Split Second

Maggie O'Dell [2]

Alex Kava

Harlequin MIRA (2001)

Rating: ★★★★☆

They dubbed him the Collector, so named for his ritual of collecting victims before disposing of them in the most heinous ways possible.

FBI special agent Maggie O'Dell tracked him for two years, finally ending their game of cate and mouse. Now Albert Stucky has escaped from prison…and he is setting up a new game for Maggie O'Dell.

Some say Maggie O'Dell has lost her edge as one of the FBI's best profilers. Since capturing Stucky, she has been walking a tightwire, battling nightmares and guilt over the victims she couldn't save. Now that Stucky is loose again, she's been pulled out of the field. But as Stucky's trail of victims leads closer and closer to Maggie, she is put back on the case under the supervision of Special Agent R. J. Tully. Together they race against the clock to hunt the killer, and Maggie finds herself pushed to the very edge. Has her desire to stop Albert Stucky become a matter of personal vengeance? Has she crossed the line? And has that been Stucky's goal all along—to make her into a monster?

From Publishers Weekly

FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell, star of Kava's first thriller, is back again in her second, but her return is not a happy one. From the very first scene, in which serial killer Albert Stucky escapes from two pitifully inadequate prison guards, through the inevitable and apparently endless escalation of brutality (usually against women), to the predictable ending, this is strictly a blender job: part Thomas Harris and part Patricia Cornwell, with odd bones and scraps tossed in from other similarly grisly and more successful sources. O'Dell, who plays Clarice Starling to Stucky's Hannibal Lecter, is still physically and mentally scarred by the two years she spent on his case and she's fighting to get back on it. She gets her wish. Before she can even unpack the boxes in her new home, one of her neighbors disappears, leaving behind a bloody mess, and another is found dead in a Dumpster. Soon, Stucky strikes even closer to home. The supporting cast is full of cardboard cutouts unsuccessfully masquerading as characters, and since O'Dell herself is so miserable from the start, it's hard to care whether or not she and Stucky ever do make it to their final showdown or, for that matter, which of them survives. Kava's hackneyed prose doesn't help matters: "Dear God! How much longer could she put up with the nightmares?" Probably longer than a lot of readers will put up with this book. (Aug.)Forecast: Kava's first O'Dell vehicle, A Perfect Evil, was widely praised, and Mira is looking to build on that success with a national ad campaign, a teaser chapter in the Perfect Evil paperback and a multicity author tour. Fans may go along for the ride, but Kava won't recruit many new readers with this one.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

". . . a roller coaster read. Although your heart is in your throat the entire time, you enjoy every scary minute." -- Woman's Own

". . . first novel is a formidable one, filled with characters comfortable with themselves and acting out their roles intelligently and believably." -- Dallas Morning News

"A suspense thriller with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the last page." -- Mystery Scene

"Alex Kava has crafted a suspenseful novel and created a winning character in Agent O'Dell." -- Washington Post Book World

"Engaging debut . . . a well-crafted page-turner . . ." -- Publisher's Weekly

"This debut thriller pumps the suspense out . . . Maggie is gutsy and appealing as an FBI agent facing constant danger." -- Library Journal

ALEX KAVA

SPLIT SECOND

ALEX KAVA

SPLIT SECOND

For Amy Moore-Benson, Dianne Moggy and Philip Spitzer,

an incredible team that makes dreams come true.

One book was a privilege; two, an honor.

For Amy Moore-Benson, Dianne Moggy and Philip Spitzer,

an incredible team that makes dreams come true.

One book was a privilege; two, an honor.

Special thanks to:

Patricia Sierra, fellow author and friend—I’m not sure this one would have been completed without your tender, gentle nagging. Thanks for seeing me through all the anxiety attacks.

The amazing crew at MIRA Books for their enthusiasm, hard work and dedication, especially Valerie Gray, Craig Swinwood, Krystyna de Duleba, Alex Osuszek and the best sales force in the business. Perhaps there is a reason we call them publishing houses—you’ve certainly made me feel as if I’ve found a home.

Megan Underwood and the gang at Goldberg McDuffie Communications, Inc. for their expertise and hard work.

Annie Belatti, the only person I know who gets excited about describing gunshot wounds over dinner. Thanks for your patience, medical expertise and friendship.

Sharon Car, fellow writer and friend, who listens and encourages through the good and the bad.

Marilyn and John Cooney and Mary Means for taking such loving care of my kids when I need to be on the road.

Patti El-Kachouti for your unconditional friendship and encouragement.

Nicole Friend, who has often been my sounding board and voice of reason.

Tony Friend for sharing information, images and ideas that only you can provide.

Ellen Jacobs for telling the truth, first as a reader, then as a friend.

LaDonna Tworek for reminding me that some friendships are forever.

For their inspiration, enthusiasm and loving support, many thanks to Kenny and Connie Kava, Jeanie Shoemaker Mezger and John Mezger, Natalie and Rich Cummings, Marlene Haney, Sandy Rockwood, my mom and dad—Patricia and Edward Kava—Mac Payne and the Movie Club group: Lyn Belitz, Mary Michaelsen, Jo Ellen Shoemaker and Becky Thomson.

Also, I want to thank the many book buyers and booksellers for making room on your lists and on your shelves for a new voice.

And to the readers. With all the wonderful fiction available, thank you for choosing mine to be a part of your escape and entertainment.