Customer Reviews

At the Stroke of Madness

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was lucky enough to recieve a review copy of Ms Kava's newest book and after the initail reaction - dumb founded shock not to mention the complete and utter disbelief - to the no NICK MORRELLI aspect I must say I was impressed. Ms Kava out did herself with her first two - Perfect Evil and Split Second - however I found her third - Soul Catcher rather lacking.
She definatley makes a come back with this newest Maggie O'Dell novel - At the Stroke of Madness. This novel has everything, murder, mystery and great ensemble of characters. It brings into play Maggie's half brother which she has never met and it also explores and develops the relationship between Tully and Gwen - Personally i havn't yet made up my mind whether i like that particular story line and in true Alex Kava fashion when dealing with relationships, everything is left open to follow up in the next book and the reader left hanging.
The book takes us through many twists and drops little hints before the killer is finally revealed and in this novel it is not so obvious - thank god.
I personally find that Ms. Kava writes a good strong solid female lead in Maggie O'Dell that we do not see in many books and in usually Maggie O'Dell style she does end up getting herself in a fair amount of trouble and unfortunatley this is becoming a standard event in every book, just once it would be great for her to catch a killer without almost dying it gives her an air incompetence when she really isn't
However I did thoroughly enjoy this book and would recommend it even if you did get a little turned off by Soul Catcher, I promise it is worth your money.

AND PLEASE AS A SIDE NOTE IN CASE YOUR BROWSING MS. KAVA PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CAN WE HAVE MORE NICK MORRELLI IN THE NEXT BOOK

AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS is Alex Kava's newest Maggie O'Dell novel. It continues Kava's quiet --- actually almost understated --- development of the semi-loner FBI agent. Kava is content at this point to slowly develop O'Dell's background and personality, while carrying the novel primarily with the introduction of interesting, dangerous and frightening antagonists.

O'Dell is starting some long overdue vacation time when she receives a call from her friend Gwen Patterson. Patterson, a psychologist, is concerned about Joan Begley, a patient of hers who left Patterson a cryptic voice mail message and then promptly went missing.

Begley's last known location was Meriden, Connecticut where she was attending her grandmother's funeral. O'Dell does not take the disappearance seriously until the body of a woman is discovered in an industrial waste drum in an abandoned quarry near Meriden, a quiet, scenic community primarily known as a tourist stop at the turning of the leaves each autumn. O'Dell, motivated by guilt, travels to Connecticut on an unofficial basis to see if the murdered woman is, in fact, Begley. By the time O'Dell arrives, more bodies are unearthed and it becomes obvious that there is a serial killer at work in the area.

Kava really does her forensic homework in AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS, and it should be noted that you don't want to be chomping down on a burger or steak while reading some of the passages. She also does an excellent job of misdirecting the reader as to the ultimate identity of the killer while providing a couple of clues as to who the fiend really is. With respect to O'Dell's personal life, Kava provides one bombshell and sets up the potential for another.

AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS continues Kava's slow but sure development of O'Dell while continuing to demonstrate her ability to create unforgettable yet realistic monsters for her to apprehend. The conclusion of AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS is particularly unforgettable and may set the stage for a future O'Dell novel.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

"At the Stroke of Madness," by Alex Kava, breaks no new ground. Maggie O'Dell is a recently divorced FBI profiler about to go on a much-needed vacation, when she gets a phone call from her friend, Gwen Patterson. Gwen, a psychologist, would like Maggie to look into the possible disappearance of a patient.

When Maggie agrees to help, she finds herself embroiled in a very ugly case. It turns out that there is an extremely sick man on the loose in the quiet town of Wallingford, Connecticut. This individual has been killing people for a most unusual reason. Will Maggie catch the killer before he strikes again?

If all this sounds routine, it is, but Kava's nicely depicted characters place this book a notch above the ordinary. There is Luc Racine, a retired postal worker who may have seen the killer. Sadly, Luc is afflicted with Alzheimer's, and his memory is unreliable. Dr. Adam Bonzado is a young and good-looking forensic anthropologist who has been called in to analyze the victims' bones, and when he starts working with Maggie, he finds himself attracted to her. Sheriff Henry Watermeier is close to retirement age. He would prefer not to get bogged down in such a difficult case when he should be taking it easy. Meanwhile, Maggie has some painful emotional baggage that troubles her, but she is determined not to let the past ruin her future.

"At the Stroke of Madness" moves along very quickly, and I finished it in less than a day. I recommend this book for readers who like a skillfully written, fast-paced, and entertaining mystery with an engrossing plot and well-drawn characters.

I have read all of Alex Kava's books and have thoroughly enjoyed watching this wonderful storyteller grow with each novel. The writing in this newest one is excellent, and I love the characters. Luc is my favorite. Kava's sure touch and sensitivity enabled her to portray this Alzheimer's patient in a non-sentimental, realistic way that truly moved me. And, of course, the tale she spins is exactly what thriller fans are looking for. I had to smile at one of the journal reviews above that mentioned the lack of romance and humor, as if this were a failing in a thriller novel. Actually, it's the mark of the best -- a story that maintains the mood and excitement throughout without unnecessary digressions into the crutches of romance and/or humor. There is a bit of romance in this book, but it feeds the character development of both Tully and Gwen (both are recurring characters in Kava's books) and it is handled very well. Something else I appreciated was Kava's sense of place (I could easily imagine the Connecticut countryside where her story takes place, and the cozy little bookstore that appears in the narrative). Ms. Kava, please write faster and put out more than one book a year!

D.C. based artist Joan Begley already felt lonely when the only person she felt cared about her died. Joan heads to middle Connecticut for the funeral. While in the Wallingford area she meets Sonny who has befriended her over the Internet. However, instead of showing Joan kindness he abducts her.

Joan's psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Patterson worries about her patient who she is quite fond of when she seemingly fails to check out of her room or catch her flight home. She calls her best friend FBI Special Agent, profiling expert Maggie O'Dell to see if she can learn what happened to Joan. When a female corpse is found in the area, Maggie uses her vacation time to see what happened. As other bodies are found it looks like a serial killer seems to operating in the area. Maggie takes charge of the investigation even though her superior tells her to keep her butt out. Local Sheriff Watermeir is pleased to see her on the case so she can be his fall guy if all goes wrong.

The latest O'Dell police procedural is an exciting suspense laden tale. The serial killer story line hooks the audience because of the strong cast working the law enforcement side. In many ways the culprit is typical of the serial killer tale. However, Alex Kava enables the audience to see inside the head of the heroine and several other characters, especially an Alzheimer's victim and the sheriff, so that AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS turns into a fast-paced, one sitting novel.

Harriet Klausner

Alex Kava's first and third books in the Maggie O'Dell series are fresh and crisp. Lamentably, the second and this, the fourth, are transitional pieces that take more than a few plays from Thomas Harris and his Hannibal Lecter. Prior reviewers have already divulged more than you need to know about this book before you "Just Read It!" Clarice (er- FBI Agent/profiler Maggie) is back and a Hannibal-wannabe has killed a bunch of disparate disabled denizens and left their "improved" bodies in barrels at a Connecticut quarry.

It might be a good idea to read the prior books in this series first, but, if you don't, at least you won't be disappointed that There Is No Nick! (To know Nick is to love him, but he is not to be found under these covers.) Harvey (no, he's not a 6 foot sometimes-invisible rabbit) *is* here, but there is foreboding that he might be going to another foster family in the next episode.
Reviewed by TundraVision, Amazon reviewer.

I love the first two books by Alex kava but this one seems so ordinary. The ending seems like it is rushed. Like the editor/publisher is rushing her to finish. There is no suspense like the two previous books. The characters are not well develeoped. Lillian, Calvin and Wally had so much introduction than basically disappeared into the story. The relationship between Gwen and Tully also seems to be rushed. This is not a great read, might as well borrow it from the library and not spend the money.

I enjoyed this author's style and direct approach, but found him a little to easy to decipher....I felt like I "found" the killer at about the one-third point in the book....and was even more sure two-thirds through it.

Sure enough....it was the one.

I love a good mystery........and the harder to solve the better..

This author was a little too gory for me....but perfect if you enjoy the "Friday the 13th and Jason" movies.

I had never read Alexa Kava but I started with her first Maggie O'dell novel. I really enjoy the way she writes. Maggie is an FBI profiler hunting a serial killer. After I finished the first I sent it to my sister.

At the Stroke of Madness by Alex Kava is the fourth Maggie O'Dell book. O'Dell, an FBI Special Agent, is just beginning her well-deserved vacation when a good friend, psychologist Dr. Gwen Patterson, asks O'Dell to look into the disappearance of one of her patients who has gone to Connecticut for her grandmother's funeral. Within a day, reports are coming in that the body of a woman has been discovered in an abandoned rock quarry in Connecticut, near the grandmother's hometown.

As O'Dell arrives in Connecticut, more bodies are being discovered in the quarry, and she becomes involved "unofficially" in the investigation of what may be one of the worst serial killing sprees in history. But is the first body found the woman for whom she seeks, or has something else happened to Gwen Patterson's patient?

Although not as intense as Kava's first three Maggie O'Dell books, At the Stroke of Madness is still a positive addition to this excellent series.