Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Fireproof
    Unavailable
    Fireproof
    Unavailable
    Fireproof
    Audiobook7 hours

    Fireproof

    Written by Alex Kava

    Narrated by Tanya Eby

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    When an abandoned warehouse in Washington, D.C., bursts into flames on a cold winter night, the first investigators on the scene instantly spot similarities to a string of recent fires in the area. There is one difference, however: This one has a human casualty. The local team insists the murder is an isolated incident, concluding that the culprit must be a bored young man suffering from an uncontrollable impulse to act out anger and sexual aggression. But when Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is called in, everything she sees indicates that this is the work of a far more dangerous and calculating criminal.

    Jeffery Cole, a reporter looking for his big break, is also at the scene of the crime and decides to make Maggie part of his news piece, putting the spotlight on her and digging up aspects of her past she would rather forget. Maggie's half brother, Patrick, is back in D.C. too, working for a private firefighting company, and he is frequently called in as these fires continue to light up around the city.

    As the acts of arson become more brazen and bodies keep turning up, Maggie's professional and personal worlds begin to collide dangerously. She starts to fear for Patrick's safety as he is sent into the flames set by this madman again and again, and Jeffery is becoming a very unwelcome distraction. Meanwhile, the arsonist-murderer may be much closer than Maggie imagines.

    Fast-paced and filled with haunting imagery of raging fires and smoke-blackened skies, this sizzling addition to the Maggie O'Dell series is Alex Kava's most thrilling work yet.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJul 10, 2012
    ISBN9781455856817
    Unavailable
    Fireproof
    Author

    Alex Kava

    ALEX KAVA GREW UP IN THE COUNTRY outside Silver Creek, Nebraska. She earned a bachelor's degree in art and English from College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska.  She has done a variety of jobs, from working as a hospital tech, cleaning and sterilizing utensils from surgery, pathology and the morgue, to running her own graphic design firm, designing national food labels and directing television and radio commercials. IN 1996 SHE QUIT HER JOB as a public relations director to dedicate herself to writing a novel and getting published. To pay the bills, she refinanced her home, maxed out her credit cards and even took on a newspaper delivery route. TODAY, ALEX IS A NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR of psychological suspense novels.  Her Maggie O'Dell series, comprised of A Perfect Evil, Split Second, The Soul Catcher, At the Stroke of Madness, A Necessary Evil, Exposed and Black Friday along with her stand-alone novels, One False Move and Whitewash, have been widely praised by critics and fans. They have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. Her books have been published in twenty-four countries and have hit the bestseller lists in Australia, Germany, Poland, Italy and the UK.  She is also one of the featured writers in the anthology Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night, edited by James Patterson. ONE FALSE MOVE WAS SELECTED AS Nebraska's 2006 One Book One Nebraska.  (My Antonia by Willa Cather was the 2005 selection).  In 2007 Alex was awarded the Mari Sandoz Award by the Nebraska Library Association. Whitewash made January Magazine's list of best thrillers for 2007. Exposed,Black Friday and 2011's DAMAGED received starred reviews by Publishers Weekly.   2010 marked Alex's ten year anniversary as an author with the publication of her tenth novel, Damaged (Doubleday, July 13th). HOTWIRE, her ninth Maggie O'Dell will be released July 12th, 2011. She also has co-authored two short stories in anthologies to be published in June and August: First Thrills, edited by Lee Child (After Dark, co-authored with Deb Carlin) and Florida Heat Wave, edited by Michael Lister (A Breath of Hot Air, co-authored with Patricia Bremmer is now on KINDLE. ALEX WRITES FULL-TIME AND LIVES IN Omaha, Nebraska and Pensacola, Florida (where her 2010 book, Damaged is set).  She is a member of International Thrillers Writers.    

    More audiobooks from Alex Kava

    Related to Fireproof

    Related audiobooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Neo-noir Under Smoke

      Aug 1, 2021

      Neo-noir Under Smoke
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Gloaming

      Jan 2, 2020

      The Gloaming
      1 min read

    • Article

      Great Reads

      Apr 8, 2023

      By Joanna Jenkins Gavin Jones is dead at thirty-nine. As an in-house lawyer who controlled millions of dollars in fees per year, he was legal firm Howard Greene's biggest client and wielded that power with manipulative contempt. But he saved his wors

      1 min read

    • Article

      THE Books You Should Have On Your To-read List.

      Jan 8, 2020

      ★★★★ IN the new thriller with James Patterson’s name to it we meet up with FBI agent Emmy Dockery again. She’s young and driven, and her unique skill at seeing connections others have missed has earned her an impressive string of arrests. However, a

      1 min read

    • Article

      Ed Trip

      Sep 14, 2023

      Ed Trip
      2 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Apr 1, 2020

      It’s always an exciting moment when the Queen of Crime announces her latest book – and, in this case, a new series. Lynda La Plante’s brand-new hero DC Jack Warr finds himself drawn into a chilling investigation after moving to London. When a badly b

      1 min read

    • Article

      Pear-shaped In The Big Apple

      Oct 18, 2020

      Pear-shaped In The Big Apple
      2 min read

    • Article

      Whydunnit

      Apr 6, 2018

      The great American novel is now a massive international hit YA [young adult] book with film rights and merchandising," an agent tells a struggling writer in the recent Netflix comedy series Friends From College. It's a disparaging statement, but a tr

      1 min read

    • Article

      Little Girl Lost

      Mar 21, 2021

      Little Girl Lost
      2 min read

    • Article

      Sanctuary

      Aug 14, 2019

      Sanctuary
      1 min read

    • Article

      The Real Star Of ‘The Undoing’? Nicole Kidman’s Monster Eyeballs

      Dec 5, 2020

      HBO’s The Undoing is a perfectly fine six-episode miniseries about a couple, Grace and Jonathan Fraser (Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant), whose marriage and privileged lives implode when Jonathan is accused of murdering his mistress. The plot, based on

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Real Star Of ‘The Undoing’? Nicole Kidman’s Eyeballs

      Dec 5, 2020

      HBO’s The Undoing is a perfectly fine six-episode miniseries about a couple, Grace and Jonathan Fraser (Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant), whose marriage and privileged lives implode when Jonathan is accused of murdering his mistress. The plot, based on

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Real Star Of ‘The Undoing’? Nicole Kidman’s Monster Eyeballs

      Dec 5, 2020

      HBO’s The Undoing is a perfectly fine six-episode miniseries about a couple, Grace and Jonathan Fraser (Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant), whose marriage and privileged lives implode when Jonathan is accused of murdering his mistress. The plot, based on

      2 min read

    • Article

      Kiwi Whodunnit

      Dec 11, 2022

      A creepy old hotel, a young woman coming home to reckon with her past, two missing girls who look spookily alike. That is the basis for Waikato author Nikki Crutchley’s latest crime mystery. She takes us to the fictional New Zealand town of Everly, w

      2 min read

    • Article

      Humour, Spies, And Combating COVID-19

      Dec 2, 2022

      From the terror of Top Gear to … a terror on a tractor? Clarkson readily admits this is one steering wheel that he's not safe behind. His previous Diddly Squat: A Year On The Farm chronicled how he decided to turn gentleman farmer and answer his own

      2 min read

    • Article

      Powder Player

      Dec 7, 2023

      Powder Player
      2 min read

    • Article

      Books Of The Month

      Mar 24, 2023

      By Liz Nugent Sally doesn’t see why everyone is up in arms when she attempts to incinerate her adoptive father’s corpse. Psychiatrist Thomas Diamond, to whom she was case study as much as daughter and with whom she has lived a reclusive life in an is

      2 min read

    Reviews for Fireproof

    3.5/5

    84 ratings25 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Fireproof
      3.5 Stars

      A serial arsonist is active in the D.C. area and Agent Maggie O'Dell and her partner, R. J. Tully, are hot on his trail. Unfortunately, a ratings hungry journalist also takes an interest in Maggie, and is not above using her personal and professional lives to further his career even if it exposes her to a killer.

      The plot is fast paced, and the investigation into the arson cases and the possible serial killer connection keep the pages turning. That said, there isn't much in the way of character development and the book ends on a semi-cliffhanger.

      The most common complaints about this series are 1) Maggie fails to learn and grow as an individual, and second, she never actually does any profiling even though she is an FBI profiler. Anyone expecting differently in this installment is bound to be disappointed. Maggie's personal life is stagnating and her professional skills are limited to chasing suspects, visiting the medical examiner and discussing the case with her colleagues.

      Nevertheless, Kava's writing style is very engaging and she has a way of presenting characters that evokes an emotional response in the reader whether it is empathy or sympathy, fear or anger. Moreover, the details of the arson case and the question of whether the human fatalities were intended or accidental are very compelling.

      Overall, fans of the series will enjoy this one, but readers in it for insight or growth in Maggie's character, or that of Tully, Julia, Ben or Gwen, will end up being frustrated. The open ending may also be an irritant for some, but for me the hook is baited and it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the next book.
    • 3/5
      It was a little thin, but still a good read. Part of a series, and that tends to mean that you don't actually get to read some of what makes a character do what she does because those who read the others already know. But then again, I prefer that when reading a series to reading little mini-summaries of the previous books so that the late-comers can catch up.

      It wasn't awesome enough to make me pull up all of Alex's previous book, but it was good enough that I'd give another one a shot.
    • 5/5
      I love this series and was very happy to receive Fireproof to read and review. This is another great continuation of the Maggie O'Dell series. Kava has a way of keeping the reader guessing and on the edge of their seat.
    • 3/5
      10th in the Maggie O'Dell series. A quick read. I knew who "who done it" very early on, and I found it to be a bit too gory/graphic for my taste
    • 4/5
      I really like Alex Kava's writing and have read all of her books. She skillfully weaves all the strands of Maggie's personal and professional lives together to create excellent, fast paced novels. In this novel, Maggie is still suffering from the head wound inflicted in the last book and fights determinedly to overcome the debilitating effects. Our insight into her personal life is expanding with the inclusion of her half brother Patrick and her mother. As usual her friend Julia Racine plays a crucial part in the plot. Overall, an excellent read.
    • 2/5
      A bit slow to start, it took me a while to get into this book. Overall, a decent story, but nothing left this book to stand out amongst the others in the genre. I wish I liked Maggie more than I do!
    • 3/5
      This was my third Maggie O'Dell book in the series, I don't know why I keep jumping around (so unlke me) but perhaps neither of the other two books grabbed me enough to make me commit to the series but I think this one did. I really like Maggie's characater (and her brother Patrick, I hope he sticks around). I'd pretty much figured the ending from the get-go but I give credit to Kava to throwing in some twists to make me question my theory as to who the arsonist/murder was and why, but ultimately I was right. Good entertaining read while stuck inside this winter.
    • 5/5
      I don't think there is any Maggie O'Dell book I don't love! From book one (A Perfect Evil) I was hooked on Maggie and read the first 7 books back to back. Maggie is back again and she is now confronting a case that drills into one of her greatest fears, fires. With each turn of the page you wonder will she (Tully and Racine) figure out who it is that is starting these fires, how many people will die. Can they come up with a profile that leads to an arsonist and killer? Are the murders from the first scene related to the fires? You will only know if you read this awesome book.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! A fun, fast page turner which is just my kind of read. I have enjoyed it so much I will now have another Author to love and follow, this can be a curse as well a blessing... Maggie O'Dell is a FBI profiler with a secret, she is trying to hide the fact that she is still recovering from her latest head injury when sent to the scene of what appears to be a random Warehouse fire, that is until a few bodies are found bludgeoned to death and more fires are being set all over the city. I liked the characters in this book, from the relationship she has with her newly found step brother the firefighter, her pal Tully, even the nasty reporter Cole and will she ever get together with the elusive Benjamin? The story line kept me guessing and the verbiage kept me smiling and turning the pages until the very satisfying ending
    • 4/5
      Fireproof by Alex Kava is another in the Maggie O’Dell series. It is a quick read with a similar format as I found in one of her previous books in this series, Damaged, with several story lines growing parallel and not intersecting. One will be the preparation for the next book. In this story we have the police force finding similarities in a string of fires. Jeffery Cole is a local reporter trying to get that one story that will make him famous. Maggie is struggling with a head injury and instead of getting medical care, she is trying to “tough it out”. Her character is the tough and self sufficient law enforcement officer who prefers to go it alone. We do find her opening up her life and her home to her recently discovered half-brother. Patrick. He is a welcome addition to this series as a private firefighter. The interaction with Maggie, Patrick and Maggie’s mother was the personal touch this book needed. Her personal life still suffers. Her maybe, almost, but not really love interest, Benjamin Platt, is a romance that seems to be going nowhere and was a waste of time in this book. Detective Julia Racine played a larger part in this book, becoming more of a main and the politically correct character, taking too much focus off of Maggie.The story of the serial arsonist kept me guessing with twists and then end left me prepared for her next book.
    • 4/5
      This is the 10th book in the series and it's the 3rd one I have read. It also happens to be my favorite so far. Maggie has a lot on her mind, including the fact her brother is now living with her. She's still trying to recover from her near death experience in Nebraska (last book). She has been sent to try and help profile a recent rash of arson fires happening around Washington D.C. and so far she hasn't had much luck. Part of the problem is the ATF guy in charge seems to be stonewalling getting her the information she needs. On top of all this she attracts the attention of a pesky news reporter who decides to run a special on her in prime time TV. Overall it was a pretty fast paced book and it was an enjoyable read. Kava gets a full 4 stars in this one because she was able to keep me off balance enough to never solidly decide on who dun it. That doesn't happen very often and she played the clues well I thought. Though the first clue the really through me off wasn't explained in this book, though I think the next one should be very interesting.
    • 5/5
      This is the first Maggie O'Dell book that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are well developed - I really appreciated the author taking the time to develop the on-going characters for first time readers of the series. The plot was great and although the mystery was pretty easy to figure out it kept my attention the whole time. It is a fast and fun read. I plan to go back and read the previous books in the series and look forward to the next installment.
    • 3/5
      Agent Maggie O'Dell, still dealing with trauma from being previously wounded, is called onto a case involving serial arson, which has suddenly begun to include bodies. In her personal life, a half-brother with whom she has only recently established contact, and a drama-queen mother provide stress. Add to that, a hot-shot CNN reporter, who is not only johnny-on-the-spot at each arson scene, but is making an expose of Maggie herself one of the centerpieces of his career. With skill, Ms. Kava blends this mixture into a satisfying thriller. I liked it.
    • 5/5
      I received this book from the Early Reviewer program. I have read all of the Maggie O'Dell books and to be completely honest, I had not been all that impressed with the previous two installments. However this didn't stop me from wanting to give this book a try. And I am definitely glad that I did not give up on Maggie. This book was a million times better than the two before it. It was as if the old Maggie was back. And what a wonderful feeling that was!In this particular book we get a lot more interaction between Patrick and Maggie and Maggie and Racine. Tully was also present, but played a much smaller role than before. I think part of my complaint about the two previous books in this series was that Maggie seemed to play a supporting role rather than be the main character. But in this installment, she was back front and center. While the arsonist was very predictable, there really wasn't any finality to it. He could be brought back. But what will definitely (or at least should be) the main focus of the 11th O'Dell book is the serial killer that was a continuous running sub-plot throughout this book. It will be very interesting to see where Ms. Kava takes that storyline, because the reader only gets such a small glimpse into him in this book. Overall I would highly recommend this book. And while I definitely would tell people to start from the beginning of this series, I am pretty confident that you could start with this book and be hooked to the series where you would want to go back and read the previous books. I wouldn't necessarily say it could work as a standalone book, but I don't think that readers would be too terribly confused in the long run because there are enough references to previous books to fill in some gaps. Very well done, Ms. Kava. It's great to see Maggie back in such a strong way.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this latest Maggie O'Dell book. Not so much for the mystery as it was pretty easy to figure out who done it! I did enjoy the characters and I am happy that Patrick was featured more in this book and a possible love interest was introduced for him. As for the storyline, the whole book is pretty much a red herring book for a future book in my opinion! Kind of an "oh look over here!!" while at the same time planting seeds for the next book which sounds like the better story. I just discovered Alex Kava about a year ago and zoomed through all of her other books so I am not complaining here and very much looking forward to seeing all of the characters back again soon!
    • 2/5
      This was my first Alex Kava novel, it could be my last. While the story line at times was fast paced and intriguing, it was also redundant and predictable. Way too much time was spent on catching the reader up on the background of Maggie O'Dell the protagonist. I understand that this is a series and that Maggie has a past, I don't need every detail. The main story of the arsonist was predictable and boring. The sub-story of the serial murderer was enthralling but it was just a taste for what I am guessing is the NEXT novel. I really enjoy reading series of books, but I believe that each book should stand on it's own. I like to read series starting with the first book, but I believe that I should be able to pick up any book in the series and have the basic understanding of the main characters. A really big disappointment.
    • 4/5
      Maggie O'Dell is back and in far better form that the two previous novels. Kava has rekindled my love affair with her distinct and exceptional character. As always, her work is lovingly and exquisitely researched, and the plot of this particular novel is far more bracing and exciting than her last few.
    • 3/5
      I can only give the book three stars due my not completing the book. I chose not to finish it because I want to read the series from the beginning. Fireproof (what I read to) was face-paced, thrilling, and left me wanting to know more. However, the author was filling in blanks from previous books, presumably so those who just started with Fireproof could have some back story. The author does a remarkable job, however I want to read the books to fully understand the characters. I look forward to beginning with book #1.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! A fun, fast page turner which is just my kind of read. I have enjoyed it so much I will now have another Author to love and follow, this can be a curse as well a blessing... Maggie O'Dell is a FBI profiler with a secret, she is trying to hide the fact that she is still recovering from her latest head injury when sent to the scene of what appears to be a random Warehouse fire, that is until a few bodies are found bludgeoned to death and more fires are being set all over the city. I liked the characters in this book, from the relationship she has with her newly found step brother the firefighter, her pal Tully, even the nasty reporter Cole and will she ever get together with the elusive Benjamin? The story line kept me guessing and the verbiage kept me smiling and turning the pages until the very satisfying ending
    • 4/5
      Maggie O’Dell is an FBI profiler who is trying to hide the fact that she’s still having issues from being shot in the head in a prior book when she is sent to the scene of a blazing warehouse. This isn’t the first, but one of a string of fires, although it’s the first one where a body is found. And it’s obvious the person didn’t die from the fire. This is my first Alex Kava novel and it sucked me in right away not only from the FBI’s point of view as they work the case, but also of the perp, the homeless man who finds the body as well as a news crew that happened to get to the scene early. What I found was a very tight story with short chapters as the point of view switches to different people. This technique works very well for this story, giving well-rounded insights as well as keeping suspense alive as we don’t know until the end just who is setting the fires. There are plenty of secondary characters that apparently are in many of the books. This book easily stands on its own by giving us more than “just enough” detail to explain the relationship Maggie has with each person. It left me wanting not only future books, but all of the prior ones to read about each of the things mentioned that helped shape Maggie into the person and situation she is in today.I do have to say, though, that I found the reveal rather anti-climatic; at least from the FBI’s end of things. There is a cliffhanger, and I’m not complaining about that, but without giving too much away we know some of the who and the assumption on why but the method of confirmation left me wondering if this aspect is considered wrapped up or not.Received free for review via Library Thing.
    • 4/5
      Fireproof by Alex Kava is another in the Maggie O’Dell series. It is a quick read with a similar format as I found in one of her previous books in this series, Damaged, with several story lines growing parallel and not intersecting. One will be the preparation for the next book. In this story we have the police force finding similarities in a string of fires. Jeffery Cole is a local reporter trying to get that one story that will make him famous. Maggie is struggling with a head injury and instead of getting medical care, she is trying to “tough it out”. Her character is the tough and self sufficient law enforcement officer who prefers to go it alone. We do find her opening up her life and her home to her recently discovered half-brother. Patrick. He is a welcome addition to this series as a private firefighter. The interaction with Maggie, Patrick and Maggie’s mother was the personal touch this book needed. Her personal life still suffers. Her maybe, almost, but not really love interest, Benjamin Platt, is a romance that seems to be going nowhere and was a waste of time in this book. Detective Julia Racine played a larger part in this book, becoming more of a main and the politically correct character, taking too much focus off of Maggie.The story of the serial arsonist kept me guessing with twists and then end left me prepared for her next book.
    • 3/5
      When a building bursts into flames on a cold winter night in D.C., investigators see a resemblance to a string of recent fires in the area. There is one difference, however: This one has a human casualty. The local team insists they're looking for a young white male, suffering from an uncontrollable impulse to act out his anger or sexual aggression. But when special agent Maggie O'Dell is called in, everything she sees leads her to believe that this is the work of a calculating and controlled criminal.Jeffery Cole, a reporter looking for his big break, is also at the scene of the crime and decides to make Maggie part of his news piece, digging up aspects of her past that she would rather forget. Maggie's brother Patrick is also back in DC where he is working for a private firefighting company and is frequently called in as these fires continue to light up around the city. As the acts of arson become more brazen, Maggie's professional and personal worlds begin to collide dangerously. The killer may be closer than she imagines.My Thoughts:This is installment no 10 in the Maggie O’Dell novels. I have read all of these in order as I do think it is best sometimes as you get to know the characters.This book I can look at two ways. Firstly it is an average thriller with likeable cahracters. Not so many twists and turns but it does have a bit of a cliffhanger which may follow on in book 11 next year.OrIt’s a Maggie O’Dell novel which has lost it sparkle. That reason being is that in the earlier novels there was Nick Morrelli who was really hot and was a potential love interest for Maggie. In the earlier books I couldn’t read them fast enough. Now with Nick not in the last few novels the books have lost that spark. It would be really fun if Ms Kava could get the reader to reach the last page to the last sentence and have Nick turn up at maggie’s door and bring back that bit of magic that was making the books five stars rather than three.This book can be read as a stand alone thriller but the earlier books are well worth searching out.
    • 4/5
      Alex Kava’s most recent book, Fireproof, is the 10th book in this series. I really enjoyed this book, but I have enjoyed reading the other nine as well. If you are a fan of James Patterson or Stephen White, you become a fan of Alex Kava. I believe that this book could be read as a stand-alone, but I would recommend reading the entire series.
    • 3/5
      FIREPROOF By Alex KavaI first met Alex Kava a few years ago at a BookExpo in New York City, at the time she was writing the Maggie O’Dell thrillers for Harlequin. When I heard the publisher Harlequin I automatically associated anything from them as romance and fluff…I now stand corrected.Even though she has since changed publishers, Ms. Kava’s novels are anything but high caliber, tough as nails storytelling.. At the center of all of her thrillers is Special Agent Maggie O’Dell operating out of Washington D.C. FIREPROOF opens with Maggie O’Dell recovering from a head wound suffered in a previous novel. What begins as a random arsonist setting fire to an abandoned warehouse turns into a out of control fire set emotionally with the appearance of her half brother and a labyrinth of twists and turns where nothing is as it seems…Hard hitting and edgy and a satisfying read…Jim MunchelBooks A MillionHarrisburg, Pa. 17102
    • 3/5
      Another in the Maggie O’Dell series. The FBI is called in to investigate a possible arson case with one fatality. Maggie is still suffering from injuries she incurred in a previous case where she was shot in the head. Her brother, Patrick, now lives with her and is a firefighter with a private company. The deceased is tough to identify since her face has been bashed in. A head is found inside the building but the rest of the body is missing. When Maggie spots a homeless man hanging around the site she follows him into a manhole which leads to the sewers. But the homeless man and Maggie are not alone. The fires and bodies escalate as well as a number of suspects. A reporter seems to hear about the fires before the authorities are notified. Patrick’s partner shows a little too much interest in fires and the effect on bodies. The forensics research on fires was top notch but I felt several story threads were left hanging. Patrick was warned by his boss that he was only to respond to fires on the property of his clients, not the public. One more incident and he would be fired. But Patrick can’t stand by when he sees someone in danger so jeopardizes his job. He “assumes” he’s going to lose his job but the reader never finds out. Maggie’s friend, Ben, wants to be more than friends and wants to have a family which forces Maggie to put on the brakes but we really aren’t sure where things stand with them. There appears to be another killer who is fixated on Maggie so we “assume” he is going to pop up in other books. Maggie’s mother is upset that Patrick, a product of Maggie’s father’s affair, has ingratiated himself into Maggie’s life. Her mother drinks a little too much and has tried suicide in the past. This time she takes a few too many pills and ends up in intensive care but we never find out what happens to her. The homeless man has a story to tell and although the reader learns early on how he ended up homeless, it is never revealed to the authorities so alternatives can be offered to help him turn his life around. This series is gritty, along the line of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series so it isn’t for the faint at heart. An enjoyable read but the reader is left in the dark on a few points.