The brutal murders of three young boys paralyze the citizens of Platte City, Nebraska. What’s worse is the grim realization that the man r... read full description
reviews
Jan 25, 2011
Johnsergeant
rated it: 
Narrated by Richard Rowan
10 hrs and 45 mins
Some of the story felt like a Harlequin romance book. It was ok, but the writing was disappointing.
Publisher's Summary
The brutal murders of three young boys paralyze the citizens of Platte City, Nebraska. What's worse is the grim realization that the man recently executed for the crimes was a copycat. When Sheriff Nick Morrelli is called to the scene of another grisly murder, it becomes clear that the real predat More...
10 hrs and 45 mins
Some of the story felt like a Harlequin romance book. It was ok, but the writing was disappointing.
Publisher's Summary
The brutal murders of three young boys paralyze the citizens of Platte City, Nebraska. What's worse is the grim realization that the man recently executed for the crimes was a copycat. When Sheriff Nick Morrelli is called to the scene of another grisly murder, it becomes clear that the real predat More...
Jul 07, 2009
Ugh, I quit at page 127. By then Kava has given away the murderer's identity, his motive, his next victim, the love interest. The next 200 pages would reveal how the good guys finally (if ever) catch the bad guy, along with, I assume, more detailed descriptions of child sexual assault, misogynist torture, bludgeonings, drugging, strangling, stabbings, desecrations of corpses. Not my idea of a relaxing summer night's read. I wanted to read it because it was a writer setting her action in Nebraska
More...
Jun 13, 2011
Cupcakencorset
rated it: 
When I discovered I had won book 8 in this series in a Goodreads drawing, my usual inability to read a series kicked in... especially when I realized I had, in fact, already read book 3 in 2006. Yes, by itself and out of order! I don't know how I did it, or why, but I decided to rectify the situation. Thus, I acquired the entire series (except, strangely, book 3) and started at the beginning. And what a beginning!
Kava's series features Maggie O'Dell, an 8-year veteran of the FBI when A More...
Kava's series features Maggie O'Dell, an 8-year veteran of the FBI when A More...
May 18, 2010
Indiaskye
rated it: 
"A perfect Evil" started out really good but tetered out pretty fast. Overall it was okay, but it's still nowhere near a very good thriller.
The story is pretty predictable --- even though there are several suspects thrown in throughout the story I daresay that anyone with half a brain will know after just a few chapters who the killer is.
The characters are okay (nothing special, though). One thing that I found kinda strange is that even though the book is called More...
The story is pretty predictable --- even though there are several suspects thrown in throughout the story I daresay that anyone with half a brain will know after just a few chapters who the killer is.
The characters are okay (nothing special, though). One thing that I found kinda strange is that even though the book is called More...
Oct 14, 2009
Shiela
rated it:
Convicted killer Ronald Jeffreys is executed for the murder and desecration of three little boys. He wholeheartedly admits his guilt to one of the three, but goes to his grave professing his innocence for the other two murders. In three short months after the execution, another body of a young boy is found killed in a similar manner. Small town sheriff Nick Morrelli realizes he’s in over his head and lacks the resources to deal with an investigation of such a scale. He enlists the help of Ma
More...
Sep 28, 2010
Stephanie
rated it:
This was an interesting, although cliche book. As the first book in a series I can give it the benefit of the doubt that Alex Kava is just honing her craft and there are bound to be some things that will be improved upon during the run of the series.
Her heroine is a jaded FBI agent with 8 years of experience and a chip on her shoulder from the last case she worked on. She stumbles onto a case in Nebraska dealing with small town mentalities, the church, and little boys being kidnapped. More...
Her heroine is a jaded FBI agent with 8 years of experience and a chip on her shoulder from the last case she worked on. She stumbles onto a case in Nebraska dealing with small town mentalities, the church, and little boys being kidnapped. More...
Apr 10, 2009
Louise
rated it:
I kept passing this novel over and over for other more interesting reads, or so I thought. I kept looking at it thinking I wouldn't really enjoy it, but surprisngly I did.
From back cover:
"Sheriff Nick Morrelli isn't equipped to deal with this case that is terrorizing the small, close-knit community of Platte City, Nebraska. Knowing he needs help, he calls in one of the FBI's best criminal profilers, Maggie O'Dell. And with the help of a small town sheriff who is clea More...
From back cover:
"Sheriff Nick Morrelli isn't equipped to deal with this case that is terrorizing the small, close-knit community of Platte City, Nebraska. Knowing he needs help, he calls in one of the FBI's best criminal profilers, Maggie O'Dell. And with the help of a small town sheriff who is clea More...
Jan 08, 2012
G.M.
rated it:
Over all a decent book. Not the stellar writing I was expecting, but I did like the characters and plot line. I liked the ending.
I'm not a fan of books that jump around with sub-plots. I'm sure I'm not the norm regarding that opinion, though. It seemed to drag on. I would have like it to get to the point quicker...probably because I knew who the killer was so early. I kept wondering if there would be a surprise ending and the Ray line kind of led me that direction.
I liked Nick as t More...
I'm not a fan of books that jump around with sub-plots. I'm sure I'm not the norm regarding that opinion, though. It seemed to drag on. I would have like it to get to the point quicker...probably because I knew who the killer was so early. I kept wondering if there would be a surprise ending and the Ray line kind of led me that direction.
I liked Nick as t More...
Sep 16, 2011
Kaitlin
rated it:
This is the first book that I've read by Alex Kava - I received off of PaperBackSwap.com based on comments and reviews that I had seen. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.
Maggie O'Dell is an FBI profiler whose last case has left physical and emotional scars. Her marriage is growing distant and her husbands wants her to quit his job at the bureau. Maggie gets asked to head to a small town in Nebraska where a boy was found murdered - the case bears striking resemblence to More...
Maggie O'Dell is an FBI profiler whose last case has left physical and emotional scars. Her marriage is growing distant and her husbands wants her to quit his job at the bureau. Maggie gets asked to head to a small town in Nebraska where a boy was found murdered - the case bears striking resemblence to More...
Jul 25, 2011
Maya
rated it:
I bought this book when it first came out over a decade ago, and left it at my grandmother's house. I picked it up again when I was there this summer and, remembering how much I loved it, decided to re-read it -- particularly since I noticed that there are now 8 books in the series. It didn't grab me nearly the same way this time. Perhaps it's because I remembered the ending from the very start of the book, and because I realized that the writing wasn't particularly good. There were a lot of cli
More...
Jan 26, 2009
Marci
rated it:
This book was one that I picked up on a boring family road trip to keep myself entertained, I really never planned on reading the whole thing, but I loved it and couldn't put it down. The story is so so good that it sucks you in and you just have to keep reading to see what happens. I was about 14-15 when I read it and I remember it being very volgar amd having some pretty sexual parts to it, but nothing too bad, I think if I were to read it now, I bet it wouldn't catch my attention like it di
More...
Dec 18, 2008
Liisa
rated it:
The first in the Maggie O'Dell series, "A Perfect Evil" by Alex Kava was .... thrilling.
Already a fan of the genre, I found "A Perfect Evil" packed a suckerpunch as it seemed all the more brutal, evil and graphic than most crime thriller novels. Perhaps it was the fact it told a tale of a serial killer who targets and attacks young children. Either way I found myself flinching during the first part of the book. What great writing!
There were so many More...
Already a fan of the genre, I found "A Perfect Evil" packed a suckerpunch as it seemed all the more brutal, evil and graphic than most crime thriller novels. Perhaps it was the fact it told a tale of a serial killer who targets and attacks young children. Either way I found myself flinching during the first part of the book. What great writing!
There were so many More...
Sep 18, 2011
Denise
rated it:
Recommended by a friend who gave me the entire hard back series except for this first one and the very last one. So I got this from the library and will be reading the rest at my leisure. It's so much nicer when you don't have a return date on a book, as mine always come in at the same time... So far, I think I have figured out the killer and I do like that the chapters are short, so it's easy to put it down and then pick up again. Thank you Cathy.....Well, I'm done and I was right. Didn't li
More...
Sep 09, 2011
Giselle
rated it: 
I discovered Alex Kava back in 2007 when my husband bought it randomly as a birthday gift. I was always into mystery and suspense novels so I knew I would probably like it, but I had no idea I was going to love it this much.
Maggie is an FBI agent - a profiler - who's on the hunt for a serial killer. It sounds like your average murder mystery I know, but no it's really awesome! This is the first book in the Maggie O'Dell series, but it doesn't read like one. The writing is great and More...
Maggie is an FBI agent - a profiler - who's on the hunt for a serial killer. It sounds like your average murder mystery I know, but no it's really awesome! This is the first book in the Maggie O'Dell series, but it doesn't read like one. The writing is great and More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Nov 03, 2010
Kristin
rated it:
After reading the 3 most recent books in this series, I was able to obtain some of the earlier works. This one is a lot more suspenseful than those other 3, as readers are introduced to the 2 main characters for the first time as a result of a brutal murder of a child. Kava addresses their backgrounds a little bit, but there are still questions left unanswered that may or may not come up in future books. As they try to process the murder of the boy, which strongly resembles the crimes for which
More...
Feb 02, 2008
Ana T.
rated it:
I had never heard of Alex Kava but recently I was talking about thrillers with a friend and she was kind enough to offer to lend me this one.
I really enjoyed it in the sense that it was a page turner, fast paced and with an interesting story. It has a female profiler as the main character and I just love to read about profilers and psychological analysis and that sort of thing. I think we ended up not having much in the way of explaining how profilers work but it was interesting none More...
I really enjoyed it in the sense that it was a page turner, fast paced and with an interesting story. It has a female profiler as the main character and I just love to read about profilers and psychological analysis and that sort of thing. I think we ended up not having much in the way of explaining how profilers work but it was interesting none More...
Nov 26, 2011
Joy
rated it:
A friend highly recommended Alex Kava, and this is her debut. Ho hum, I thought at first, another serial killer, small town sheriff and female FBI agent. But Sheriff Nick and Agent Maggie are well developed characters with interesting personal lives.
Serial killers slaughtering one child after another are not my type of read. Also, if Maggie's job brings her so much terror, proving herself isn't enough reason to keep doing it. If this is your type, I do recommend it.
Serial killers slaughtering one child after another are not my type of read. Also, if Maggie's job brings her so much terror, proving herself isn't enough reason to keep doing it. If this is your type, I do recommend it.
Jul 04, 2011
Mary
rated it:
This is my first time reading Alex Kava and I would have to say, I am thoroughly enjoying her "Special Agent Maggie O'Dell" series. Maggie is a profiler with the F.B.I., just finished with a case of capturing a serial killer she chased and tracked down for 2 years, which almost got her killed and certainly left her traumatized. Now, she has been asked to help compile a profile in a small Nebraska town, where little boys are being abducted and murdered. She meets with the handsome Sheri
More...
Mar 15, 2011
Susan
rated it:
I grew up in Nebraska so I was anxious to start reading this series. For the most part, the descriptions of the setting rang true. There were several complex characters and relationships in this book. I thought I had figured out who the killer was several times only to have my mind changed by a new twist in the story. Things still aren't quite wrapped up at the end, leaving the door open for more books with these characters.
Mar 18, 2011
Marleen
rated it:
2,5 stars - This is a rather average and predictable murder mystery. It was only by the second half of the book that I started to get interested and I’ll admit there were parts of the story that hinted towards a decent thriller. These days, I’m just having a hard time to read those chapters that share the (sick) thoughts and background of the murderer / torturer / killer. It gets so tiresome to be confronted with such shallow psycho characters, and there was too much of that in this book. As for
More...
Nov 23, 2011
Erin
rated it:
Love, love, loved it. I found this book very Koontz-like before Koontz took a weird turn in his writing. The character developement throughout was fantastic, and the plot was suspenseful. Once I started, I found it hard to put down. Maggie O'dell's character is very relatable to all women that are trying to be taken seriously in a very male dominated career. I loved that her character, although slightly broken herself, tries to get into the minds of some very disturbed predators. I am actually
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 27, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Without giving anything away let me just say that this book didn't have a typical ending. It left the door wide open for another book. This was my first Kava novel and won't be my last. It was well written and a definite page turner. However, I was able to figure out the killer long before the book ended...therefore there was no big reveal at the end of the book. That took a large bite out of the suspense.
May 16, 2011
BoekenTrol
rated it:
I am very glad that I have taken this book from a BookCrossing meeting. I thought it was a good book to read.
What I found nice to read and annoying at the same time, was that. as a reader I knew who did it (and who the assistant was) quite early in the book, while the detectives still had no clue or were barking up the wrong tree.
I think the end is a bit disappointing. For the author, not of course: to know how the story ends I actually need to read part two too. I will do More...
What I found nice to read and annoying at the same time, was that. as a reader I knew who did it (and who the assistant was) quite early in the book, while the detectives still had no clue or were barking up the wrong tree.
I think the end is a bit disappointing. For the author, not of course: to know how the story ends I actually need to read part two too. I will do More...
Nov 13, 2010
Nicola
rated it:
Any book with the author Alex Kava on the front is an auto pick up for me.
I've read the Maggie O'Dell books after this but don't think I've read this, the first.
This book is brilliant!
One of those page turners I absolutely couldn't put down.
The suspense is thrilling and the chemistry between the protagonists...phew! Burns up the pages.
Absolutely love Alex Kava's writing.
I've read the Maggie O'Dell books after this but don't think I've read this, the first.
This book is brilliant!
One of those page turners I absolutely couldn't put down.
The suspense is thrilling and the chemistry between the protagonists...phew! Burns up the pages.
Absolutely love Alex Kava's writing.
Nov 21, 2008
Amelia
rated it:
This is the first books I read by Kava. In my opinion, it was well written, and kept my interest... I didn't want to put it down. The romance in the book is cheesy, but I suppose that even "tough female FBI agents" have needs. This is the first book that catapulted me into loving fiction about psycho killers. I have read (almost) every other book by her since.
Aug 10, 2010
Linda
rated it:
My current audio book. I don't usually read this genre, but I'm finding I really enjoy them in audio format.
An exciting story about a serial killer, a pretty FBI agent, & a small town sheriff.
My final review is...eh. Could have been better but was decent entertainment while driving. I'm sure if I would have read the book (rather than listening to the audio) I wouldn't have finished it.
An exciting story about a serial killer, a pretty FBI agent, & a small town sheriff.
My final review is...eh. Could have been better but was decent entertainment while driving. I'm sure if I would have read the book (rather than listening to the audio) I wouldn't have finished it.
Mar 04, 2011
Tanya
rated it:
I just finished prepping this. I'll be narrating this next week. I love the Maggie O'Dell series. I came into it late, and narrated the fifth book first I think. I'm so glad they've hired me to read the series from the beginning. Kava creates tense situations, rich characters, and emotionally complex scenes. It's a great read. I hope I'll do it justice when I give it my voice.
Sep 19, 2011
Ruth
rated it:
A little more romance/sex than I expected, but an interesting story line. First in the Maggie series. Not sure what Kava was writing before, maybe romances. Anyway, Maggie helps a Sheriff profile a serial killer. Lots of suspects. I imagine we'll see one of them in a future book. Just guessing.
Oct 30, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
Wow.
I am pleasantly surprised at how good I found this book to be. I will certainly continue with the series and I am looking forward to seeing how Ms. Jance's writing evolves (has evolved).
Good value as an ebook (Nook Color) as well.
Thanks! :)
Happy reading,
@NurseLisainOhio /Twitter
I am pleasantly surprised at how good I found this book to be. I will certainly continue with the series and I am looking forward to seeing how Ms. Jance's writing evolves (has evolved).
Good value as an ebook (Nook Color) as well.
Thanks! :)
Happy reading,
@NurseLisainOhio /Twitter
May 27, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
The rating for this book would have been higher if I didn't feel that the author was manipulating us to pick up the next in the series by the ending. If the manipulation is done well, I usually don't mind (after all, authors have to make a living!) but this one felt forced.
