Split (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Tara Moss (Author)
Key Phrases: forensic psychology, Roy Blake, Andy Flynn, Makedde Vanderwall (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her second U.S. release, Australian crime novelist Moss sends her heroine, model and aspiring forensic psychologist Makedde Vanderwall, to a Vancouver campus, where a psychopath is picking off female students. The campus is also the site of a convention on psychopaths, which has drawn the world's best profilers—including Mak's old flame, Det. Andy Flynn. It's been a year since the events of Moss's Fetish, in which Flynn saved Mak from a killer, but Mak refuses to reconsider Flynn, even after her current boyfriend begins acting suspiciously. As the body count rises, Flynn (backed by the experts conveniently assembled for the conference) tries to stop the killer before he gets to Mak. Despite the contrived setup (heard the one about the serial killer at the profiler's convention?), Moss handles her subject easily and expertly, making her novel both immersive and believable. Though readers who haven't read Fetish may be confused by references to the Stiletto Killer and the death of Mak's mother, those with a strong stomach and a taste for violence—and who don't mind the occasional clunker ("Yikes. What's gotten into me?")—should be sucked in by this sexy, smart thriller. (July)
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Product Description

Following her ordeal with a serial psychopath in Fetish, femme fatale Makedde Vanderwall picks herself up and heads back to Canada with her father. She returns to her studies in forensic psychology, gets some therapy and thinks her life is back to normal...Then girls start disappearing from her class and her ex from Australia turns up... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 339 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (July 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843956437
• ISBN-13: 978-0843956436
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #223,444 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A decent follow-up, September 4, 2006

By	K. Sozaeva "Obsessive bibliophile" (Athens, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The sequel to "Fetish," "Split" was a decent story, although it didn't dazzle me the way the debut story did. Makedde is back in Vacouver, BC and a year has passed since the tramautic events in Australia - she is trying to put them behind her, but she continues to have nightmares, and is suffering from insomnia. Being a student of forensic psychology and with plans to work with law enforcement officers with help them with PTSD, among other things, does she seek professional help herself? Nope - she denies she even has a problem to everyone. *rolling eyes* This is pretty much what bugged me about this book - her self-denial of the problem and reluctance to seek assistance for her issues after what happened to her in the previous book. Not only that, but her attitude toward Andy really bothered me - but that is just me. To reduce my rating by a full star because the attitude of the main character bothered me is strange, I know, but it did reduce the enjoyment of the book for me.

However, the story is good - a serial killer is stalking the college campus; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police discover shallow graves containing three bodies, all shot through the back of the head. It doesn't seem to be quite execution style - one officer suggests that it almost seems like hunting. The action heats up when Andy arrives with his mentor from Quantico to attend a panel about psychopaths and they are asked to assist.

I hope that this series is continued. I think that there is a lot of promise here.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mak is back! A chilling, must-read for psychological thriller fans, July 15, 2006

By	M Gidney - See all my reviews

This review is from: Split (Audio CD)

Mak Vanderwall is trying to put her troubled past behind her (her brush with a sadistic killer in the brilliant debut in the series, Fetish) and is back at the University of British Columbia campus for her psych studies. But the campus is gripped by fear as a killer is snatching away female students and hunting them down like animals. Mak's 'psycho magnet' days are not over yet!

In this second bestselling novel from Moss she delves even further into criminal psychology, psychopathy, polygraph and even has a cameo from famed psychopath expert Dr Robert Hare. A must read for fans of psychological thrillers. Moss's in depth research with police, forensic scientists and the FBI shows through to make for a suspenseful, chilling and absorbing read. No wonder it was nominated for the Davitt award.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mak is back! A fast paced and chilling read, July 15, 2006

By	M Gidney - See all my reviews

Mak is back at campus at the University of British Columbia, and trying to put her experiences in Sydney (in the debut novel in the series, Fetish) behind her. She falls for a handsome security guard at a time when the campus is on high alert from a killer stalking students and hunting them down like animals. Mak becomes the next target. Her days of being a psycho magnet are not over.

In the second adventure of Mak Vanderwall, the author Moss delves even deeper into her subjects of profiling, psychopathy, polygraph and more, even including a cameo from world famous psychopath expert Dr Robert Hare. Highly recommended read for psychological crime lovers.