Split Second

Sean King & Michelle Maxwell #1

by David Baldacci

It was only a split second-but that's all it took for Secret Service agent Sean King's attention to wander and his 'protectee,' third-party presidential candidate Clyde Ritter, to die. King retired from the Service in disgrace, and now, eight years later, balances careers as a lawyer and a part-time deputy sheriff in a small Virginia town. Then he hears the news: Once again, a third-party candidate has been taken out of the presidential race-abducted right under the nose of Secret Service agent Michelle Maxwell. King and Maxwell form an uneasy alliance, and their search for answers becomes a bid for redemption as they delve into the government's Witness Protection Program and the mysterious past of Clyde Ritter's dead assassin. But the truth is never quite what it seems, and these two agents have learned that even one moment looking in the wrong direction can be deadly. Full of shocking twists and turns, and introducing a villain to rival Jackson in Baldacci's The Winner, SPLIT SECOND is pure, mind-numbing adrenaline to the last page.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Audiobook, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 30, 2003

About the author

David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, "because every mom needs a break now and then.”)

David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996; the feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 52 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. David has also published seven novels for younger readers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 200 million copies sold worldwide.

In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States.

A lifelong Virginian, David is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Reviews

[Petr Bolek]

Na jaře začali v Americe vysílat nový seriál. Název mi nic neříkal: King & Maxwell. Ale ukázka byla dobrá. A první díly taky. Takový čerstvý Castle (ten už je trošku sešlý).
A v titulcích jsem si všimnul, že je to dle knih od Baldacciho. Baldacci, Baldacci - to mi něco říká. Ano Camel club - kniha kterou se chystám číst.
A protože jsem rád, když si můžu pod jednotlivými jmény představit konkrétní osoby, tak jsem se pustil do čtení Ve zlomku vteřiny. Pravda hlavní hrdinka v knize má černé vlasy, ale koho by u Rebecy Romijn zajímala zrovna barva vlasů. Ale jinak je kniha ještě vtipnější, ještě napínavější a rozhodně zamotanější než seriál.
Já dávám plný počet hvězdiček a fanoušky seriálu uklidním. Klidně můžete číst, rozhodně vám seriál nic podstatného neprozradil. Kniha jde naprosto jiným směrem a zápletka se ubírá jinudy. Takže směle do toho.

[Petra Bohackova]

Do téhle knihy jsem se pořád nemohla začíst. Myslím, že překlad byl trochu těžkopádný, anebo jsem prostě na tuhle knihu neměla moc náladu, nevím. Dva detektivové se vrací k vyšetřování, staré je propleteno s novým, velké množství postav a mrtvol, ... Nějak jsem čekala něco jiného. Nakonec jsem ji dočetla. Ale trochu jsem se u toho trápila.