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At the Stroke of Madness (Maggie O'Dell #4)
by
Alex Kava
FBI special agent Maggie O'Dell is just starting a vacation when she gets a call from her friend, psychologist Dr. Gwen Patterson. One of Gwen's patients is missing on a trip to Connecticut. Can Maggie look into Joan Begley's disappearance?At first Maggie dismisses Gwen's concern. But when the body of a woman is discovered in an abandoned rock quarry in Connecticut, Maggie...more
Mass Market Paperback, 379 pages
Published
August 1st 2008
by Mira Books
(first published January 1st 2003)
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Read this one in one sitting, with a couple of tea breaks of course, but it is slightly shorter than the others, so I got through it pretty quickly. A good story, however, I have a little nit-picking to do here. Poor Nick Morelli waited patiently for Maggie's divorce to come through, 2 years, and in that time, they have had little or no contact. Not very realistic. However, Nick seems to have moved on, because Maggie called him on the phone, at last, and another woman answered and said he was in...more
Good read!
From back cover:
"In the tomblike silence of an abandoned rock quarry someone is trying to hide their dirty little secret. A secret that is about to be discovered.
FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is just starting a vacation when she gets a call from her friend, psychologist Dr. Gwen Patterson. One of Gwen's patients is missing on a trip to Connecticut. Can Maggie look into Joan Begley's disappearance?
At first Maggie dismissed Gwen's concern. But when the body of a woman is discovered in...more
From back cover:
"In the tomblike silence of an abandoned rock quarry someone is trying to hide their dirty little secret. A secret that is about to be discovered.
FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is just starting a vacation when she gets a call from her friend, psychologist Dr. Gwen Patterson. One of Gwen's patients is missing on a trip to Connecticut. Can Maggie look into Joan Begley's disappearance?
At first Maggie dismissed Gwen's concern. But when the body of a woman is discovered in...more
Interesting in that the setting was not too far from here-down in Meriden, CT. I thought it was okay, but not one of the best mysteries I've read. It did not draw me in quickly, nor flow very smoothly. To me it felt that the author was "trying too hard" at times to get certain things across, up to and including plugs what I assume are her favorite authors, Jeffrey Deavers and Patricia Cornwell, mentioned on more than one occasion when the main character is trying to compare what is happening to...more
This, book 4 in the Maggie O'Dell series, is a bit shorter than the previous three, but it's every bit as good. Plot summary (no spoilers): During a staycation from work, Maggie finds herself drawn into the search for a serial killer (duh!) while she's trying to find a missing patient for her closest friend. The woman has been kidnapped by the paranoid killer, who is decompensating after his dump site–with his victims' bodies–is discovered. With time running out and the murders escalating, Maggi...more
I love the Maggie O'Dell novels. Ms. Kava's story lines are unique and interesting and I like that she paces the development of her characters - those things keep me coming back! But AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS felt hurried to me. I was surprised by how much of the book was back story, dropped like a rock as soon as a character from a previous book was introduced.
The book still offers good twists and turns, has a very creative serial killer, and Ms. Kava keeps us guessing about his identity until t...more
The book still offers good twists and turns, has a very creative serial killer, and Ms. Kava keeps us guessing about his identity until t...more
When FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell receives a call from Sheriff Henry Watermeier of New Haven County, Connecticut, she assumes it's a routine tip. She's working on the case of a missing D.C.-area woman, and it seems her body had been found. But Maggie's about to learn this is just the tip of the iceberg in what will be one of the most bizarre, cold-blooded and confounding cases of her career a a criminal profiler.
During a cleanup excavation in the deserted quarry, a fifty-five-gallon drum wa
At the Stroke of Madness by Alex Kava
Maggie O’Dell (book #4)
4 stars
Synopsis:
Maggie is asked by her friend, Dr. Gwen Patterson, to look into the disappearance of a patient. At the same time, several bodies are found stuffed into barrels in a quarry near the patient’s last known location. Is she one of the corpses? Who killed them and why?
Review:
The plot is enjoyable and well-paced. The new characters are easy to like, and the killer's motivation is unique as far as serial killer’s go. The pro...more
Maggie O’Dell (book #4)
4 stars
Synopsis:
Maggie is asked by her friend, Dr. Gwen Patterson, to look into the disappearance of a patient. At the same time, several bodies are found stuffed into barrels in a quarry near the patient’s last known location. Is she one of the corpses? Who killed them and why?
Review:
The plot is enjoyable and well-paced. The new characters are easy to like, and the killer's motivation is unique as far as serial killer’s go. The pro...more
In the tomblike silence of an abandoned rock quarry someone is trying to hide their dirty little secret. A secret that reveals the depths of human depravity. A secret that is about to be discovered.
FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is just starting a hard-earned vacation when she gets a call from her friend, psychologist Dr. Gwen Patterson. One of Gwen's patients is missing on a trip to Connecticut. Can Maggie look into Joan Begley's disappearance?
At first Maggie dismisses Gwen's concern. But whe...more
FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is just starting a hard-earned vacation when she gets a call from her friend, psychologist Dr. Gwen Patterson. One of Gwen's patients is missing on a trip to Connecticut. Can Maggie look into Joan Begley's disappearance?
At first Maggie dismisses Gwen's concern. But whe...more
After reading Damaged, I picked up this book seeing as it was one we actually owned. I'm still not that connected to the characters in the series, but I do like them. This mystery also wasn't that amazing for me. It was good, it was intriguing, but I never had the feeling of "must read on", when I was reading a chapter or two each night. I don't know... I definitely plan on reading the rest of the series, but I still feel as if it were lacking a certain something.
I really enjoyed this book following Maggie from the BAU. This was the fourth book in the series. I had received about 7 books from my father in law and really enjoyed the first in the series. He was missing the second and third, which i will have to locate, but was able to read the fourth without confusion. I am particularly enjoying this character because Ethan has switched his major again (third time) and is now studying to become a criminal psychologist and wants to someday work for the FBI.
A good, quick read; perfect for holiday reading but a bit of a no-brainer. I guess that sounds a little condescending but it really was a thoroughly enjoyable, involving read with very little strain on the old grey matter.
At the Stroke of Madness is the fourth novel featuring FBI special agent Maggie O'Dell. Alex Kava adeptly portrays a good, strong female lead and continues the understated development of this character. In true Alex Kava fashion, forensic descriptions are well done & roman...more
At the Stroke of Madness is the fourth novel featuring FBI special agent Maggie O'Dell. Alex Kava adeptly portrays a good, strong female lead and continues the understated development of this character. In true Alex Kava fashion, forensic descriptions are well done & roman...more
Jun 22, 2010
Purple Iris
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mysteries-policiers
This was my least favorite of the Kava books I've read so far. The characters were not as developed as they could be, although I do like how Tully grows later in the series, for example. I found the crime author name-dropping more annoying than anything else since no real reference was made to their works. And several characters were introduced as somewhat important, never to be heard from again. Sloppy work, but a decent read nonetheless. It did not help that the translation was not great.
I enjoyed the book albeit I do miss having Maggie the majority of the spotlight. Felt like I hardly saw her in this book. I've come to like all the switching POV's, but this is getting a bit too much. Other than that I liked the plot. And good to see Tully getting some balls and finally challenge Gwen on their kiss. Perhaps I need a break from this series. Or rethinking my desire to read it. Not liking that the ML gets less and less pages.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was a fast pace and pretty interesting read recommended to me by my aunt. It is a lot like "criminal minds" with the FBI profiling which I liked. The reason this book is getting only two stars is because I predicted the ending far too early and was disappointed how easy it was to know the answers before the story climaxed.
Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is on the trail of a serial murderer who has an affinity for lopping off his victims' diseased body parts and embalming the rest of their bodies in 55-gallon oil drums. Now Maggie suspects that her friend Gwen may be the murderer's next victim, and her only chance of finding the killer depends on the memory of an Alzheimer-stricken man.
Book 4 in the Maggie O'Dell series.
Another serial killer is on the loose
Doing your friend a favour can easily lead you into trouble.
I was just a little disappointed that Maggie and Nick did not come together, but hey - circumstances are sometimes hard and unfair.
Another serial killer is on the loose
Doing your friend a favour can easily lead you into trouble.
I was just a little disappointed that Maggie and Nick did not come together, but hey - circumstances are sometimes hard and unfair.
Just finished prepping this for narrating. I'm so happy I get to read some of the backlist! I love Maggie O'Dell, and I want to carry Tully around with me in my pocket and eat a sloppy jo with him. Of course, what I'm saying here has nothing to do with this book specifically. I really enjoyed it. I've loved the whole series.
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Alex Kava is always good for a quick, yet fun read! Maggie O'Dell is a great female law enforcement character and Kava does a great job making her tough and not slipping into the sappy realm which usually ruins books for me when they have a female lead character.
I felt that for a long running character, Maggie didn't really feel fleshed out enough. The pay off when it came was a little disappointing, but the story held my attention throughout, mainly because it's written in an easy to read style that flows well.
Dec 08, 2012
Jeannie Chambers
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-to-recommend
I've read many crime novels, but for some reason , this one stuck with me for a long time. It's hard to put down and one of those books you feel as if you're 'in' the book helping to solve the crimes committed.
Jul 30, 2012
Joyce McKune
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crime-fiction,
murder-mystery
FBI agent Maggie O'Dell was supposed to be on vacation. When her friend, psychologist for the FBI asked her to look into a missing patient, she couldn't refuse even though she was getting into hot water with the boss again.
I've really enjoyed the Maggie ODell books but this one didn't grip me quite as much as the previous ones . It seemed a bit rushed and there was little character development. It was still a decent quick read though
Maggie O'Dell is an FBI agent, a believale protgonist who gets pulled into an investigation at her friend's request. Nothing like finding a body in a rock quarry to stir one's interest.
Had a Silence of the Lambs feel to it. Great read for anyone who loves a good crime/thriller. I don't read much, but this book was something that kept me hooked.
This is the first Maggie O'Dell mystery I've read. I found it enjoyable, and Maggie is one cool crime fighter. It was a quick read, and satisfying.
I do like this book and this series but the author is very repetitive and her stories get to be predictable because she doesn't change from book to book.
I like Maggie O'Dell and in this one she is searching for a serial killer who is removing defected parts of people's bodies
Had to read this because it is set in the Meriden area. It was disconcerting to have bodies strewn all over familiar places.
Another so-so book by Kava. I found it very poorly written, as it if had been done in a hurry
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Alex Kava is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her two dogs Miss Molly and Scout.
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