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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
SHE'S DONE IT AGAIN, PURE BRILLIANCE !!, July 27, 2003
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
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very good mystery with an unforgettable conclusion, October 11, 2003
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
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good summer read., August 19, 2004
This review is from: At the Stroke of Madness (The Maggie O'Dell Series, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
"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.
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