Best read in this series to date. The fifth Maggie O'Dell from author Alex Kava in, "A Necessary Evil", was nice rebound from previous two books that were mediocre. This book reads much faster, and it's plot is built far better than what author Alex Kava had previously done with series. Finally some real life in it's characters. FBI Special Agent and Profiler Maggie O'Dell has crimes on either side of country to sort out at the same time. In the DC area "Jane Doe" heads without bodies have been turning up confounding the DCPD. Maggie gets to work with Detective Julia Racine who Maggie has a difficult working relationship with. Meanwhile out in Nebraska, Monsignor William O'Sullivan has been viciously murdered in a bathroom at the Omaha airport. The Monsignor was on his way to Vatican to deliver some very important documents. However those documents packed in a carry portfolio are missing. Then other priests around the country have started turning up dead. Boston, Florida, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. Maggie has to find the common bond of these priests to make progress in her case. Sister Kate Rosetti helps Maggie understand some of the importance of these murders. The call from South America from Father Michael Keller really throws an incredible twist into the investigation. Back in the DC area even Maggie's closest friend Dr. Gwen Patterson is not immune to murder and mayhem. Patterson's new receptionist Deana disappears and her head turns up without a body as well. Complete with online "Dungeons & Dragons" and kids who have suffered years of abuse from Catholic church make this story riveting. The in depth and very well crafted characters excel as well. A thoroughly enjoyable read from page one through it's amazing conclusion. The last page in the book is a shocker (Don't peek). I'd highly recommend "A Necessary Evil" for any mystery thriller fans. Reading previous four books not needed to enjoy this one. Five stars out of possible five stars. I was very ambivalent about this series until this book. Now I'm excited to read the sixth book of series. Do not miss one. It's a high octane sizzler. Check it out !
A Necessary Evil by Alex KavaBook #5 in the Maggie O’Dell series4 StarsSynopsis:The one that got away...FBI profiler, Maggie O'Dell is on the trail of two separate killers. One is leaving the decapitated heads of his victims all over the District and the other is killing priests in public. O’Dell has few leads when she receives an offer of assistance from a most unlikely source – her prime suspect in book one. Are these cases connected and will O’Dell accept the deal offered by a killer?Review:Another enjoyable addition to the series. While the plot starts off quite slow and there seem to be too many perspectives, the threads soon begin coming together in an intriguing way and the story comes to an extremely satisfying conclusion – I even found myself chuckling with glee at the end.I enjoy books where the reader can follow the clues and work things out but become frustrated when the hints are too obvious and the killer predictable. This was not the case here. The signs and evidence build up and while it is possible to figure out the killer’s identity, it takes some time and is not immediately clear.As always, the character development is superb, especially Gwen Patterson’s and it was delighted to see the return of Nick Morelli, who has been suspiciously absent from the past few books. Maggie and Nick’s relationship is particularly engaging and it was great seeing their reunion and interaction.Recommendation: An excellent thriller with all of my favorite elements: an intelligent plot, excellent characterization and no skimping on the gory bits. So beware as this book is not for the squeamish.
This is the first Alex Kava novel I've read. It quickly became apparent that this was a mistake, as the plot of this one revolves around the bad guy from a previous book in the series. Whoops. Luckily I wasn't blown away by A Necessary Evil, so I won't be cursing my luck over that.In this thriller, FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell has two cases to deal with: women's heads are appearing near where she lives in Washington DC, while out in the Midwest, paedophile priests are being murdered. Sadly, I was quickly able to identify the culprits, and much of the novel was spent watching supposedly successful expert professionals flailing around ineptly. A few points were particularly badly described, including the sinister online game that plays an important part in the plot. I don't really go in for online games, but the description of it makes it sound like the author hasn't gone near a computer since 1993.I wasn't too keen on the style, either: the chapters are very short, and told from a wide variety of POVs. Some characters appear for just one chapter, while others stick around. I felt that this wasn't a great choice for a thriller, because a lot of tension was lost. I'd have preferred a tighter focus, particularly on the rather colourless O'Dell.Overall, this wasn't a demanding book, with an interesting plot idea sadly buried under a pile of problems. Ah well.
—Kiera Healy
A Maggie O'Dell story.The FBI agent is brought in on two cases. The first is one in which women are being murdered and their decapitated heads are all that is found. Maggie's friend, Gwen, is caught up in this one as the murderer is someone who knows her but Gwen isn't sure who it is.The second murder case involves the gruesome murders of priests. What is it that ties these murders together? An old enemy resurfaces and Maggie once again meets up with Father Keller.An disturbing but interesting novel that has you thinking about good and evil.
—Jovdb
This was my first Kava novel, and well into a series, so perhaps it was not the best place to make an introduction to the author. But it was a decent read with enough backstory on the main characters to flesh them out fairly well. Secondary characters didn't get much attention, but they didn't hold the story back, either (though I found one character's "quirk" disingenuous and annoying). I would give this 3.5 stars if possible but couldn't in good conscience give it 4. It's well written, moved at a good pace, had enough action and gore to keep me interested but not enough to scare me off, and ended satisfactorily. But for a suspenseful murder-mystery type of book, it wasn't all that suspenseful, or mysterious. Maybe I've seen too much CSI and BAU but it was obvious from very early on just whose hands wore the blood, and only two scenes conjured much suspense for the reader. But overall it was a pleasant read, and I would not be opposed to other books by the author.
—Waven
