Rating: 
Summary: Good summer read.
Review: "At the Stroke of Madness," by Alex Kava, breaks no new ground. Maggie O'Dell is a recently divorced FBI profiler about to go on a much-needed vacation, when she gets a phone call from her friend, Gwen Patterson. Gwen, a psychologist, would like Maggie to look into the possible disappearance of a patient.
When Maggie agrees to help, she finds herself embroiled in a very ugly case. It turns out that there is an extremely sick man on the loose in the quiet town of Wallingford, Connecticut. This individual has been killing people for a most unusual reason. Will Maggie catch the killer before he strikes again?
If all this sounds routine, it is, but Kava's nicely depicted characters place this book a notch above the ordinary. There is Luc Racine, a retired postal worker who may have seen the killer. Sadly, Luc is afflicted with Alzheimer's, and his memory is unreliable. Dr. Adam Bonzado is a young and good-looking forensic anthropologist who has been called in to analyze the victims' bones, and when he starts working with Maggie, he finds himself attracted to her. Sheriff Henry Watermeier is close to retirement age. He would prefer not to get bogged down in such a difficult case when he should be taking it easy. Meanwhile, Maggie has some painful emotional baggage that troubles her, but she is determined not to let the past ruin her future.
"At the Stroke of Madness" moves along very quickly, and I finished it in less than a day. I recommend this book for readers who like a skillfully written, fast-paced, and entertaining mystery with an engrossing plot and well-drawn characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Growing Pains
Review: Alex Kava's first and third books in the Maggie O'Dell series are fresh and crisp. Lamentably, the second and this, the fourth, are transitional pieces that take more than a few plays from Thomas Harris and his Hannibal Lecter. Prior reviewers have already divulged more than you need to know about this book before you "Just Read It!" Clarice (er- FBI Agent/profiler Maggie) is back and a Hannibal-wannabe has killed a bunch of disparate disabled denizens and left their "improved" bodies in barrels at a Connecticut quarry. It might be a good idea to read the prior books in this series first, but, if you don't, at least you won't be disappointed that There Is No Nick! (To know Nick is to love him, but he is not to be found under these covers.) Harvey (no, he's not a 6 foot sometimes-invisible rabbit) *is* here, but there is foreboding that he might be going to another foster family in the next episode.
Reviewed by TundraVision, Amazon reviewer.
Rating:
Summary: A very good mystery with an unforgettable conclusion
Review: AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS is Alex Kava's newest Maggie O'Dell novel. It continues Kava's quiet --- actually almost understated --- development of the semi-loner FBI agent. Kava is content at this point to slowly develop O'Dell's background and personality, while carrying the novel primarily with the introduction of interesting, dangerous and frightening antagonists. O'Dell is starting some long overdue vacation time when she receives a call from her friend Gwen Patterson. Patterson, a psychologist, is concerned about Joan Begley, a patient of hers who left Patterson a cryptic voice mail message and then promptly went missing. Begley's last known location was Meriden, Connecticut where she was attending her grandmother's funeral. O'Dell does not take the disappearance seriously until the body of a woman is discovered in an industrial waste drum in an abandoned quarry near Meriden, a quiet, scenic community primarily known as a tourist stop at the turning of the leaves each autumn. O'Dell, motivated by guilt, travels to Connecticut on an unofficial basis to see if the murdered woman is, in fact, Begley. By the time O'Dell arrives, more bodies are unearthed and it becomes obvious that there is a serial killer at work in the area. Kava really does her forensic homework in AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS, and it should be noted that you don't want to be chomping down on a burger or steak while reading some of the passages. She also does an excellent job of misdirecting the reader as to the ultimate identity of the killer while providing a couple of clues as to who the fiend really is. With respect to O'Dell's personal life, Kava provides one bombshell and sets up the potential for another. AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS continues Kava's slow but sure development of O'Dell while continuing to demonstrate her ability to create unforgettable yet realistic monsters for her to apprehend. The conclusion of AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS is particularly unforgettable and may set the stage for a future O'Dell novel. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating: 
Summary: AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS
Review: AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS
Alex Kava Mira Hardcover
August 2003
A Maggie O'Dell Novel FBI Agent Maggie O'Dell is looking forward to a few days off from her job when her friend, psychologist Gwen Patterson, asks her to try to find one of Gwen's patients, Joan Begley, who has disappeared. Joan had gone to Wallingford, Connecticut for her grandmother's funeral and left a voice mail to Gwen that she had met a wonderful man; that was several days ago and no one has heard from her since. A reluctant, off duty, Maggie is drawn into one of the most bizarre cases in her career when she arrives in Wallingford. Bodies sealed in barrels have been unearthed in a deserted rock quarry; each body has a different vital organ removed. The good news is that none of the bodies found is Joan Begley; the bad news is that a serial killer has been at work in the area for several years. Luc Racine, father of D.C. Detective Julia Racine who we met in "The Soul Catcher", is a retired postman. Luc's little dog, Scrapple, unearthed a badly composed human foot and brought it home to Luc. The foot undoubtedly came from the quarry, according to Sheriff Henry Watermeier. Luc is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, a fact he is hiding from his daughter, and admits that Scrapple has brought home several bones in the past that he, Luc, believed were from dead coyotes. Luc was the last person to see Joan Begley when he gave her directions to an address she was looking for. The killer is afraid that Luc might remember more about the bodies that were dumped and about seeing Joan; Luc is now a target because his body contains something the slaughterer would like to have for his eerie collection. AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS is another "wow" thriller by the talented Alex Kava. The killer walks among the cast of characters assembled in this superbly told story, and Ms. Kava deftly drops subtle hints as to his identity. Maggie is now officially divorced and is ready to get on with the rest of her life, which is looking good on the personal side in more ways than one. AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS is a fast moving, intelligent, intriguing, and vastly entertaining story spun by a master storyteller. Betty Cox for readertoreader.com
Member of Reviewer's Intenational Organization
Rating:
Summary: Missing a Bit of Spark
Review: FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell travels to Connecticut when her friend, a psychiatrist, worries about a missing client. Bodies missing bits are discovered in barrels in an abandoned rock quarry. A good, fast read, bit missing a bit of spark. (A)
Rating:
Summary: At The Stroke of Madness
Review: I am an Alex Kava fan and loved her first two books. However, I am still waiting for the loose ends to be tied up from the first book. If this new book doesn't continue and tie in what kept me coming back for more, and satisfy my curiosity about the characters still in limbo, I won't purchase her again.
Rating:
Summary: Great New Author
Review: I am so happy my friend and I found Alex Kava. Have read all of her books and find them extremely interesting. Cannot wait for her new one to be released. She keeps you guessing..........
Rating:
Summary: Good But Gory
Review: I enjoyed this author's style and direct approach, but found him a little to easy to decipher....I felt like I "found" the killer at about the one-third point in the book....and was even more sure two-thirds through it. Sure enough....it was the one. I love a good mystery........and the harder to solve the better.. This author was a little too gory for me....but perfect if you enjoy the "Friday the 13th and Jason" movies.
Rating:
Summary: I'd give it ten stars, if I could. The best Kava book yet!
Review: I have read all of Alex Kava's books and have thoroughly enjoyed watching this wonderful storyteller grow with each novel. The writing in this newest one is excellent, and I love the characters. Luc is my favorite. Kava's sure touch and sensitivity enabled her to portray this Alzheimer's patient in a non-sentimental, realistic way that truly moved me. And, of course, the tale she spins is exactly what thriller fans are looking for. I had to smile at one of the journal reviews above that mentioned the lack of romance and humor, as if this were a failing in a thriller novel. Actually, it's the mark of the best -- a story that maintains the mood and excitement throughout without unnecessary digressions into the crutches of romance and/or humor. There is a bit of romance in this book, but it feeds the character development of both Tully and Gwen (both are recurring characters in Kava's books) and it is handled very well. Something else I appreciated was Kava's sense of place (I could easily imagine the Connecticut countryside where her story takes place, and the cozy little bookstore that appears in the narrative). Ms. Kava, please write faster and put out more than one book a year!
Rating: 
Summary: Weakest of the bunch
Review: I love Alex Kava, but this book is the weakest of the Maggie O'Dell series. People are forgotten in the book and never reapper, it seems as if the ending was rushed.
| 
