I finished 5 chapters. Then I said profane things for a while because I am disappointed that yet another book with good reviews, turned out to be such a cop out. Where do I even begin? Oh yes, the beginning. There we are, getting introduced to a man who raped and killed a little boy and is about to be put to death. Kids, do you know what time it is?? It is confession to Jesus time!! Dialogue(he strangled the boy): "I waited until he was dead before I cut him. He didn't feel a thing"Dead people don't feel things?? SHUT UP!! Other than a few eye rolls, this supposed bad guy elicited no reaction from me. Hannibal Lecter, now that is a well written character. Reading about that guy didn't make me wanna say "Aww, alright, you are horrible. I am scared of you". Whatever.Then we introduce Nick Morelli, our charming, good-hearted whoremonger Sheriff who can't seem to get it up right then. Then reporter hottie, Christine Hamilton, who uses her wily wiles and leggy legs to get information on her first time reporting. She happens to be, we learn later, our Sheriff's sister!! OMG OMG OMG, right?? (Hint : No.) Then, of course, Maggie, high-profile criminal profiler who was forced to watch 2 women butchered in front of her by a madman. But of course, she got right back to work. And she never told her husband about how she cleaned blood and brains off herself one night. Because he was away and he would lecture her about the perils of the job (that is the actual fucking reason). Also because, hey, profilers get kidnapped everyday and are forced to watch murders. That shit never makes it to news. Nor is her husband capable of seeing/hearing it. I stopped reading after that. As far as this book goes, I slide with Jay-Z over here Jay-Z don't want. I don't either. F u.
(3.5 stars). I thought it was a bit long. I thought that the character of Nick was written as incompetent. And as though he didn't have a clue how to do his job. I realize that this is a small town with only minor crimes. It's just that I really liked the character and wanted him to be portrayed as though he, at least, had an idea of how to do his job. The investigation was written in a sloppy way. Kind of all over the place. It didn't seem like they followed the clues or one clue led to another clue which led them to solving the crime. That's not really how this book went. It was a lot of gut instincts. And could be this person or that person. Just a little all over the place. And not done in a way that created suspense. I really liked the characters of Maggie and Nick. And based on the way the book ends, it makes me think that Nick is going to make a change in jobs. Which I hope actually happens and would make it so much better! I didn't think there was a need to bring in Nick's father and have him try to take over the investigation. In my opinion, that was just a way to make the book longer but him coming to town added nothing to the story. I understand why the author did this, but didn't think it was necessary. I didn't think the story flowed as well as it could. I know nothing about this writer. But my thought is that this is one of the first books she's written. If not, don't correct me, because that could change my mind about reading the next book. And I plan on reading the next book in the series.
What do You think about A Perfect Evil (2006)?
Another late night.....don't start this book unless you have 4 hours to read it all in one go! A small town breathes a sigh of relief after a murderer of three little boys is executed. That sigh doesn't last long when another body turns up. The Sheriff is in over his head and asks for assistance from the FBI in the "Page 3" form of Maggie O'Dell. A talk no nonsense FBI agent who has horrors in her recent past she is still trying to deal with. A Town in Shock, A Murderer on a Mission, A fight against Time. Can Nick and Maggie narrow the net on the killer before he strikes again and disappears? Fast paced page turner that keeps you guessing. It has what I call a semi conclusion before a cliff hanger which means you MUST read the next book! which I will be onto ASAP!
—Laura Pilcher
I THOUGHT THIS BOOK WOULD BE GOOD, BOY WAS I WRONG. THE LAW ENFORCMENT COMMUNITY SHOULD BE OUTRAGED THEY WERE DEPICTED AS BUFFOONS OR KEYSTONE COPS. I KNEW WHO THE KILLER WAS BY 15% OF THE BOOK BUT THE COPS SURE DIDN'T. THE BOOK DRAGGED ON AND ON I WANTED TO STOP READING BEFORE 45% BUT I CONTINUED TO STRUGGLE TRYING TO COMPLETE IT. THIS BOOK IS A SERIES SO WHEN I GOT TO THE END I GOT CLIFF-HUNG. I WILL NOT BE READING ANYMORE IN THIS SERIES, DON'T WANT TO READ ABOUT ANYMOE STUPID COPS OR ALMOST ROMANCES. GROAN! SO NOT WORTH IT.
—Black Butterfly
I discovered Alex Kava back in 2007 when my husband bought it randomly as a birthday gift. I was always into mystery and suspense novels so I knew I would probably like it, but I had no idea I was going to love it this much. Maggie is an FBI agent - a profiler - who's on the hunt for a serial killer. It sounds like your average murder mystery I know, but no it's really awesome! This is the first book in the Maggie O'Dell series, but it doesn't read like one. The writing is great and the characters are flawed and haunted by their pasts; It feels like we were thrown into an already lived-in life. Maggie is a real kick ass character with a lot of guts - I adore her! I love how we get glimpses into her past, what happened to her, what scarred her. The secondary character and love interest, Nick, has a very sexy edge and their romance is sweet. The romance doesn't play a big part in the book, at all, so don't go reading it as a romantic suspense. It's an authentic page-turning thriller. It has a fast pace and Kava doesn't shy away from gory details and I would even say uncomfortable scenes. Especially when the POV switches to the killer - which was very great at building tension. What I love most about this whole series is that we get inside the heads of the serial killers. Being a profiler, that's what Maggie does. From really subtle clues she can find out an immense amount of details about the killer. Know their motives, what drives them, why they become who they are. It's very fascinating. I really recommend this series for any thriller lover!
—Giselle
