He's copying famous serial killers and the game has just begun.
A woman is found murdered in the woods. It seems like a simple case but it soon escalates into a terrible nightmare. Someone is replicating the killing styles of the most infamous murderers of all time. No one knows this criminal's motives...or who will die next.
Two ex-Secret Service agents, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, have been hired to defend a man's innocence in a burglary involving an aristocratic, dysfunctional family. Then a series of secrets leads the partners right into the frantic hunt that is confounding even the FBI. Now King and Maxwell are playing the Hour Game, uncovering one horrifying revelation after another and putting their lives in danger. For the closer they get to the truth, the closer they get to the most shocking surprise of all.
--Hour Game by David Baldacci, Copyright ©2005 by David Baldacci
My Review
This is Book 2 in the Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series.
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have been hired by Harry Lee Carrick, a local attorney, to investigate a burglary involving one of Wrightsburg, Virginia’s most prominent and wealthiest families, the Battles. The case against his client, Junior Deaver, looks like a perfect slam dunk, but the more they look, the more it looks too perfect.
Meanwhile, a series of murder victims are showing up and the methods reflect those of famous serial killers of the past including The Zodiac and Son of Sam, among others. Each victim is found wearing a watch and each watch is set to the hour that reflects their count in the killer’s agenda (first victim one o’clock, second victim two o’clock, etc.). Given their backgrounds in the Secret Service, the local sheriff is only too glad to deputize King and Maxwell to help him solve these murders before the FBI does.
Can Sean and Michelle find out who’s behind the robbery at the Battles and at the same time figure out who’s killing off the citizens of Wrightsburg before anyone else is killed?
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have been hired by Harry Lee Carrick, a local attorney, to investigate a burglary involving one of Wrightsburg, Virginia’s most prominent and wealthiest families, the Battles. The case against his client, Junior Deaver, looks like a perfect slam dunk, but the more they look, the more it looks too perfect.
Meanwhile, a series of murder victims are showing up and the methods reflect those of famous serial killers of the past including The Zodiac and Son of Sam, among others. Each victim is found wearing a watch and each watch is set to the hour that reflects their count in the killer’s agenda (first victim one o’clock, second victim two o’clock, etc.). Given their backgrounds in the Secret Service, the local sheriff is only too glad to deputize King and Maxwell to help him solve these murders before the FBI does.
Can Sean and Michelle find out who’s behind the robbery at the Battles and at the same time figure out who’s killing off the citizens of Wrightsburg before anyone else is killed?
This is a complicated story with several different plots and sub-plots and a large cast of characters—almost too many—each with their own motives and secrets. It was difficult keeping everyone straight. Perhaps if I had been forewarned I could have taken notes, but I muddled through and I was pretty satisfied with the ending when King and Maxwell got their man (men?). However, I think the story suffered by being too complicated. There are those who enjoy deep, involved, interwoven plot lines and those who like to keep their stories simple. If you’re the simple type, you might want to give this story a pass.
Normally, when I start to read a new series, I start with the first book, but since I had listened to almost half of this book on a recent road trip, I decided I had to finish it before I went back to the first book, Split Second. I’m three-quarters of the way through that one and will have its review up soon.
I give this story THREE and a HALF STARS.
No comments:
Post a Comment