Now in a newly updated eighth edition, travel expert Deborah Sakach's The Official Guide To American Historic Inns: Bed & Breakfasts And Country Inns continues to be is a grand and enthusiastically recommended reference for tourists and travelers throughout America seeking to experience the unique and memory-making Bed & Breakfast and historic Country Inns. Covering 2,400 lodging coast to coast, and in every state of the union, The Official Guide To American Historic Inns lists each inn and B&B with its address, phone number, fax if available, email if available, brief historic description, price, credit cards accepted, luxuries available (such as cable or a swimming pool), and more. If you are planning a trip around your state or anywhere in the country, begin your planning by browsing through this superb catalogue which is certain to feature an historic inn to please you and make your stay truly memorable.

My new hobby is scanning this book from cover to cover highlighting all of the wonderful inns I'm going to visit. This is a delightful book of very reasonably priced inns in the US and Canada. Every entry provides unusual information about the inns, mouth-watering breakfasts offered and local attractions. This book is well worth the money and is easily one of the best (if not the best) travel books I've ever purchased. I've highlighted over 20 inns to visit and I'm not even halfway through the book.

This updated seventh edition offers an easy-to-use format detailing more than two thousand historic lodgings in all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and Canada. State maps locate each inn and B&B, as well as a special "Inns of Interest" index helping travellers to select an itinerary that suits their particular interests. A highly recommended travel planning aid.

After racing through the three previous books in the series (Mallory's Oracle, The Man Who Lied to Women, & Killing Critics,) I could hardly wait to start Stone Angel. Kathy Mallory is a fascinating character and the hints about her past in the rest of the series really whetted my appetite for the truth promised in the fourth book. Unfortunately, Mallory is only a supporting player in this one. Charles Butler (in jeans on a big white horse!), Riker, and some interesting locals have center stage, here. The Louisiana setting is intriguing,with all kinds of colorful characters from an elderly ecoterrorist to an Elmer Gantry-style evangelist, but the final solution to the mystery is more sordid than satisfying. Anyone who enjoyed the other Mallory books will want to read this, but be warned - it is slow going! All the right ingredients are here, but without a more active role for the main character, this literary gumbo ends up having all the flavor of dishwater. Author O'Connell seems unable to get past the charm of the young Kathy (who was actually more interesting as a wild child in New York City than as the happy doctor's daughter she used to be before her life went bad)in order to show any kind of catharsis in the adult. I would read more of her books on the strength of the rest of the Mallory series, but I would not recommend Stone Angel to anyone who was not already in love with Mallory.

Kathy Mallory is back in the most riveting, complex novel of the series. Sociopathic New York Detective Mallory takes on the bayous of Lousiana as she returns to her hometown to set some things straight. The mystery is not as important as the story and O'Connell introduces several new, very interesting characters - specifically Sheriff Tom Jessop and Augusta Trebec. The interactions and the actions are fascinating and the plot twists and turns enough to mesmerize. Mallory is not the whole story in this novel, which is a turn for the better. In addition, we finally see a little bit of human reaction and emotion. Mallory may be made of stone, but the surface chips slightly here. This is a keep-you-up-at-night book; O'Connell keeps getting better and better. You must read this one but be forewarned, it makes more sense if you've read the other three Mallory novels first. Let's all hope that O'Connell continues to humanize Mallory more and more (but not too much, she's at her most interesting when she's in her total sociopath mode) and can find a way to bring Tom Jessop into future books - the surface stereotype small town southern sheriff with much more than meets the eye! Mallory is the most interesting hero(ine) introduced in many years and O'Connell characterizes her perfectly. Steve Isenhowe

I couldn't wait for this book to hit the market. A great read. It takes up where KILLING CRITICS left off. Mallory has left NY to return to La and find her mother's killers. Carol O'Connell has developed this character from the beginning to become the most striking and arresting one in all of fictiondom. Charles Butler, the sheriff, the old lady who owns the dilapidated house, the idiot savant and the others are believable and necessary figures in Mallory's universe. The storyline moves , the plot is tight and the denouement is the only one that is possible. I love Mallory . Miss O'Connell, bring on the next chapter of this amazing creature

Another unconventional female lead has arrived in the form of Ali Cray, and I hope that Carol O'Connell brings her back for more, a la Mallory. She would need to bring Rouge Kendall and Arnie Pyle along for her to spar with once again. There's no shortage of great characters in this book, and it has a number of slimeballs too! At one point I suspected almost everyone of being the monster who abducted the two little girls, and that's the beauty of the book. Is it the work of a paedophile ring? Certainly the killer isn't alone in the knowledge of what's going on. For once however, my main concern is not whodunnit, but how will Sadie and Gwen get out of this deadly situation. I had so much confidence in Sadie, she really was the hero of the story. And what a Mum she had in Becca, I found her to be such a believable character. She and Father Marie will break your heart. I also loved David Shore (who we needed to hear a little more from) and his house Mom Mary, the herbal tea healer. So many interesting women who had only a small role to play in this unfolding story, Rouge's Mother, Marge Jonas, the Mushroom lady, I loved them all. Even the nasty sub-plot of Rita Anderson, you couldn't be without sympathy for her, and of course Gwen's Mother, who couldn't even be accused of putting her career before her child. I'm off to the Library to find all the books by Carol O'Connell that I haven't had the privilege of reading already. Let's hope there are many more to come.

Are there 2 versions of this book? I can't understand how people found it dull. I also was late to work staying up to read it. Yes, you had to pay attention; but a good book will draw you back again and again to see the nuances you missed the first time. There are no easy answers in Carol O'Connell's books, you must make up your own mind sometimes about what has taken place, or what the characters will do after the novel ends. If O'Connell develops another line of books with Rouge Kendall as the lead, I'll buy them just as quickly as the Mallory novels.

I had never read Carol O'Connell before and Judas Child was recommended to me by an American friend.

From the opening chapter of the man lurking in the lane I was hooked. The characterisation is stunning, especially Sadie and Rouge - I fell in love with both. The novels builds and becomes more complex just as you think you know what is going to happen. The characters change and develop - just as in real life no one is as they first appear and everyone is portrayed in their different and various shades.

The passages on the two girls are full of bravery and truth and are heartbreaking too - even thought they are best friends one knows they would put their own survival first.

The ending is pheonomenal - I did not see it coming and I found it heartbreaking yet uplifting at the same time. I now cannot wait to read all Ms O'Connell's other books.

Judas Child is simply the most imaginative and stirring novel I have read in a very long time. I have rarely felt so excited about a book and recommend it to everyone.

I've read all of O'Connell's Mallory books. While they're a rock-solid series, any one of them can stand alone. This one doesn't fail to grab the reader by the throat and grip you until the last page. Charles really shines in this book, and Carol O'Connell has brought back the rest of her ensemble cast to spar with Mallory as she proves her devious, heinous brilliance yet again. The killer is approprately vicious and nearly a match for the fearsome cop. I fear, though, that Carol O'Connell's books are just too bright and she's going to get burned out before my craving for more Mallory is satisfied. Ms. O'Connell, if you, unlike Mallory, have a compassionate heart, then heed this: Knuckle down, unplug the phone, and write, write, write. I live in fear that Stone Angel was the end of the line in Mallory's journey of self-discovery. Say it ain't so. If you haven't read this book, turn off the computer and RUN TO THE NEAREST BOOKSTORE!

I just ran across this fascinating character last week, and completed the second novel in an incredible series. Kathleen Mallory is the most complex character in the genre. Each book makes you want to hurry to the next to gain more insight into her psyche, while at the same time wanting to re-read the book in hand.

Caroll O'Connell's writings are works of art! Beautifully rendered characters complete with physical descriptions, pasts, futures, and real personalities make the stories come to life. The lethal beauty of Mallory, the chivalrous genius Charles, gruff, slobby Riker, stressed out Coffey, maternal Helen, and Markowitz the dancing fool all enhance this book's power. Detouring from the beaten track, Carol O'Connell writes mystery like no one else! READ THIS BOOK.

This, the latest entry in the Mallory series, is also the weakest. Not that first time readers would notice -- O'Connell is so darn good at her craft that even less-than-her-best beats most of the competition. Problem is, she was written a novel that "fills in the gaps" for her Mallory character while FORGETTING what made the character great in the first place. The ultimate peccadillo, even for one of O'Connell's rank, is to write a book that resonates only with those who have already fallen in love with the character because of earlier books. And that's what this is. Mallory is, as always, arrogant, dry and aloof. In this book, however, no one really cares...

I love O'Connell's ability to characterize! Some of the other reviewers seem a bit frustrated with this book. I too, wait for Mallory to 'let someone in', which she seems so unable to do. Of course, given her childhood background...I'd probably react to human kindness the way she does. Mallory's been an enigma from the first book. She's solving crimes, but sometimes it's a debate whether the crime is more interesting, or Mallory is?
A child forced to become an adult before she was ready, and who grows up in a precinct station in New York is hardly likely to be normal...

A serial murderer is loose on the blonde wanta-be-actresses of New York. This case is tied to a cold case from 20 years ago...and the serial murderer is doing a lot to try to get the attention of the cops. Mallory's friends and her coworker, Riker, are concerned, because as more information comes out concerning the 20-year old case...the suspect seems to have a haunted background and childhood suspiciously like Mallory's and they can't quit drawing parallels to her life. Why did her mind bend towards dealing with a her hard life in a certain way that put her within accepted societal mores, while this serial murderer is definitely asocial?

I really appreciate getting some new information concerning Mallory. She can keep being mysterious and aloof, but we, the readers, want to know more about what makes Mallory tick.

Only big problem I had with the book, is tying in the actress angle with the first murder...maybe I missed something.

Oh...and O'Connell introduces a new younger cop for Mallory to torture! Mallory's biggest parallel with the serial murderer is her inability to connect with those who care about her, including Charles, her very nonjudgemental friend who thinks he is too ugly for her...yet she doesn't even 'see' herself as beautiful. Wonder if this little dilemma will ever be resolved.
This reader hopes so...yet worries that it will be unsatisfying if Mallory ever normalizes her relationships...

Karen Sadler

This 6th in the series (following Mallory's Oracle, The Man Who Cast Two Shadows, Killing Critics, Stone Angel, and (for me)the disappointing Shell Game)expands the character and pysche of the troubled Sgt. Kathleen Mallory. This borderline pysocopath/sociopath cop battles her own personal demons of murder, betrayal, and revenge as she sets out to stop a serial killer. The similarities between the killer and the cop are both subtle and striking. We learn more about her twisted childhood and her relationship with Riker and Charles Butler. I thought this book was a fascinating portrayal of a very disturbing woman. The story was fast-paced and very suspenseful. I suggest that readers finish the earlier volumes in the series to better understand Mallory's background.

This book did not disappoint. After reading her previous books I couldn't wait to read Mallory's latest adventure. O'Connell gives us more background into why Mallory has turned into the detective she is. Some of the characters I Idid not care for(Bliss for instance, and Emma Sue Halloran) but I like Charles,Riker, and Coffey. These people are true to life. Sometimes O'Connell is hard to follow as she brings in caharacters and events in The Big Apple that don't seem to tie in with the story. Here's hoping her next novel The Stone Angel is a continuation of Sgt. Mallory.I would like to know more about the elusive Carol O'Connell

This is my favorite in the Mallory series so far. Mallory is getting a bit more vulnerable as we come to know her - like anything, you have to work at it and it makes it the more satisfying. The premise was a bit confusing - or maybe i lack the necessary insight to get it in one take, but I found that as I re-read the book I picked up on things that I missed in my haste to absorb the novel. The extra cast were delightfully well-designed - I particularly enjoyed the character of Quinn, who seems to be sort of Mallory-like himself. The book is thoroughly entertaining and ultimately very satisfying. I've read some less-than-generous reviews and I urge those readers to try again. There are a few things that feel awkward the first time... so, once more, from the top. The writing is good enough to stand alone without the complex plot and intiguing characters. Maybe it's just too much of a good thing, literary overload for the faint of heart. Don't give up, you will be rewarded.

As the title of my review states, this is in my opinion, the best of all the Mallory books. But please, PLEASE, this is just my opinion. If you do not agree with it, don't let it stop you from reading all the other books in the Mallory series.

Anyway, the review.

The book is about a number of art critics that seem to be getting murdured at an increasing rate, and the murder weapon is a most curious thing indeed.

The main character, Mallory, is an enigma of human nature...and for some reason, you find yourself falling in love with this cold unfeeling character, as you'll find other characters in the book doing too...including her partner in an illegal consulting firm.

While I am not big on relaying the plot of the story for fear of saying too much, I am one for lavishing a great number of praise where it is due.

This book is marvellously crafted and take my word for it you will never put it down without being sorely tempted to pick it up and read the next page. It's one of those "I'll put it away after the next chapter" And ten chapters later you're still saying the same thing to yourself!

I highly recommend this and all the other Carol O'Connell novels. I advise you, if you want to begin reading O'Connell's books, it is best start at the beginning of the series at "Mallory's Oracle". You can get the full scope of the books that way. I think that "Judas Child" is one of her best books even though I love her Mallory Books.

I had trouble maintaining interest in this novel at all. Mallory's Oracle is the story of Kathleen Mallory's investigation of her adopted father's (Lewis Markowitz) murder. Markowitz' murder comes in the middle of a search for a serial killer that murders elderly women. Kathleen is a New York policewoman, whose specialty is computers. Mallory is a smart, tough woman who seems to be an emotional shell of a person. Mallory is the adoptive daughter of Lewis and Helen Markowitz. Lewis was a policeman that caught Kathleen, at the age of ten, living off the streets and stealing. Markowitz and his wife raise Mallory and try to take the street out of her. After her father's murder Mallory is aided in her search for a serial killer by Charles Butler, a former close friend of her father. The book is full of eccentric characters that add the only interesting moments in the book.
Mallory is not a character that I really liked. Throughout the book she was too hard, too smart, too pretty. She was just too much. I was unable to identify with the Mallory at all. She is not the kind of person I would have to my house for fear she might make off with the silverware. Kathleen has no morals. Her early street influence seems too powerful to overcome. Mallory is a thief that happens to work for the cops. The story also has several stories that are left hanging at the end of the book. Large parts of the story left me asking, "What the heck was that?" Overall, this is a book I would avoid at all costs. I painfully dragged through each and every page.

Carol O'Connell draws you right into her fast paced detective story about a tough female cop. Though you may not identify with the eccentrically stoic protagonist, you can certainly appreciate her unique attitude. The reader can also appreciate the other characters surrounding her life, as O'Connell welcomes their point of view into her story.

Police Sergeant Mallory is put on compassionate leave after her police officer father is found murdered by the serial killer they have been tracking. This, to everyone's surprise, does not phase Mallory. This should have been the first clue to those that know her well that she would search out the killer on her own.

Though some scenes, such as the very first chapter, are never really reconciled, the book is overall very well put together. Plots and subplots are appropriately meshed into an excellent whirlwind of drama and entertainment. The farther I read into the story, the more engrossed I became, and by the end could literally not put it down out of sheer desperation to know how it would end.

This book is definitely a worthwhile read. All perspectives are appreciated as it draws a more illuminated picture. The reader gets drawn right in, and before they know it, it is two o'clock in the morning and their shaking hand eagerly enters into that final chapter where all will finally be revealed.

I approached Carol O'Connell's 'Mallory' series in the wrong way. By accident I read the fourth book in her series first. Normally this would have the effect of ruining the series for me, instead it sent me running to the bookstore to get the first instalment. 'Mallory's Oracle' is a superb book. Finally we have a view of a cop that is not a chisel jawed jock. Instead we are presented with Mallory a female detective with an obviously scarred past that will not let anyone close to her. She secures herself amongst computers and modems, it is here, and only here where she feels totally safe. The novel progresses along a very good plot bulked out with interesting characters and excellent dialogue, for those who have read it take Charles' first experience of the poker game as an example, see how easily O'Connell manages to mingle two conversations seemlessly creating a scene which sticks in the mind of the reader. I cannot press onto propsective readers how much I enjoyed this book and i urge everyone to read it and O'Connell's other novels in this series. I look forward to more offerings and hope that O'Connell goes from strength to strength.

I had "Great Expectations" for this book. The book comes up short of bitter/sweet. A miscalculation of Mallory's personality. Can a reader still care for this character? I have read Carol O'Connels other books and in each case have been breathless to continue to the next. Her writing is crisp,stylish and plots satisfying. Characters in her novels are usually complicated enough for me to care about them, and the web of intrigue keeps me from doing other duties until I finish her books. In the "Shell Game" I was very disappointed and in fact had a hard time finishing the book. I feel as if the author short changed the characters developed in other books. Considering what I thought a set up for complicated interest in the book "Stone Angel" Mallory does not deliver in Shell Game - weak plot. The Shell Game should be magic in verse and story. I feel Ms. O'Connell deceived the greatness of supporting characters such as Charles Butler and Riker. Strong characters in Stone Angel their loyalty was betrayed by a weak sub-plot in SG. Ms. O'Connell herself proved that digging up Mallory's past was not necessarily a good thing, since the next book did not measure up. Is there hope for her character after this?

When a magician is killed in a stage accident, only Mallory believes it to have been murder. In order to solve that crime and prevent another, she's drawn into a relationship with a charismatic elderly magician who forces her to question basic elements of her own nature.

_Stone Angel_ (as has been stated by other reviewers) was a breathtaking book. The problem with it was that it was very difficult to follow. While I don't want to see too much change in Mallory (_Stone Angel_ showed the potential for change, but didn't provide a personality magic wand), I also didn't expect to see this book written as if the events in that book had never happened.

There were many interesting and well-written characters in _Shell Game_, but I found the plot itself a little bit weak. Magicians are such an easy target, and there were a few too many stereotypes pulled out of the bag in this book. It's a bit like a mystery written about the theater, the writer really has to earn the subject matter. O'Connell doesn't.

Additionally, the mystery became so complex at a given point that I found it difficult to keep caring about who did what to whom when.

I remember how much I really enjoyed the first couple of books by O'Connell. She introduced the female character Mallory, who is so multifaceted in personality and characteristics due to her very different childhood. Up til this book, both the characterization of people and plot development were very well handled by O'Connell. This time the author came up short. I don't know why. O'Connell doesn't churn these mysteries out as fast as she can like some other female writers of the mystery genre.

This book is not a bad read. Compared to many other authors who do churn out mysteries on a bi-annual basis, this book is a masterpiece. Yet, if the reader compares this book to O'Connell's first few books, they will be a mite disappointed.

There are way too many characters. Not only was the plot very complicated due to it having to do with WWII and a group of magicians, but there were too many characters to keep track of. On top of that, it is obvious O'Connell did a lot of research into certain illusions, which for someone who has no background in magic ended up being very confusing.

More was revealed about Mallory's background and how she thinks. This was probably the best part of the book. Yet the development of her two 'buddies', Riker the cop and Charles, the man who is Mallory's friend, was almost absent. They were placed in the book as an afterthought. There were six magicians originally, and though all were present during WWII, in the future, the now that exists for Mallory and gang, two are dead (and includes the 'original' murder victim), and the rest seem to be involved in a conspiracy. Not only do we find out that there was a much earlier murder victim, but the readers are expected to keep track of the variety of illusions, the history of all these men, and their backdrop (which was WWII). It ended up being too much, and I had a difficult time keeping track of everything.

I am hoping this is a one-time fluke. Not every book can be a hole-in-one, and this book can be enjoyed for the intelligence with which it is written. I would recommend readers go to her other books, if they want a better example of what O'Connell is capable of.
Karen Sadler
University of Pittsburgh