was found, but now Rouge, twenty-five and a policeman, is forced to wonder: was he really the one? Also wondering is a former classmate named Ali Cray, a forensic psychologist with scars of her own. The pattern is the same, she says: a child called out to meet a friend. The friend is the bait, the judas child, and is quickly killed. But the primary victim lives longer . . . until Christmas Day. Rouge doesn't want to hear this. He's spent the last fifteen years trying to avoid the memories: drinking alone, laying low, washing out of school and a promising first career. Now he might abandon law enforcement, too--but something won't let him, not yet. A little girl has haunted his dreams all these years--and he has three days finally to put her to rest. Filled with the rich prose, resonant characters, and knife-edge suspense that have won the author so many fans, Judas Child is Carol O'Connell's most powerful novel yet.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - This still haunts me...
I have only recently discovered Carol O'Connell, and I am working my way through her novels. I love the Mallory series, but picked this one up because it's by the same author. It was a gripping, can't-put-this-down read. The ending still haunts me.
Rating: - A Great Read!
I love this author anyway, but this is just simply wonderful and one of the best reads ever.
Rating: - Suspenseful Page Turner
This is the second time I read this and I'll keep it to read again. The plot was suspenseful and unpredictable and well written. This is the only novel that I have read by this author but look forward to reading others. This is definitely a fast paced page turner and would recommend to anyone who enjoys mysteries or thrillers. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: - Read this book
This is the best book I've ever read.....almost. After the first few pages, when it seems young girls are disappearing and found dead, I threatened the recommender with dismemberment b/c I have little girls at home. But as I kept on, I was hooked. It is well written with a phenomenal ending. Not for those who read the last pages first.
Rating: - An intensely atmospheric story
I bought this book out of desperation, because I had read all the Mallory books from this author and this was the only one left for me to read.
The first couple of chapters were a bit slow and I had trouble focusing on the characters. After that, however, I was so gripped by the story and the atmosphere that I had to finish this book quickly before I could go on with my life, and was terribly sad when I did finish it...
When both these feelings occur, I know that the book ... Read More
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