Rating: 
Summary: great first novel
Review: I enjoyed the story and quality of writing by the author. Her first novel is exciting, fast paced, and kept my attention from start to finish. Looking forward to her next work in Aug.
Rating: 
Summary: Yuck
Review: In a word...I was only able to get thru the 21st chapter. Characters have no character and, of course they are all so beautiful/handsome, that there aren't enough words to describe them (altho this author manages to do so incessantly!). It is more a trashy romance novel than a really good, gritty thriller. Don't waste your time or money!
Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Cliche
Review: It amazes me that so many people seem to have enjoyed this book while I can't even understand why it got published; there is absolutely nothing in this book that hasn't been done better elsewhere.Off the top of my head, some noteworthy flaws: (1) A lack of suspense: the killer is revealed early on and you can see every "twist" a mile away (the killer kidnaps young boys, a main character has a young nephew, so guess who gets kidnaped?). (2) A non-ending a la James Patterson designed to force the reader to buy the next book. (3) Every principal character is ruggedly handsome or exquisitely beautiful, with plenty of romance-novel adjectives to describe them; even the principal male character's name, Nick, has a certain cliched feel to it. (4) Even the baggage each character carries (everyone is either physically or emotionally abused or both) is tedious. The best that can be said about this novel is it makes you appreciate other books more; for decent (or better) suspense novels, try Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly, Ridley Pearson, John Sanford, Nelson Demille or a couple dozen others.
Rating: 
Summary: A Perfect Evil
Review: A nice debut novel. But, there are some problems. Like the fact that I read a 400 page novel and I have more loose ends than I know what to do with. Example, I do not know if Howard and Eddie were involved in the murders or not. Nick Morrelli is either the most realistic small town sheriff in fiction or he is the dumbest. For an ex-football player he sure got beat up a lot. No one was arrested for assaulting an officer. Alex Kava shows some talent but she must step out of James Patterson's shadow.
Rating:
Summary: A mix of Cornwell and Patterson, each on an off day
Review: This book and the characters in it bear striking resemblances to Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta and James Patterson's Alex Cross. There are also reminders of, among others, FBI agent Dana Scully of "X-Files" fame (without the supernatural/alien aspects of her work). I get the feeling that Ms. Kava (note to the Library Journal reviewer - Alex Kava is a WOMAN, buddy!) studied these and other authors and decided to use them as a template for her own first novel. Problem is, she's nowhere near as good as either of them. The upshot and result is that this is a book that reads like a bad version of Cornwell or Patterson. For either of those two authors this would be OK, since even on an off day they can write rings around most of the current crop of mystery writers. But Kava is no Cornwell or Patterson, and it really shows. A previous reviewer has mentioned that s/he thinks Kava hates men, based on the way Kava writes her male characters. I wouldn't go that far, but it does seem to me that her female characters are stronger than her male ones. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but there isn't a single strong male character in this novel. Sheriff Nick Morrelli appears to be strong to the rest of his community, but it's obvious he's putting on a front. His father, the previous sheriff, would be right at home in a B western movie. We don't get a peek into his soul the way we do at Nick's. Even the killer is, ultimately, a weak man. Kava's females, on the other hand, are very strong women. FBI agent Maggie O'Dell is a superwoman, as is Christine Hamilton, the newspaper reporter. Even when her son becomes a possible victim of the killer, she keeps on going - she doesn't take the time to cry over his possible fate. Kava needs to add some weaknesses to her women and strengths to her men. She also needs to find her own voice; hopefully she'll do that with the promised sequel to this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Just a Few Good Men, please...
Review: Not bad for a first book, but it's obvious that Alex doesn't like men very much. I was halfway through the book when I realized there wasn't one male character who wasn't highly flawed (either weak, a woman-beater, a killer, dishonest, womanizer, etc.) However, dispite the fact that she appears to be a female chauvinist, she did keep me interested and in suspense enough to make me want to finish the book. Doubt if I'll buy the sequel though. I noticed that most of the people who rated the book high were females, which was probably her target audience. After all, she hit her target with what they were looking for--strong women and weak men. I like a little balance in the books I read.
Rating:
Summary: beware, it's NOTwhat you think!
Review: I was appalled to begin reading this book only to find out that the 'murder victims', as the synopsis states, were little boys. It is obvious why this fact was not stated in the synopsis on the back cover, no one would buy this book if they knew. The author most definately is not a mother or she would understand how truely sick this kind of fiction really is. I threw the book in the garbage after only reading two pages, believe me, that is all it took to realize I had been grossly misled by the author and the publishing company, Mira. Please do not buy this book and show the author that this kind of murder fiction books are totally inappropriate.
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent First Book
Review: I have recently read this book and can say without a doubt, it is excellent. Alex Kava takes you through this story without alot of fluff. The characters are real, and very believeable. Nick, to say the least, was quite a nice change. I only hope I can wait until August for the next one. Split Second is on the top of my list. Let's just hope she keeps up the good work.
Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Read
Review: I loved this terrifying thriller! I cannot wait until next year for part two..........
Rating:
Summary: Well written debut novel, not for the sensitive reader
Review: This first novel from Alex Kava keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. Not bad for a first time novelist! While the story line can be hard to handle for the parent of a small, ten year old boy, it is handled well. The relationship between the lead characters is all too familiar, however the characters are sympathetic and well fleshed-out, so it is still enjoyable to read. The sequel is due in August of 2001, and I for one, will be pre-ordering from Amazon.com!
| 
