Rating: 
Summary: Maybe not full of depth, but fun anyway
Review: I read this book after it was passed on to me, and even though it may not have a whole lot of depth to it, I enjoyed it very much. It is one of those books which you just enjoy reading for the fun of it. The murders taking place in the book are more than a little disturbing, but I liked that you knew both sides of the story going on at the same time. It made it more gripping, in my eyes. There were definitely points where I was reading this book late into the night. Unless you are one of those terribly picky people who tend to pull everything to pieces, the factual mistakes won't mean much when you get caught up in the story. I liked this book a lot and am reading the sequel right now.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy to read but the mystery falls flat :(
Review: I read this for my local suspense readers group in November. After getting through half of the book in only two nights I found myself under whelmed but the pages flew nonetheless. I figured out the identity of the killer in chapter 9 (the first 1/4 of the book) and typically I'm pretty clueless about these things. The subject, child abduction, really bothered me and the scenes with the children in pain (both emotional and physical) were hard to stomach and weren't something I prefer reading about in detail. I think it has something to do with the amount of description, pain, suffering and gore. This is definitely *not* a book I would have finished I hadn't committed to it and I'm not in any hurry to read the sequels.
Rating: 
Summary: A Perfect Ripoff
Review: Thanks to recommendations from my writer wife I have read and enjoyed a lot of detective fiction. I wish I could give A Perfect Evil a zero score. There was potential for a good story here, and I was interested enough to slog through the gratuitous violence, perverted sex and tedious romance in order to get to the resolution of the story, and was angered to find there was no resolution! This is a cheap come-on to try and sell the "sequel". These books are a disquised serial. I will never read Alex Kava again, and I will be very suspicious of anything else Mira Books publishes.
Rating:
Summary: Now I Need a Nap
Review: Three months after convicted serial killer Ronald Jeffreys is put to death by the State of Nebraska, similar kidnapping/gruesome murders are happening. And that's all I'm going to disclose about the plot. Stop reading these spoiler-saturated reviews now! Get this book! At the end, if your experience is similar to mine, you will want to read its sequel: Split Second. So I recommend ordering them both, or all three, and saving time and shipping ;-) Previous reviewers have pointed out numerous factual errors in Alex Kava's debut novel. Here's one upon which they didn't comment: Cornhusker (or any other Football Factory) Quarterback graduates from College and proceeds to rush through Harvard Law. Yep, and pigs fly over Harvard yard. This former QB is now the Sheriff of Platte City, Nebraska (Sheriff of a City? Usually Sheriffs oversee a County, and Chiefs of Police serve their City, but maybe Cornhuskerland is quirky in this regard?) having taken over from his over-bearingly pompous father. He has a sister who makes Faust's deal with the Devil look good. Sure, there are errors, and the Sheriff's dysfunctional family and bodice-ripping is annoying, but this book was so gripping that it over-rode my Nyquil!
Rating: 
Summary: Marginal
Review: Interesting enough, though it is too bad the author couldn't have put more depth into her story, to say nothing of the characters. I didn't care much for them. And of course there was the bodiless voice of the killer himself, much in the way Mary Higgins Clark wrote Where Are The Children? You know everything about the killer, except his identity, which I must say is intriguing, yet since I have seen this set up before, it becomes cliche. I guess I really don't care much for these kind of novels. I kind of liked Nick's father characterization. And then there was the quirky lady who saw Jesus pushing a little girl in a swing. Unfortunately, Kava had to lend credibility to the woman (why couldn't she have left her the way she was.) I must say that this is a weird book to read considering all that's going on in the news right now (you'll understand when you reach the end of the book). Also, I am even more disturbed to find out that Maggie O'Dell is a character that is seen in several other of Kava's works. She should find somebody else. It seems to me she is trying to recapture the essence of the sensational Clarice Starling through Maggie. Worth reading for fun but not really much more. It is a first book though. It's a pretty good start.
Rating:
Summary: difficult to read
Review: I read a lot. I read a lot of different things. I picked this up because I always enjoy a good mystery, and mysteries with a good FBI profiler are often fun to read. This one was not. The author spends entirely too much time describing the perfection of her characters (how many times do you think I need to hear about the concern, vulnerability or heat in Nick's beautiful blue eyes or how creamy Maggie's skin looks or how hard it is for her to deal with her demons?) and not enough time developing the plot. I admit, I didn't figure out the identity of the killer until, oh, the fourth chapter, but still. I chalked this astonishing lack of a story up to the "first book syndrome", assuming that the writing style will develop as the author does... but a few chapters into Split Second and it doesn't look good. I'd recommend this book to only those who are super-dedicated to books with a profiler as the lead character and to all others - leave this one on the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't get enough!!
Review: This book was really good. I could not put it down. I flipped through page after page. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was because it was to easy to figure out who the killer was. Agent O'Dell proved to be a very interesting character. Alex Kava did a wonderful job setting up the sequal as well, by giving you the background story on Albert Stucky. I can't wait to read the net one.
Rating: 
Summary: The Last Write
Review: I read this book last year when it first came out. I was 15 at the time. Usually I don't enjoy reading that much, but after reading the first few pages I was messmerized by the writing. I couldn't put it down, it was GREAT! I haven't read the sequel "Split Second" but I plan on as soon as possible. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good mystery novel.
Rating:
Summary: Fun read but that's it
Review: Three months ago, the small town of Platte City, Nebraska breathed a sigh of relief. Death row inmate, Ron Jeffrys was executed for the murder of three local children. Before he dies, Jeffrys proclaims his innocence. He insists that he is responsible for one death, not three. Several months later, a boy is kidnapped and found dead a few days later. His death is similar to the murders Ronald Jeffrys stood accused and someone is copycatting or is he? Sheriff Nick Morrelli was convinced that his father, the former sheriff, captured the right man. Now he is not so sure. The only thing he knows is that he is way over his head and he is going to need help. Maggie O'Dell is a troubled FBI profiler assigned to the case. She is reeling from her last investigation which involved tracking serial killer, Albert Stucky. Stucky got the better of her scarring her for life in the physical as well as mental sense before he was captured in Miami, Florida. Agent O'Dell screwed up big time and now she is hoping that this case will prove to be her redemption. Morrelli had a big stake in the case when his nephew is kidnapped. He is hunting high and low for the killer and he has a deep suspicion as to his identity. Ms. Kava provides an entertaining novel if you are willing to dismiss two things - a waterproof cell phone and the ineptitude of Agent O' Dell. The rest of the book is just a pleasure read. The kidnapper is easy to figure out. He is smart and resourceful always ready with a backup plan. He makes sure by the end of the novel to leave Ms. O'Dell with a small gift forcing the book to go into a sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Debut Novel
Review: Many of us have dreamed of writing a novel, perhaps a thriller, that would have some public success. Alex Kava has done very well for herself in this novel about how a serial killer terrorizes a small Nebraska town. Young boys are disappearing in a small Nebraska town and a handsome, likable but inept sherriff, Nick Morelli, calls in the FBI to help stop the spree of a serial killer who kidnaps and kills young boys from single parent families. Morelli's father gained fame when he brought another serial killer of three boys to justice, but is this a copycat or was the wrong man put to death? Maggie O'Dell, the FBI profiler, is the heroine of this novel. Wounded, literally and psychologically by a cannibalistic serial killer, and coming from a failed marriage, Maggie struggles to find the clues before another boy is brutalized. While sheriff Nick Morelli is clearly inept and misplaced in his job, his sister is struggling to succeed as a journalist and uses inside information to grab headlines despite the threat this may cause to her law enforcement brother. Antonio Morelli, the retired sheriff father of Nick is an overpowering brute, trying to overshadow his weak son. You think you know who the killer is early in the novel but the author tries to throw you off the scent by pointing to other suspects. Some weak areas of the novel include the lackluster and unbelievable romance between Maggie and Nick, some plot developments that are easy to predict and an unsatisfying ending that opens the door to a sequel. Overall this is a very entertaining portrayal of small town terror. It makes a great airplane read.
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