Author J.A. Konrath has leapt onto the mystery scene with a debut novel that is so good, so entertaining that it's hard to believe that readers haven't heard from him before now. If this book is any indication of Konrath's talent, he has a long and successful career ahead of him to look forward to.

Whiskey Sour introduces readers to Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, one of the Chicago police department's best detectives, a woman with the steely toughness to match her unconventional name. As the story begins, Daniels is assigned to investigate a series of grisly killings, each one worse than the last.

The killer calls himself the Gingerbread Man and he leaves his "calling card" — a varnished gingerbread cookie — at every crime scene. He is systematically murdering women and Daniels needs to discover why so that she can act in time to prevent the next death.

As if that weren't enough to keep her busy, Jack Daniels is trying to actually have a life outside of the P.D. Her live-in boyfriend has recently left her — he breaks up with her by leaving a note asking her to please pack up his belongings and move them to his new girlfriend's place — and she turns to a dating service for help. Being a cop, though, has its difficulties, something her date learns to his dismay.

The little details like that are what make Daniels such an interesting and sympathetic character. Never coming across as "a man in women's clothing," as all too many female detectives do, Daniels is tough and ready for action, but always genuinely feminine as well.

The serial killer subgenre has been all but done to death, but Konrath wisely puts his own stamp on the story, injecting a darkly comic sense of humor into the proceedings that will have readers chuckling, even as they wince. What could have been a familiar story is made fresh by the author's unique outlook, snappy style and gift for pacing.

Konrath expertly cuts between Detective Daniels' first person narrative with the killer's own story, a device that is often over-used in the mystery genre, but is handled very well in this case. Doing so gives the reader a close-up look at the horrifying world of the Gingerbread Man, and the suspense is all the more urgent because of it.

Also contributing to the high level of excellence in Whiskey Sour is Konrath's eclectic collection of secondary characters. Some of them are amusing, like Daniel's slovenly partner Herb Benedict. Some of them are creepy, like the lecherous P.I. Harry McGlade. Almost all of them are fresh and memorable.

Combining the best qualities of John Sandford and Janet Evanovich into one sleek and enjoyable package, Whiskey Sour is the best debut of the year so far.