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The Law of Unintended Consequences
Sturdy, stalwart Detective Marie Stransky has returned to work after the birth of her fifth baby, another girl, to find that “he’s back.”
Called to Santa Rita Park, a gathering place for the homeless and addicted, Marie studies the strangled body of a young woman. The cigarette burn on her right wrist pegs her as a victim of a stalker that has already killed two homeless women. Then there is the young Mexican woman found shot in a wash. Homicide department head, Lieutenant Carl Lindgrin, a man Marie loves to hate, dismisses the murder as gang related, but the tattoo of a unicorn on the girl’s shoulder visible in the autopsy photo gives Marie pause. What self-respecting gangbanger has a tattoo of a unicorn? And the bodies pile up.
The Law of Unintended Consequences is filled with Gayle Jandrey’s usual humor, dark and otherwise, and the typical array of quirky characters. All are woven through this tight, suspenseful police procedural-come-domestic melodrama like threads of bright yarn, that when pulled together make a whole cloth.
Called to Santa Rita Park, a gathering place for the homeless and addicted, Marie studies the strangled body of a young woman. The cigarette burn on her right wrist pegs her as a victim of a stalker that has already killed two homeless women. Then there is the young Mexican woman found shot in a wash. Homicide department head, Lieutenant Carl Lindgrin, a man Marie loves to hate, dismisses the murder as gang related, but the tattoo of a unicorn on the girl’s shoulder visible in the autopsy photo gives Marie pause. What self-respecting gangbanger has a tattoo of a unicorn? And the bodies pile up.
The Law of Unintended Consequences is filled with Gayle Jandrey’s usual humor, dark and otherwise, and the typical array of quirky characters. All are woven through this tight, suspenseful police procedural-come-domestic melodrama like threads of bright yarn, that when pulled together make a whole cloth.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 25, 2022
Gayle Davies Jandrey has written a terrific mystery starring the stalwart super mom, Marie Stransky. After giving birth to her fifth girl, Marie returns to her daytime job as a homicide detective with the Local police department where she is greeted with sexual harassment, a serial killer, the homeless, and more. meanwhile, on the home front - - - well, there are complications! A great read that is hard to put down. I can’t wait for the next installment!
February 16, 2022
I received an advanced reader copy of this novel by the author. I had established a correspondence with her after I fell in love with her Deep Breathing.
This novel is also set in Tucson and also deals with characters that we often don't want to see. Some of them aren't pretty and poetic.
The Law of Unintended Consequences is a crime drama with a heart. It's as if Bille Letts and Fannie Flagg wrote a serial-killer thriller.
The main character, Marie, is a lactating detective and mother of five with a marriage possibly on the rocks. Coco, a beautiful private detective and police academy drop out (with a side gig on the side) has a heart of gold when pushed. Jandrey also includes the Weird Sisters, strong women living day-by-day and hand-to-mouth. All of these strong women become "partners in crime."
Everyone seems to have some sort of secret from their past that comes to light as the search for a serial killer continues. There's much more drama here with the personal lives than with the crime solving aspect of the novel.
As with her previous book, Deep Breathing, Jandrey portrays the disenfranchised with dignity and strength. She does so in a way that is realistic, a portrayal of resolve and empowerment, not with despair or hopelessness or misplaced sympathy. There's not a lack of humor in the tale as well, especially as Marie tries to be supportive of her husband's dream of writing sci-fi and his over-zealous descriptions of aliens' breasts as food-stuffs. There's also Marie's portable and humming breast pump that causes a lot of characters to pause.
As Marie deals with more than one family drama, she "would ask herself what would her mother do and then do the opposite" (26). Haven't we all been there with one family member or another?
Jandrey is a master of hitting characterization dead-on.
Lindgrin, his steel gray hair slicked back with what looked to be Gorilla Snot, was at his desk, a framed photo of him and the governor the only personal item amid a pile of papers and a toppled stack of manila folders. (22)
Can you not just picture this greaseball of a boss? I was also aptly able to picture Marie's lovable police buddy, Stedman, with his Big Gulps and candy bars.
Marie, Coco, and the Weird Sisters ultimately triumph and stop the serial killer, but they also discover another life, hopefully one that will bring them much fulfillment and happiness.
My only criticism would be the mention of Abby, the heroine of Deep Breathing. I'm glad I got to see Abby again (in a relationship with a lovable cop), but I'm not sure if I had not read Jandrey's first book I would have picked up on why Abby was even mentioned.
I would recommend this book. It's a short read but thought provoking on many different levels.
Any review of this book would be incomplete without a mention of Marie's briefcase that seems to be with her at every crime scene. Not only does Marie pull enough water bottles out of it for everyone on site, she also can produce pliers, bananas, granola bars, juice boxes, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, read and green salsa, Scope, tissues, and Butterfingers. That's got to be a helluva briefcase!
I look forward to Jandrey's next book. Perhaps she will have Marie, Coco and Abby team up!
This novel is also set in Tucson and also deals with characters that we often don't want to see. Some of them aren't pretty and poetic.
The Law of Unintended Consequences is a crime drama with a heart. It's as if Bille Letts and Fannie Flagg wrote a serial-killer thriller.
The main character, Marie, is a lactating detective and mother of five with a marriage possibly on the rocks. Coco, a beautiful private detective and police academy drop out (with a side gig on the side) has a heart of gold when pushed. Jandrey also includes the Weird Sisters, strong women living day-by-day and hand-to-mouth. All of these strong women become "partners in crime."
Everyone seems to have some sort of secret from their past that comes to light as the search for a serial killer continues. There's much more drama here with the personal lives than with the crime solving aspect of the novel.
As with her previous book, Deep Breathing, Jandrey portrays the disenfranchised with dignity and strength. She does so in a way that is realistic, a portrayal of resolve and empowerment, not with despair or hopelessness or misplaced sympathy. There's not a lack of humor in the tale as well, especially as Marie tries to be supportive of her husband's dream of writing sci-fi and his over-zealous descriptions of aliens' breasts as food-stuffs. There's also Marie's portable and humming breast pump that causes a lot of characters to pause.
As Marie deals with more than one family drama, she "would ask herself what would her mother do and then do the opposite" (26). Haven't we all been there with one family member or another?
Jandrey is a master of hitting characterization dead-on.
Lindgrin, his steel gray hair slicked back with what looked to be Gorilla Snot, was at his desk, a framed photo of him and the governor the only personal item amid a pile of papers and a toppled stack of manila folders. (22)
Can you not just picture this greaseball of a boss? I was also aptly able to picture Marie's lovable police buddy, Stedman, with his Big Gulps and candy bars.
Marie, Coco, and the Weird Sisters ultimately triumph and stop the serial killer, but they also discover another life, hopefully one that will bring them much fulfillment and happiness.
My only criticism would be the mention of Abby, the heroine of Deep Breathing. I'm glad I got to see Abby again (in a relationship with a lovable cop), but I'm not sure if I had not read Jandrey's first book I would have picked up on why Abby was even mentioned.
I would recommend this book. It's a short read but thought provoking on many different levels.
Any review of this book would be incomplete without a mention of Marie's briefcase that seems to be with her at every crime scene. Not only does Marie pull enough water bottles out of it for everyone on site, she also can produce pliers, bananas, granola bars, juice boxes, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, read and green salsa, Scope, tissues, and Butterfingers. That's got to be a helluva briefcase!
I look forward to Jandrey's next book. Perhaps she will have Marie, Coco and Abby team up!
April 2, 2022
Once again Gayle has taken us into the not so pretty parts of Tucson where the less fortunate people struggle daily to survive. I really enjoyed this book and love the characters and the familiar places in Tucson. Though sometimes dark and somewhat depressing, Gayle takes us into the lives of the homeless where we can see them as real people and their daily struggles. I recommend this book to those who love a good mystery with interesting characters.
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April 9, 2022I have always enjoyed reading G.Davies Jandrey as she has a great sense of humor. Her humor is a reaction to various unintended consequences of daily life, which she always handles with grace.
If we all knew in advance the results of our actions, life would be a much easier learning lesson. The main characters have “doing good deeds”at heart in Ms. Jandrey’s novels. The people and circumstances surrounding the main characters are the adversity.
If we all knew in advance the results of our actions, life would be a much easier learning lesson. The main characters have “doing good deeds”at heart in Ms. Jandrey’s novels. The people and circumstances surrounding the main characters are the adversity.
May 3, 2022
Consequences indeed!
This tightly woven suspense novel is carried along with wit and excellent dialogue. The character of Marie is credible both
as a police detective and as a wife and mother. And her life in both roles is fully developed , honest.
Further, Ms.Jandrey draws her other characters with a deft hand, leading them to an unexpected and startling conclusion.
very good book!
This tightly woven suspense novel is carried along with wit and excellent dialogue. The character of Marie is credible both
as a police detective and as a wife and mother. And her life in both roles is fully developed , honest.
Further, Ms.Jandrey draws her other characters with a deft hand, leading them to an unexpected and startling conclusion.
very good book!
June 19, 2024
Being a 73 yo native of the Old , I loved all the Tucson settings and the depiction of our summer heat. It's all so real. I liked the characters, the plot, the twists. I will look for the author's next book.
April 2, 2022
Wonderful details of Southwest setting. Characters keep you moving along anxious to find out what happens to them. Highly recommend
February 5, 2024
Although the characters are interesting and some of the plot elements are realistic, the editing was distracting.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews