Books

Average customer rating:

A Real Thriller from Start to Finish
Wow! Could not put it down.
The Difference between cooking and writing
An intriguing, beguiling, suspenseful tale right to the end!
Good story until the rediculous ending!

Split Second
David Baldacci
Manufacturer: Hachette Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

Unabridged | Literature & Fiction | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

Politics | Nonfiction | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

General | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

Movie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Political | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Hour Game
Last Man Standing
The Winner
Saving Faith
The Simple Truth

ASIN: 1586215833
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Book Description

From #1 bestseller David Baldacci comes a new thriller reminiscent of his phenomenal bestselling debut, Absolute Power.It was only a split second--but that's all it took for Secret Service agent Sean King's attention to wander and his "protectee," third-party presidential candidate Clyde Ritter, to die. King retired from the Service in disgrace, and now, eight years later, balances careers as a lawyer and a part-time deputy sheriff in a small Virginia town. Then he hears the news: Once again, a third-party candidate has been taken out of the presidential race--abducted right under the nose of Secret Service agent Michelle Maxwell. King and Maxwell form an uneasy alliance, and their search for answers becomes a bid for redemption as they delve into the government's Witness Protection Program and the mysterious past of Clyde Ritter's dead assassin. But the truth is never quite what it seems, and these two agents have learned that even one moment looking in the wrong direction can be deadly. Full of shocking twists and turns, and introducing a villian to rival Jackson in Baldacci's The Winner, SPLIT SECOND is pure, mind-numbing adrenaline to the last page.

Download Description

"eBook Special Feature:? David Baldacci's personal thoughts on writing The Simple Truth and The Christmas Train? Includes excerpts from The Simple Truth and The Christmas Train. It was only a split second;but that's all it took for Secret Service agent Sean King's attention to wander and his "protectee," third-party presidential candidate Clyde Ritter, to die. King retired from the Service in disgrace, and now, eight years later, balances careers as a lawyer and a part-time deputy sheriff in a small Virginia town. Then he hears the news: Once again, a third-party candidate has been taken out of the presidential race;abducted right under the nose of Secret Service agent Michelle Maxwell. King and Maxwell form an uneasy alliance, and their search for answers becomes a bid for redemption as they delve into the government's Witness Protection Program and the mysterious past of Clyde Ritter's dead assassin. But the truth is never quite what it seems, and these two agents have learned that even one moment looking in the wrong direction can be deadly. Full of shocking twists and turns, and introducing a villian to rival Jackson in Baldacci's The Winner, SPLIT SECOND is pure, mind-numbing adrenaline to the last page."

Customer Reviews:

A Real Thriller from Start to Finish.......2007-06-17

David Baldacci was born in 1960. He attended law school at the University of Virginia, and went on to work as a trial lawyer, and later as a corporate lawyer, in Washington, D.C. He is now a full-time writer whose best selling novels include Absolute Power, Total Control, The Winner, The Simple Truth and Saving Faith. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.

The author has come up with a new thriller that is reminiscent of his best selling debut book, Absolute Power. It has all of the thrills and excitement of a first rate novel.

Sean King is going place in the closed world of the Secret Service, that is until he makes a fatal mistake. It only took a split second, but that is all it took for a man to die, a man who was under the protection of agent King. Third party presidential candidate Clyde Ritter was dead and Sean King's attention had wandered at the vital moment. He retired from the Service in disgrace and now eight long years later he balances careers as a lawyer and part-time deputy sheriff in a small Virginia town.

Then he hears some news. Another third part candidate has been taken out of the presidential race, abducted right under the nose of Secret Service agent Michelle Maxwell. King thinks its time to take another look at the truth of the matter and forms an uneasy alliance with Michelle Maxwell. But the truth is never quite what it seems and even one unguarded moment can be fatal. The book is full of twists and turns and is well worth reading.

Wow! Could not put it down........2007-05-08

I had read this book a couple of years ago and liked it then and recently read it again. It seems like it was better the second time around. Could not put it down.

I love how the whole story just seemed to tie in to the conclusion.

You will enjoy it.

The Difference between cooking and writing.......2007-04-17

When cooking or following a recipe, there are few constraints. When writing a formula novel, there are many constraints. In addition to the author's work, the editor and the agent have specific constraints. We must have action, we don't need character development. We must have action, we don't need insight into the cardboard characters.

The Gaussian curve applies to writers as well as coin tosses. This author is not at the top end of the curve. Ah well, there's always Charles Dickens.

An intriguing, beguiling, suspenseful tale right to the end! .......2006-11-03

After reading Stuart Woods, Andrew Greeley/Nelson Demille, what does one expect from the creator of 10 Top, New-York Times No.1 best sellers. After years of being away from David Baldacci, I can say,"I'm glad to be back at home!" Even though switching-off to Iris Johansen, I still was compelled to finish the Split Second, first!

The story takes fascinating twists & turns through rapidly moving stages and intriguing personalities, as Secret Agents in the CIA, FBI and Federal Witness Protection Program! Sean Ignatius King, Michelle Maxwell, Joan Dillenger are focused characters in swiftly moving tales of assassination, betrayal, kidnapping, murder and plots of careful planning to be objects of continued search over periods of Vetnamese and Watergate cover-ups! The areas covered are basically in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina.

There were some familiar areas touched upon by Baldacci, that reminded me of being back home in East Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains! It is one superbly continual spinning-out of profoundly suspense-filled engrossing drama... At least 5 or 6 stars. Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood

Good story until the rediculous ending!.......2006-08-08

This was a really interesting story. Wonderful political plot with endless possibilities as to who the true villan might be. Once I got toward the end and the villan and his motives were revealed, what a bummer! This was lame, lame, lame. Is that the best he could do? Not at the top of my most recommended reads for the summer!

Average customer rating:

Great Book Series
Serial Killing 101?
Two in a Row
Maggie is Great
Ms. Kava Is On Her Way!!

Split Second (Mira (Audio))
Alex Kava
Manufacturer: DH Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Literature & Fiction | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

Thriller | Mystery & Thrillers | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

General | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Soul Catcher: A Maggie O'Dell Novel
At the Stroke of Madness (Mira)
A Perfect Evil (Maggie O'Dell Novels)
A Necessary Evil (Maggie O'Dell Novels)
One False Move (MIRA)

ASIN: 155204274X

Book Description

They dubbed him the Collector -- so named for his ritual of collecting victims before disposing of them in the most heinous ways possible.
FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell spent two years tracking him down, caught in a game of cat and mouse that left her forever marked by this killer.

Now Albert Stucky has escaped from prison. And he is setting up a new game to draw Maggie back into the chase.

Some say Maggie O'Dell has lost it -- lost the professional edge that makes her one of the best criminal profilers, and lost her ability to think clearly. Since capturing Stucky she's been walking a tightwire, battling nightmares and the guilt over the victims she couldn't save. Now with news of his escape, she's been taken out of the field until he's caught again. But Magge knows the truth: only she can see into the twisted mind of this madman. Only she can catch him. Albert Stucky wouldn't have it any other way.

When it becomes undeniable that Stucky's trail of victims is leading closer and closer to Maggie, the Bureau puts her back on the case. Under the supervision of Special Agent R.J. Tully, Maggie joins the hunt for a pyschopath who continues to stay one bloody step ahead of them. And, once again under the control of a cunning killer, Maggie finds herself pushed to the very edge.

What ultimately, is Maggie O'Dell capable of? Has her desire to stop Albert Stucky -- to make him look into her eyes before she ends the game once and for all -- become a matter of personal vengeance? Has she crossed that line in her need to make him suffer as he's made others suffer? And is this Stucky's game -- to turn Special Agent O'Dell into a monster?

As Split Second races toward its inevitable climax, Alex Kava paints a chilling, unflinching portrait of the human psyche pushed past its limits. A runaway train of riveting suspense and heart-pounding drama, Split Second is a provocative, bold look at the nature of good and evil in all of us.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book Series.......2005-12-23

I really enjoyed reading the O'Dell series by Alex Kava. I can't wait until A Necessary Evil comes out. This is a great book, all of them are great reads. If you do read them make sure you read them in order: A Perfect Evil, Split Second, Soul Catcher, At The Stroke of Madness, and coming in February 2006 A Necessary Evil. These are page turning books that you just can't get tired of reading. They were so good, I read all four within a month!

Serial Killing 101?.......2005-11-19

I won't deny the book has its thrilling moments hence the 3 star rating but overall it's formulaic write by numbers stuff where the world's stupidest serial killer is obsessed with the world's stupidest FBI profiler. Yes it certainly has some scarey and gory moments but if you actually start to think about the plot you might wonder why no-one in the FBI even the wonderful Maggie considers that it might be worth investigating the close business associate of an escaped serial killer? Where a killer sets out to implicate the man, whose identity he plans to assume, in a series of murders? Worst of all is Maggie who is supposed to be this hot shot profiler - despite the fact that the killer has targeted several women such as waitresses whom she had a friendly conversation with - it's only after the THIRD death that it occurs to her than - duh - it might be a good idea to stop bonding with every friendly shop assistant she meets! Nor does anyone think to use this pattern to trap the killer ...

Right from the beginning you can see how this story is headed - will this supposedly experienced FBI agent end up ignoring all protocol and common sense and confronting the killer on her own (like apparently she did in the last book and nearly got killed)?Alex Kava isn't a bad writer and I have to say her next book sounds better from the extract at the back but she was definitely crusing on autopilot when she wrote this one ...

Two in a Row.......2005-07-03

Ms Kava's has done it again. This book was just as good as the first one. It really kept me on the edge of my seat. I am looking forward to number three, I hope it is as good as the first two.

Maggie is Great.......2005-04-17

Maggie is a great character. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat with non-stop action. A friend recommended this book and I really enjoyed it.

Ms. Kava Is On Her Way!!.......2004-03-13

Ms. Kava is on her way to becoming a very good suspense writer. Her second book "Split Second" has the scary and chilling killer, the strong and willful heroine (Agent Maggie O'Dell from the first book) and plenty of spine chilling suspense that will keep you glued to the pages until the very end.

This was a fast paced read and one that I highly recommend. Ms. Kava is a fresh new voice to this genre and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Books:

Books