Rating: 
Summary: Top Shelf
Review: I absolutely devoured this book!! It was original and clever. I appreciate her use of a FEMALE heroine, that is real and believable. I would love to see Gardner create a series of books based on her female FBI Agent Kimberli.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Characters and Grisly Crimes
Review: I enjoyed The Killing Hour although not as much as The Survivor's Club which I gave a Five Star review. I thought the tension was good although I would have liked the narrative to stay with Kimberly and Mac for longer in places rather than continually returning to Tina and others for such long periods. Perhaps I would have liked the sections focussed on Rainie and Pierce Quincy more if I had read the previous books where they featured, although the emotional moments between them were very sweet even though I didn't know their entire background.The strong point was definitely the clever plotting and the grisly ideas that Gardner had about how the killer committed the crimes. The characters were also very deep and had interesting backgrounds but somehow this novel failed to grip me. The first couple of chapters dragged a little although I suppose they were necessary to set up the rest of the book. I liked the instant chemistry between the main characters, New Agent Kimberly Quincy and Special Agent Mac McCormack but I thought some of the events at the beginning were very coincidental. Overall I liked this book and was very pleased with the ending and the romance between Kimberly and Mac. I just felt that there was a little something missing which I could not define that made me skim some of the text to get to the important parts, therefore I did not always find it as compelling and gripping a thriller as I'd hoped. Highlights of the book were definitely Mac and Kimberly's dialogue and relationship and the scary and grisly nature of the crimes. Kimberly was a great female character - strong and driven to succeed with vulnerability hidden just under the surface. JoAnne
Rating:
Summary: Lisa Gardner at her Very BEST!
Review: I have only one word to describe this book:
"FANTASTIC"
Rating: 
Summary: Tick Toc, Tick Toc...
Review: I really enjoyed this book, and the characters presented within. I havent had the pleasure of reading on of Lisa Gardner's books before...this was a first.
I have the uncanny habit of picking up a book in the middle of a series and then having to go back and purchase the others that came before it so that I can fill in the backstory on the characters. This book is no different. Although I would have liked more information on the people involved, I found that the story made sense and not too much was pulled from earlier novels in the series.
The plotting in this book was excellent and kept up and break-neck pace. The attention to forensic detail was great and the information was slipped into the weave to the story in an unobtrusive, informative way. The use of so many characters may seem to be a bit overwhelming at first, but by the end of the novel it is great to see how Gardner pulls them all together to cinch the knot tight.
This novel takes place over a few days in the scorching heat and opressive humidity of Virginia and Georgia. Although I have never been to those places (and read this book on a chilly October day) I could actually feel the heat and the muggy air as it robbed everyone of comfort and patience. Lisa Gardner does a great job of pulling us into her universe and immersing us in the details and everyday life of the novel.
The characters are handled just as masterfully. We have a Special Agent from a task force in Georgia, a tough rookie agent-in-training with the FBI, private investigators, marines and one crazed killer. All are painted with realistic detail, wants, desires and emotions. I loved the father-daughter dynamic between Kimberly and her dad and the sexual tension between Kimberly and Mac was well written and funny to boot!
I liked this novel and will soon be reading Gardners other works. It makes a great afternoon read...but make sure you set aside plenty of time...one you start you wont want to stop until you have reached the blazing conlusion. Great plotting with plenty of twists and turns make this one a great book to have.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: I'm not going to go into the plot of the book because it's been done in the other reviews, so I will just say that this is a great read....I couldn't put it down and it was done in a day or so....If you haven't already read Gardners other books "The Other Daughter", "The Perfect Husband", "The Third Victim", and "The Next Accident", I highly reccommend doing so, as some of them will give you a better insight into the histories of the main characters in the book : Pierce Quincy, Kimberly Quincy, and Lorraine O'Conner (Rainie)....and knowing their histories makes the book even more enthralling. Pick it up, Read it and Enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: On the trail of a sadistic killer.
Review: In Lisa Gardner's sixth novel, "The Killing Hour," the protagonist is Kimberly Quincy, a deeply troubled young woman who is following in her father's footsteps by training as a Special Agent for the FBI. Her male counterpart is Georgia-based Special Agent Mac McCormack, who is in Quantico to find a lead on a case that has troubled him for years. Seven young women have died under Mac's watch, all victims of a sadistic serial killer. Mac is hoping that the FBI's expertise will help him crack the case. When Kimberly stumbles on the dead body of yet another victim, this time in Quantico, she and the hunky McCormack risk their careers when they team up to catch the killer. They have no jurisdiction in this case and they are told to keep their noses out of it. However, both Mac and Kimberly are driven to press on with their investigation. Does all of this sound familiar? It should, since "The Killing Hour" is chock full of clichés. First, there is the psychopathic but devilishly clever criminal who is driven to kill because of his childhood demons. Then, there are the two bright, motivated, and good-looking agents, Kimberly and Mac, who risk everything to see that justice is done. Will they be able to resist the undeniable physical attraction that they have for one another? Finally, there is the race against time to try to save at least one of the killer's victims. To Gardner's credit, she moves the plot along briskly enough and she writes exciting action sequences. Gardner has done her homework and the details about the FBI and investigative procedure seem authentic. Kimberly and Mac are sympathetic characters, and the author sustains a high level of tension throughout most of the book. "The Killing Hour" is, on the whole, a mildly entertaining thriller and I give it a marginal recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: A Helpful Serial Killer?
Review: Kimberly Quincy, daughter of legendary FBI super agent Pierce Quincy, has single-mindedly pursued a dream of becoming a FBI agent. Now in the intense sixteen-week training at the FBI Academy, her goal is severely setback when she discovers the body of a young female in a woodsy area while on a training run on the supposedly secure military base. Not only does the victim resemble her older sister Mandy insidiously murdered six years before, but she meets GBI agent Mac McCormack who has been led from Georgia to Virginia in the pursuit of a cunning serial killer and is certain that this is his latest killing. Kimberly feels called to put her future FBI career in jeopardy by taking an unprecedented leave of absence to help in the investigation with Mac, though they are not welcomed by the agencies in charge.
The author reintroduces Pierce Quincy, whose specialty is profiling, and Rainie Connor, partners in a private investigating firm, to help in this puzzling case because of its "insider" implications. In addition, Quincy's expertise is needed to contend with the operating motif of the killer, which is to purposely leave clues on the victims to point to the next one and to leave cryptic messages in newspapers. Some readers may be disinterested in the scientific details of the killer's clues, but they are reasonably well integrated into an interesting plot, though the perpetrator remains incompletely drawn. The Kimberly-Mac relationship takes center stage in the book. For those familiar with The Next Accident and The Third Victim, Kimberly parallels Rainie in having issues that inhibit her from becoming deeply involved with a male, regardless of the attraction. In addition, Quincy and Rainie unexpectedly have some questions about their relationship.
This is another good Lisa Gardner effort, though it is not quite as compelling as say The Survivors Club. But it is recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A page turner!!
Review: Lisa Gardner just gets better and better! In The Survivor's Club, she juggled a cast of sympathetic characters and kept readers interested in them all. Now, in The Killing Hour, even with a bunch of things going on with a lot of characters, even with all the meticulously researched details she slips seamlessly into the story, Gardner keeps you madly turning pages, always aware of the ticking clock, anticipating the next twist/surprise. It took every bit of self-restraint I possess not to sneak a look ahead to the end, but the pay off was definitely worth it and I'm glad I resisted the urge. By tossing a hunky Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent into the mix, stirring in an emotionally wounded, but tough as nails new FBI agent trainee, then cranking the heat up to high, Gardner's cooked up one delicious thriller for the keeper shelf!
Rating:
Summary: Gardner keeps getting better with every new novel she writes
Review: Lisa Gardner mentions nary an arachnid in her latest novel, THE KILLING HOUR, you have to know that they're there, just an inch or two off the page, as she leads you deeper and deeper off the beaten path and into rural Virginia. I'm glad she didn't bring them up; if this story had any more suspense, the book jacket would need a warning label affixed to it. THE KILLING HOUR may remind you, very vaguely, of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, but that is only because both books feature an overachieving female FBI recruit as the primary character. What is more significant for fans of Lisa Gardner, however, is that THE KILLING HOUR is a sequel of sorts to THE NEXT ACCIDENT. Kimberly Quincy, who survived the events of that fine book, is now at the FBI Academy and is causing a bit of a stir --- for all the wrong reasons. While she technically shows all of the makings of a fine agent, her people skills leave much to be desired. When Kimberly stumbles upon the body of a murder victim, literally at the back doorstep of the FBI's Quantico, Virginia headquarters, it has repercussions, not only for her but also for her father, Pierce Quincy, and his business partner and lover Rainie Conner. Pierce Quincy, a former FBI profiler, and Conner are brought into the case as consultants. It is soon established, however, that the murder has similarities to a series of killings that took place several years before in Georgia. The Georgia murders involved a fiend who would kidnap pairs of young women and leave the body of one in a place where it would be discovered quickly, while leaving the other alive, but in a place of great peril. The murderer would leave clues to the location of the second victim with the first. There were eight victims...and then the kidnappings and the murders stopped. It now appears, however, that the murderer has changed location and begun again, only this time he has upped the ante. Special Agent Michael McCormack, who tried unsuccessfully to solve the first series of murders, is drawn back into the investigation --- and incidentally, to Kimberly --- by a mysterious contact who seems to know what the killer will do, and when. The trail ultimately leads to a desperate and cataclysmic confrontation in Virginia's Dismal Swamp --- where nature can be more dangerous than any human killer. Gardner sets up some interesting internal tension right out of the gate, giving the reader a protagonist that the reader can't quite like but sympathizes with nonetheless. Gardner doesn't pile the suspense on all at once, but adds to it gradually --- a murder here, a mystery there, a personal conflict or two --- until by the end of the book the reader feels like a bunch of raw nerves racing for the comfort of the finish line. Gardner is a fine writer who gets better with every novel, and by changing the focus of each book among a cast of occasionally recurring characters --- Rainie Conner in THE THIRD VICTIM, Pierce Quincy in THE NEXT ACCIDENT, and now Kimberly Quincy in THE KILLING HOUR --- she lends an air of familiarity to each new novel while keeping her stories original and fresh. She will undoubtedly continue to be an author whose future novels will be eagerly anticipated. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating:
Summary: Another great read
Review: Living half my life in GA and half in Va, I really loved the familiar names of landmarks and roads. The details really fascinated me and her knowledge really made the suspense/mystery of the book. It was cleverly done. The romance was kept to the bare minimum, but I suppose that's the trade-off of picking up a romantic suspense. It's either too much romance or not enough.
I do agree with another reviewer that the involvment of Nora and her "dream" was a little off. She could have been added in without her ability. (I don't think anyone does paranormal like Kay Hooper). Also, I did enjoy the Quincy/Rainie parts as well. It's always nice to see characters from previous books. I really liked the way their story continued with their own problems.
All in all, I read the book cover to cover. With my huge read stack, that's saying a whole lot for me. I really enjoyed this one.
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