Binding: Digital
Label: Amazon
Manufacturer: Amazon
Number Of Pages: 53
Publication Date: 2005-12-20
Publisher: Amazon
Release Date: 2005-12-20
Studio: Amazon

Four short stories featuring characters from JA Konrath's Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels series. BODY SHOTS - Jack faces her worst nightmare-a hostage scenario. WHELP WANTED - Jack's ex partner, Harry McGlade, is hot on the trail of a very stupid dognapper. THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY - A prequel to Whiskey Sour, featuring the serial killer known as The Gingerbread Man. POT SHOT - Jack's partner, Herb Benedict, decides to hang up his badge.

Customer Rating:
Summary: A handful of good stories for pocket change
Comment: J.A. Konrath writes fun serial killer thrillers... and if you think "fun" is a weird way to describe a serial killer story, then you obviously haven't read Konrath yet. But, anyway, if you haven't read "Whiskey Sour", "Bloody Mary," and "Rusty Nail" yet, check 'em out. In the meantime, here, for an extremely cheap price (almost free), you get four short Konrath stories (also in the thriller genre) that collectively add up to a short novel's worth of entertainment. They're all great, and will give you a good idea of the offbeat blend of laughs and chills Konrath delivers in his novels. Konrath also offers additional downloads (for free!) at his author website. It's worth a visit

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Give 'em A Try... You Might Just Like It!
Comment: Loved all four of these short stories. I'm not gonna go into detail about each one because other reviewers have done that, and I'm sure if that is what you are looking for, you've already read those reviews. Upon coming across Mr. Konrath's works, I purchased both sets of his short stories. I read them both in one sitting. His writing draws you in and leaves you wanting to turn the page... I will be reading much more by this author.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great reads
Comment: After reading J. A. Konrath for the first time downloading Four Pack of Jack, i'm hooked.

I bought Whisky Sour and Bloody Mary. Both are great reads. I fell on the floor laughing all though the cat scenes in Bloody Mary. Now i'm going looking for his new book, Rusty Nail.

A long time John D. MacDonald and Robert B. Parker fan__ i'm now a J. A. Konrath fan for sure.

John W. Terrell
Author

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Half and half ...
Comment: Two of the four short stories in this collections I loved and two I didn't care so much for.

The first one is called Body Shots and is a Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels story. She must have gotten teased mercilessly as a kid. Anyway, this one is nothing more than a bunch of kids being slaughtered for no reason. I'm giving the author the benefit of the doubt by assuming that was the whole point - that sometimes crazies don't have a rational reason for doing what they do, so I get it. But, while it is told in the first person, it is also told in the present tense from Jack's perspective which irks me. Example: I reach over from the passenger seat and give my partner ... a poke in the ribs ... It's like reading an RPG log and that's just not right! [Three stars for this one]

The second one is called Whelp Wanted and is a Harry McGlade story. This is freakin' hilarious! Harry has instantly become a fave character of mine. He's a down trodden P.I. with a sardonic sense of humor and a penchant for losing pencils, I love him. This one is told in the normal first person POV that I like best and is about Harry being hired to find a missing dog. [Five stars for this one]

The third one is called The One That Got Away and is a Gingerbread Man story. Another present tense narrative (third person, this time) told from the perspective of a prostitute abducted by a sadistic serial killer. I haven't read the book that features this Gingerbread Man (presumably, the unnamed serial killer in this story), so the wider implications are lost on me, but it's an interesting study in fear and survival and may have been more palatable if not for the narrative style. [Three stars for this one]

The fourth one is called Pot Shot and is a Detective Herb Benedict story. Third person POV this time, so the narrative style didn't get in the way of me liking this character. And I do - he's a sweet guy willing to give up his career for the woman he loves. Herb is Jack's partner and I'm still not sure how I feel about her, but this story is about someone trying to kill Herb by taking a (literal) pot shot at him in his own home and how this effects his relationship with his wife, Bernice. It's a nice little mystery with a bit of comic relief and some hurt/comfort - what more could I want? [Five stars for this one]

I will have to try the books by this author (which come highly recommended by other authors whom I respect and read religiously), but I just hope they're not told in the present tense.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Four unique flavors -- Try them all
Comment: While "Four Pack of Jack" is certainly very entertaining, I was expecting a wee bit more. Perhaps this is because I just finished reading the author's novel "Rusty Nail", which was absolutely terrific. Since all of the other reviewers of "Four Pack of Jack" have given it five stars so far, I'm thinking they'll be giving "Rusty Nail" 6 or 7 stars maybe? On with the review...

There's four short stories contained in this Amazon Short. If you think about it, 4 stories totalling 50+ pages altogether makes this a great buy at $0.49 (to save you a trip to the calculator, that's only $0.1225 a story). The first story is...

Body Shots: a Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels story --
This story starts out with our hero, Jack, and her partner Herb at a fast food drive through window. No sooner has Herb mega-sized his meal than all hell breaks loose. The rest of this story reminds me of the scene in the movie "Hot Shots Part Deux", where Topper Harley is shooting at an Iraqi Army Compound "Rambo" style and there's a body count meter that appears on the screen which goes up really fast. I found this part of "Body Shots" to be more tongue in cheek almost, than believable. That is until the end of the story, when you go "dang" after you find out what caused all the bedlam. The ending is more thought provoking and emotional -- a sharp contrast to the previous "gotta keep moving" part of the story. The fact that I prefer to have violence "off screen" informs how I rate this story. Rating: 3.5 stars for "Body Shots".

Whelp Wanted: a Harry McGlade story --
This story was actually pretty darn hilarious. Konrath cleverly buries the one clue that McGlade, a private investigator, will need to solve the case of a missing champion show dog, a Shar-pei named Marcus. The dog's owner, Vincent Thorpe, tells McGlade that Abigail Cummings has stolen his dog. McGlade has one misadventure after another trying to unravel the mystery. I don't want to spoil any of the fun of reading this story, so I'll leave it at that. Enjoy reading it! Rating: 5 stars for "Whelp Wanted".

The One That Got Away: a Gingerbread Man story --
This story follows Moni, a hooker, as she is captured then taken back to the lair of the Gingerbread Man, the villain. How can she escape? How can she get back at the Gingerbread Man? In the end, how will this encounter affect Moni's view on life? The fact that I prefer to have violence "off screen" informs how I rate this story. Rating: 3.5 stars for "The One That Got Away".

Pot Shot: a Detective Herb Benedict story --
Just as Herb is about to enjoy a delicious pot roast and a quiet evening with his wife, a bullet flies into the window and hits his would be meal. The ensuing events cause his wife, Bernice, to ask Herb to take a job in a less violent division than the one he works in. In the end, everyone is happy. Especially Herb and his wife. This one has a very cute ending. Rating: 4.5 stars for "Pot Shot".

On the whole, "Four Pack of Jack" is a solid 4+ stars. What are you still doing reading this review? Unless you're saving that 49 cents for a gumball machine, purchase "Four Pack of Jack" now. "Whelp Wanted" is worth the 49 cents alone! Enjoy.

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