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The Killing Hour

The Killing Hour

List Price: $72.00
Your Price: $72.00
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Thriller
Review: A serial killer to end all serial killers is stalking young women in pairs; the first he kills, leaving obsure, incomprehensible clues on the bodies; the second, he abandons in inhuman conditions with one jug of water and no other tools with which to save herself. Needless to say, 95% of the women die.

And that's where Kimberley Quincey comes in. The hard-bitten rookie FBI student with an attitude stumbles across a body on the hallowed grounds of Quantico, and all hell breaks loose. Kimberley, the daughter of a revered FBI profiler whom we've met in an earlier Gardener book, is still recovering (if that's the word) from the brutal murders of her mother and sister six years earlier. She has a chip on her shoulder a mile wide, a dangerous disregard for authority, and a drive to succeed that outweighs her common sense. Having discovered the body, she takes a proprietary, and inappropriate (by FBI standards)interest in solving the case.

Joined by a hunky maverick law enforcement officer, Kimberley tries to stay one step ahead of the brutally brilliant serial killer. The reader knows just how brutal he is, because half the book is told from his point of view, and the point of view of one victim dumped in a swamp from which there is seemingly no exit.

Taut, fast, fun. Another grade-A Lisa Gardener thriller!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: fast paced
Review: A very fast paced FBI thriller. Book was very interesting to me because I live close to where the story takes place. Would like to of seen more romance between Mac and Kimberly.

Rating: 3 stars
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: 5 stars
Summary: Lisa Gardner at her Very BEST!
Review: I have only one word to describe this book:


"FANTASTIC"

Rating: 4 stars
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: 5 stars
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.


Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Another Page Turning Thriller By Ms. Gardner!!
Review: Ms. Gardner has penned yet again another fast-paced, edge or your seat thriller that you will be hard pressed to put down until you've managed to read the final page. Ms. Gardner manages to maintain the momentum in her latest thriller as well as keep you guessing who the deranged serial killer is until the final chapter.

Ms. Gardner brings back Special Agent Pierce Quincy, sassy, Rainie and Pierce's daughter Kim in her latest book. Kim is now on her way to being the FBI agent she always wanted to be. Problem is she is driven to be a super agent for all the wrong reason. She can't get past the fact that she blames herself for the death of her mother and sister at that hands of a man that she trusted and brought home to the family. On top of that her relationship with her father is strained at best. She keeps everyone at arms length and it's starting to effect her performance during her training. Then one day she makes a gruesome discovery. She finds a body on the FBI grounds during a PT run. This opens a whole new can of worms and she is drawn into investigating this crime with another law enforcement officer Micheal Mac McCormack together they will track down a sick killer and hopefully save the day for his young victim.

Mac has been tracking a killer for many years. He killed for awhile during a summer heat wave and then just dropped off the face of the earth. He knows the killer is still out there and goes to Quantico and FBI headquaters to get some much needed help. It seems the killer is getting ready to kill again. Someone has been calling him and playing riddle word games with him and he is not about to lose this game and another innocent victim. Can Mac and Kim figure out his clues in time to save the next victim?

This is a well crafted book. The fact that Ms. Gardner brings back old characters from past books only addes to the characterization of the story. This is very much Kim's story and her father plays only a small part but it's fun to see Pierce again. I highly recommend this book and this author as well if your interested in edge of your seat, keep you guessing books. This will make a perfect addition to your Summer reading list.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best read in a long while
Review: Once you start you can't put it down!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good but not great thriller does the job.
Review: Rookie FBI agent Kimberley Quincy is keeping it all in the family, for the family. Her father was once an agent himself, and now works as a consultant back to the authorities he once served. Both of them will always carry hurt. Kimberley's sister and mother were killed by someone who was supposed to be their friend, innocently brought into their tight family circle by an unsuspecting Kimberley. Joining the FBI to fight out her demons, and preferably with a nice big gun at hand, seemed like a good idea at the time.

Veering off the jogging path at Quantico, Kimberley finds the body of a young woman and with that finds the mission she has been unwittingly looking for. The military police do not want to attach the kill to someone who works on the base of the academy. A visiting agent from the Georgia Bureau knows immediately that this kill is the work of a killer he has been chasing for years, a deviant known as the Eco-Killer. This killer always hunts for pairs, and this time he has outdone himself. The victim had been out on the town the night she disappeared with not one, but three other friends. They are all missing. From experience Agent Michael McCormack knows he has to find the clues on the body that will lead him to the next victim - who will be already dying.

This is one of those thrillers that if you could enhance some aspects of the read (the captive scenes) and delete other inclusions (blah romance that was totally unnecessary) you would come up with an ideal read. Lisa Gardner excels in getting inside the minds of her victims and gives them their own starring roles, ensuring you never forget what all this frenetic clock-ticking activity is all about - saving someone's life. The tension as it all comes to a head near conclusion is of the fingernail biting variety. There's plenty of relationship sub plots going on to distract you from the chase, but knowing that someone will die unless the good guys get their acts together will always drive you forward. A highly entertaining read, not at all gritty but with plenty of the human drama that makes it all work well.


Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good but not great
Review: The Killing Hour has its moments. It is a fast read, the main plot is good and it is always interesting to be hot on the heels of an evil serial killer. But the characters are not really coming to life, and the usual 'stubborn heroine with a troubled past' is used too often.
Kimberly, the main character and heroine of the story, is a young FBI-trainee, and she is by coincidence and stubborness thrown into the investigation of a killer who has been killing for years. Kimberly is a troubled young woman with many demons, which is not making her life easier. She does not have any real friends, and her relationship with her father is neutral at best. When the serial killer starts dumping bodies close to the FBI training grounds, Kimberly cannot stay out of the investigation any more, even though her superiors has asked her to keep her nose out of it. Her father is an FBI agent who now has his own agency, and he suddenly shows up to help. Kimberly herself is also having personal motives to catch this killer, and while the time is running out, the clues comes together and it ends with a little twist which was just a little bit surprising. Hard core thriller readers will guess the identity of the killer long time before the final revelation.


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