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Hotwire (Maggie O'Dell #9)

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 1,092 ratings · 144 reviews

In New York Times bestselling author Alex Kava’s new thriller, Special Agent Maggie O’Dell investigates the death of three teenagers, only to find herself in the middle of a conspiracy involving biological warfare.

On a crisp fall evening in western Nebraska, what started as a group of kids filming their drug-fueled party ends in an explosive light show, leaving the victim...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published July 12th 2011 by Doubleday (first published 2011)

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Apr 03, 2012 Cameluta rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, mystery-thriller, read-2012

RATING: 3.5 stars (this is a clear 3.5 stars and it took me a while to decide if I want to round it up or down).

***I was lucky to win a copy of this book through the GoodReads Advance program.***

Overall, I enjoyed the book, which has an interesting storyline; actually there are two main plots. In Nebraska, during a drug party in the woods, two teenagers were electrocuted and others were injured. FBI agent Maggie O'Dell has happened to be in the area investigating a strange case of cattle mutilat...more

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May 04, 2011 Tanya Eby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: narrated

I narrated this book. I won't review or give anything away...but I think I can say that it was a whole lot of fun to perform this one. Great characters return and there are two parallel story lines that end in an interesting way. If you haven't checked out the Maggie O'Dell series...add it to your shelves!

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Jan 03, 2013 M. Myers rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's great to discover a smart, strong heroine; greater still in a series written by a woman. F.B.I. agent Maggie O'Dell may be unfamiliar with the distances and mores of rural Nebraska, but she's highly effective in solving the bizarre deaths of teens at a party and untangling the wild reports of survivors. She doesn't make ditzy choices that land her in peril, and she doesn't need a big, strong man to rescue her.

Just as occasional flecks of color enhance a fine tweed, a slender thread hinting...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Jessica at Book Sake rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alex Kava’s novel, Hotwire, is a fast-paced thriller that kept my interest throughout the book. Readers will love the characters, especially Special Agent Maggie O’Dell, who uses her keen investigation abilities to connect two supposedly unrelated cases, but gets into some pretty sticky situations in the process.

My only issue with this book is the unnecessary amount of conversation in every chapter. There were many instances when I felt the author could have elaborated on the setting or characte...more

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Oct 21, 2011 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Story Description:

On a crisp fall evening in western Nebraska, what started as a group of kids filming their drug-induced party ends in an explosive light show, leaving the victims apparently electrocuted, with odd scorch marks being the only evidence. While Maggie tries to make sense of the different stories, sifting through what is real and what is hallucination, she realizes that the surviving teens are being targeted and systematically eliminated.

Meanwhile, on the East Coast, Army Colonel Be...more Story Description:

On a crisp fall evening in western Nebraska, what started as a group of kids filming their drug-induced party ends in an explosive light show, leaving the victims apparently electrocuted, with odd scorch marks being the only evidence. While Maggie tries to make sense of the different stories, sifting through what is real and what is hallucination, she realizes that the surviving teens are being targeted and systematically eliminated.

Meanwhile, on the East Coast, Army Colonel Benjamin Platt is at the scene of a deadly outbreak, desperate to identify the pathogen that has infected children at a Washington, D.C., elementary school. Despite the miles that separate them, the two cases collide as Maggie and Platt uncover the secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the remote Midwest landscape.

My Review:

Dawson Hayes was a geek who did odd things like wearing all black on Football Fridays when everyone else wore school colours. He’d brought his Dad’s “taser” to the party in the Nebraska National Forest which made him feel powerful. Dawson felt like he could do anything! The taser was easy to use…just point, aim and bam! 50,000 volts of electricity would be delivered to the recipient and Dawson knew that he could control anyone and everyone with it.

Johnny B. was a quarterback, homecoming king and was charming beyond words. He liked to conduct “experiments” like the one he was doing tonight and his guest list at this party only included 7 people. Dawson had already helped him set up the video camera amongst the trees where it couldn’t be seen. All the kids, including Dawson and Johnny were chewing “salvia”, a more potent type of weed that Johnny said was like: “rock-‘n’-roll fireworks squeezing your brain, convincing you that you could fly.” Johnny was secretly filming this drug-induced party.

Dawson saw something among the trees, a pair of fiery red eyes that suddenly came running out of the brush racing straight at him. He held up his arm, pointed the taser and pulled the trigger. The creature moved backwards and fell and Dawson began running. The branches in the bush tore his clothing, slashed his skin and he couldn’t see. He hit a wire, “hard”, and the jolt of electricity knocked him off his feet and by the time he had hit the ground, his shirt was slick with blood!!

Special Agent Maggie O’Dell of the FBI specialized in criminal behaviour and profiling. She had advanced degrees in behavioural psychology and forensic science. Her boss, Raymond Kunze had sent her to Nebraska to teach some classes but she ended up at the crime scene of the teenagers in the forest off Highway #83. A group of teenagers had been severely injured, each with varying degrees and numbers of wounds. One girl had a large bite mark on her arm but the absence of blood perplexed Maggie. Then she tripped and fell her penlight rolling about 3 feet away from her in the brush. She reached her light and the beam shone directly into the wide-open eyes of a boy who appeared dead. Then he blinked!! His body was wrapped in barbed wire. Altogether there were 2 dead teenagers and 5 injured.

What is going on in this forest? Who or what has attacked these kids? Well, hang onto your hats folks for this is one rollercoaster ride of suspense you don’t want to miss! Alex Kava never misses the mark!

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Oct 09, 2011 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this book through one of the websites that offer "free" books. The thing is, I read so much that these free books sit on my table for a month or more after I get them. The same was true of another free book I got - Full Black by Brad Thor. When I read Full Black, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the story was and how well written. Especially for a first-time author. The same is true of Hot Wire.

I've never read Alex Kava before but will be sure to put her on my "favorite authors" lis...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Tabi34 rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was so frightening that I had to stop reading it and wait until my husband came home to read more. This book began in a truly frightening manner. Cattle mutilations, drugged out teenagers being killed in a remote area of Nebraska...
Agent Maggie O'Dell was on her game in this book. She had to overcome resistance from the local law enforcement, her boss back at Quantico and a worried Col Platt, who ended up having his own adventure.
This book was hard to put down, once I wasn't scared. A...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars

The latest edition of the main character, Maggie O'Dell, FBI agent. Her boss sends her to Denver to be a speaker at a conference. While she is there, she makes a side trip to view a mutilated cow at the request of a local law enforcement member, Donny. The carcass has had several parts surgically removed but, Maggies learns, this is not the first incident of this nature. While they are looking at the carcass, a call comes in to Donny,requesting his presence at a nearby scene of a group of injure...more

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Jul 20, 2011 S.D. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

This next installment in the Maggie O’Dell series finds Maggie in Nebraska investigating a case of mutilated cattle. Nearby a group of kids are in a forest tripping out on salvia when a flash of lights and heat leaves some of them scorched. The plot hops from Nebraska to D.C. where Army Colonel Ben Platt has been called in to identify the bacteria that is making school children sick. It appears to be an unusual strain of salmonella, not unlike the recent case in Germany where victims were sicken...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Carole Tyrrell rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is my first encounter with Alex Kavas’ female FBI Special Agent, Maggie O’Dell, but this is the 9th book in the series featuring her.
Set in Nebraska, it begins with 7 teenagers out to party in the National Forest. High on salvia and prescription drugs only 2 of them will ultimately survive the evening’s events. The self-confessed geek, Dawson Hayes, has brought along a Taser gun. As things get going and someone begins filming he sees two red eyes watching him and he aims his Taser at them b...more This is my first encounter with Alex Kavas’ female FBI Special Agent, Maggie O’Dell, but this is the 9th book in the series featuring her.
Set in Nebraska, it begins with 7 teenagers out to party in the National Forest. High on salvia and prescription drugs only 2 of them will ultimately survive the evening’s events. The self-confessed geek, Dawson Hayes, has brought along a Taser gun. As things get going and someone begins filming he sees two red eyes watching him and he aims his Taser at them before a massive jolt of electricity makes him fall into the embrace of electrified barbed wire which is the Hotwire of the title.
Meanwhile, Maggie and State Patrol Investigator, Donny Fergussen, are out investigating cattle mutilations on local farms while a local UFO enthusiast, Wesley Stotter, is watching the skies. Where’s Mulder when you need him?
The surviving teenagers are dwindling in number and Dawson Hayes, recovering in hospital, is warned by an unwelcome visitor, that he will regret having survived the party. Then 2 more of the partygoers die in a traffic accident and Johnny B, the jock, crawls under his house to die. The body count is beginning to mount. And Wesley begins to investigate the strange house in the forest which contains the answers to some of his questions although he may wish that he hadn’t asked them.
But, with a meeting between 2 military men in a local diner to discuss outbreaks of food poisoning at local schools and the sloppy links in the food supply chain, Hotwire soon develops into a fast paced thriller which weaves together all these disparate events together. There are other subplots which I won’t reveal here but one was completely unexpected. Kavas’ handling of the plot elements is deft and I admired the way that she ratchets up the tension and pace as it builds to a satisfying and credible denouement.
This book wasn’t really to my taste as I found it was more of a beach read but it was a good fast paced thriller which kept me guessing.

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Jun 22, 2012 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

It’s been such a long time that I read a book in this series, that I had forgotten just how enjoyable it is! This latest installment was quite thrilling - and quite difficult to set aside to do all those distracting errands and other boring items off your to-do-list that keeps you from reading! In fact, I read this in one sitting!

Since this is the ninth book in the Maggie O’Dell series, the characters by now are quite familiar, allowing Kava to focus more on the plot here than furthering her cha...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Jeannette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read

This is my first Alex Kava mystery and it did not disappoint. Maggie O'Dell is an FBI special agent sent out to Nebraska to give a speech at a conference and stumbles upon the death and injury of several teenagers in the National Forest there. She ends up staying there to solve the crime which sometimes seems like it may be an episode from the X files! Maggie is cool, smart, observant and a loner. She has good instincts and I was with her all the way. Across the country in Washington DC, her man...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I JUST WON THIS ON FIRSTREADS GIVE AWAY! YAY!! I LOVE ALEX KAVA BOOKS! SO EXCITING :) WHOOO!I CANNOT WAIT TO READ THIS AND GIVE MY OPINION!

Omg! I finally got to this book and wow she does not disappoint me again! Very intense interesting, great story
Loved it!! Read this book if you love suspense!!!!

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Oct 09, 2012 D.B. Reynolds rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, even though if I were Maggie and Ben, I'd wonder about the fact that they only seem to get together when disaster strikes. And not just a run of the mill disaster, either! Ebola, a Hurricane, and now a hellish, genetically designed super salmonella. Yikes. Nonetheless, I liked learning more about Ben Platt, MD, who it seems is Kava's new love interest for Maggie. Nick Morrelli seems to be history--for his sake I'm glad about that, because Maggie abused him terribly as...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Vivian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bizarre murders, cattle mutilations, and government conspiracies and suspected coverups are at the forefront of HOTWIRE, the ninth title in the Maggie O'Dell series by Alex Kava. Maggie, an FBI agent, is still recuperating from her last assignment and has been sent to Colorado to lecture at a law enforcement seminar. She is "asked" to look into some cattle mutilations in Nebraska and the story takes off.

Maggie doesn't just get to see some strange cattle mutilations, but soon spearheads an invest...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Mysterious Ed rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: law-enforcement

#9 in the FBI profiler, Maggie O'Dell series. Part of the novel's appeal is the unusual location in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Maggie O'Dell helps investigate a crime scene that's left two teenagers dead and five others mysteriously injured as well as bizarre cattle mutilations in the Nebraska Sandhills. A surviving teen's suicide compels Maggie to stay involved, despite the disapproval of her "politically correct and politically connected new boss." Back east Army Col. Ben Platt, joins the Centers...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-crime

It isn't easy to meld together an ill-fated drug party in the Nebraska woods, outbreaks of food poisoning in Washington D.C. area schools, teen suicides and electrocutions, and UFO fears, but Alex Kava manages to do so without stretching credulity too far beyond reasonable limits. FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell, in Nebraska for a professional conference, finds herself rushing from one crisis to another while coping with bureaucratic corruption, secret government plots, and contaminated meat packing...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Julka rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 52-books-2013, mystery

To moje pierwsze spotkanie z agentką specjalną FBI Maggie O'Dell. Książka do pochłonięcia w jeden wieczór. Nie ma się co spodziewać nagłych zwrotów akcji, ani szczególnie skomplikowanych portretów psychologicznych postaci. Właściwie to nie za dużo dowiedziałam się z powieści o Maggi, a szkoda. Wiem, że jest singielką po przejściach, która boi się zaangażować w nowy związek - czyli standardowy typ osobowości, dla bohaterki 30 plus. Jak na razie żadnych cech wyróżniających.

Muszę pamiętać o tym, że...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Pam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, suspense, thriller, police-fbi

This is the first time I've read this author. I enjoyed Maggie and the secondary character of of Lucy but didn't feel any real attachment for the individuls in the DC part of the story. In fact, all the flipping back and forth between the two story lines just about drove me nuts. While both plots were interesting in there own rights, I didn't like the disjointed feel it left to the book. I couldn't develop a sense of caring about any of the characters.

But the things going on at both sites were t...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Marla Madison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alex Kava tells two tales here, brilliantly going back and forth from one area to another, one plot to another.
In Nebraska, Maggie O'Dell becomes involved in a mysterious crime scene; teenagers, tripping on salvia, end up dead and burned by an unknown assailant in the middle of a state forest.
On the east coast, Maggie's friend and maybe lover, Army Colonel Benjamen Platt heads up an investigation when scores of schoolchildren become seriously ill after eating in the school cafeteria.
Kava does a...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Somewhere on government property in Nebraska a group of kids are nearly electrocuted during a drug party and not far away cattle are being mutilated. This is what FBI agent Maggie O’Dell has to deal with. Meanwhile on the east coast, a group of kids get sick from eating cafeteria food and Maggie’s friend Dr. Benjamin Platt is investigating that. Are these two cases connected or are we reading two stories?

This is the first Maggie O’Dell story I read and although intrigued by the possibility of go...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Sharon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At first I thought I had been conned. The back page announced a review that compared this writer to Cornwall and Reich's. I didn't think so in the first few chapters.
On further reading, I began to enjoy the book more, and ended up finishing it off in in quick haste, as I got further taken into the story.
That being said, while some comparisons can be made to Reich's and Cornwall, (Reich's more so, I found this author produces a lighter read than those pre mentioned, which is not a bad thing somet...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, reviewed, suspense, thriller

Another Maggie O'Dell novel.

On her way to a conference in Denver, Maggie takes a detour to western Nebraska, to investigate the death of two teenagers.

Colonel Benjamin Platt, who she interacted with in "Damaged" during a hurricane in Florida, reappears dealing with some food poisoning with the USDA and CDC.

I won't detail too much more and spoil it.

I read this in one sitting, as I had to be available for about four hours the day I read it.

It starts off a little slow, and jumps around some, but...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Kaye rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-challenge

Agent Maggie O'Dell, F.B.I. profiler, has been sent to a conference in Colorado but has been called from it to investigate the case of mutilated cattle in Nebraska. Numerous cases have been found and all the cattle mutilated in exactly the same way. While on this case, she is also called in on the case of teens partying in the Nebraska National Forest. While tripping out on salvia, a group of teens reported flasing lights, seeing fireworks and the feeling of giant jolts of electricity. One of th...more
Agent Maggie O'Dell, F.B.I. profiler, has been sent to a conference in Colorado but has been called from it to investigate the case of mutilated cattle in Nebraska. Numerous cases have been found and all the cattle mutilated in exactly the same way. While on this case, she is also called in on the case of teens partying in the Nebraska National Forest. While tripping out on salvia, a group of teens reported flasing lights, seeing fireworks and the feeling of giant jolts of electricity. One of these jolts left teen, Dawson Hayes, in serious condition as he was nearly electrocuted from being thrown into an electrified fence.

Maggie connects with Dawson and tries to get him to open up about what happened to him but someone else threatens to shut him up completely if he talks. He is convinced he saw glaring red eyes watching him just before his accident. Or, was it an accident? Several other teens did not survive the night.

While the teens partied, UFO believer, Wesley Stotter, is busy chasing weird light patterns in the sky; more fodder for his aliens and anti-government radio show. Little does he know that his innate curiosity will not be good for his health. Someone does not want him snooping around in the forest.

Back in Washington,D.C., Maggie's friend, Dr. Benjamin Platt, is asked by CDC chief, Roger Bix, to help him with widespread outbreaks of food poisoning in the elementary school. The strain of bacteria proves to be impervious to anti-biotics and Bix is convinced it is a case of domestic terrorism. Does it have anything to do with the cases in Nebraska? Who is protecting what becomes the running theme in all the cases. Whoever they are will do whatever it takes, including murder, to protect their secrets and themsleves.

Hot Wire grabbed my attention right from the start; my mind was racing in all sorts of directions, at first, trying to figure out what was going on. Could it be aliens? UFO's? Big government? A few parts in the middle lagged a bit but once the cases were neatly tied together, the ending was satisfying. Buckle up because there are a lot of scary moments with a few nasty characters and lots of twists and turns.

Although Hot Wire is the ninth in the Maggie O'Dell series, it can easily be read as a stand alone. I liked Maggie as a character; she's a dedicated professional with a strong work ethic and also a very caring individual. The character of Dr. Benjamin Pratt could have been developed a little more; he seemed a little flat to me in the story. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to thriller and/or conspiracy fans. 3.5***

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Doubleday through LT's early reviewer program.

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Aug 23, 2011 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alex Kava has not let me down with this one, she has found her spark again for me. Her last two books were a bit 'blah' but this one had all that fast-paced suspense that I loved from her other books. This book was good because you had to follow two different storylines - one was Maggie O'Dell and the other was Benjamin Platt. I liked it because I not only had to figure out what was going with one character but with two instead!! I had no idea what was going on - which i love - and loved seeing...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Vicky Thomasson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A brilliant, none stop action book that I couldn't put down. For the first time in a very long time I had to sleep with the light on after reading the first 70ish pages as it absolutely terrified me! This is the first Maggie O'Dell book that I've come across and I enjoyed it very much. There are many twists and turns in the story which keep you guessing right up until the end. The only criticism was that I felt like the ending didn't really end the book in a satisfactory way but apart from that,...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

I usually love a Kava novel, especially those with Maggie O'Dell, but Hotwire left me feeling like it was incomplete. The endings of the two plot lines wrapped up so quickly and with little payoff that I was left thinking maybe the writer will continue the underlying story line in the next book? I hope so because the premise of food safety, bio-terrorism, and the control mega agricultural corporations have in our government would make a hell of a story. As it is, I closed the book wondering abou...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads, mysteries, mysteries-police-pi-forensics, mysteries-thrillers-espionage

Goodreads Giveaway

Kava begins with what almost seemed to be separate stories and gradually moves the plots of each closer together, step by step, twist by twist, alternating between Nebraska and Washington DC in this fast-paced page turner.

Picking up the Maggie O’Dell series with the 9th book instead of the first, I’ve probably missed a lot of character development which took place in earlier books and that was, for me, a bit of a problem when there is as large a cast of characters as populates...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Amy Siggelow rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won this book from Goodreads.

I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of the other books in the Maggie O'Dell series, but I did enjoy reading this one!

This book reminded me of Patricia Cornwell's books with a female heroine. It encompasses two seemingly unconnected crimes, the first of which Maggie "stumbles" onto, while investigating cattle mutilation in the Nebraska forests. A group of kids were found, some injured, some dead, after a party they were having in a remote area. They had been e...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Kristin rated it 2 of 5 stars

I always enjoy reading Kava's Maggie O'Dell books, though this one felt less suspenseful to me. 2 storylines play out in the book. The first involves criminal profiler O'Dell, sent on a wild goose chase by her boss to investigate a brutal cattle slaughter in rural Nebraska, only to get involved in a murder investigation after the law enforcement official accompanying her is called to the scene where 2 teenagers are dead and more are injured and all signs point to suspicious activity. Meanwhile,...more

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Hotwire (Maggie O'Dell #9)

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