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    A Perfect Evil
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    A Perfect Evil
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    A Perfect Evil
    Ebook485 pages7 hours

    A Perfect Evil

    By Alex Kava

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook


    The brutal murders of three young boys paralyze the citizens of Platte City, Nebraska. What's worse is the grim realization that the man recently executed for the crimes was a copycat. When Sheriff Nick Morrelli is called to the scene of another grisly murder, it becomes clear that the real predator is still at large, waiting to kill again.

    Morrelli understands the urgency of the case terrorizing his community, but it's the experienced eye of FBI criminal profiler Maggie O'Dell that pinpoints the true nature of the evil behind the killingsa revelation made all the more horrific when Morrelli's own nephew goes missing.

    Maggie understands something else: the killer is enjoying himself, relishing his ability to stay one step ahead of her, making this case more personal by the hour. Because out there, watching, is a killer with a heart of pure and perfect evil.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin MIRA
    Release dateSep 17, 2012
    ISBN9781460301494
    Unavailable
    A Perfect Evil
    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.    

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    Reviews for A Perfect Evil

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      This was one of the best psychological/ police novels I have read in a long time...a stunning debut... I started, slept for a few hours and read until I was done. Throughout the book you feel confident in go the killer is until the next twist that is. For lovers of this genre this is one you shouldn't miss!
    • 3/5
      Competent. It’s fiction, and I believe authors can make up whatever they want. But - two inch heels are not spiked heels and a woman used to wearing heels would never ‘totter’ on two inch heels. Spiked heels would be many inches taller
    • 4/5
      Somewhat predictable but engrossing nonetheless.
      The main characters are outlined well and there are hints of an underlying story that is still to come.
    • 4/5
      When I read the last page of A Perfect Evil, I wanted more. No...scratch that....I needed more. And I found myself frustrated that I didn't have the second book sitting right there ready to be read. Because obviously I didn't know that I was going to NEED to read the second book instantly especially when the beginning of this book didn't really blow me away. But by the end....oh the end just left me wanting to continue on and keep reading. But I'm getting ahead of myself so let me tell you what this book is about.A Perfect Evil is a thriller that begins when a young boy is found murdered after he had gone missing a few days earlier. The murder is eerily similar to a couple of previous killings with the problem being that the convicted murderer for those crimes has been recently executed. The question remains if the police have a copycat killer on their hands. And then another boy goes missing....I'm going to admit that at first I didn't think that I was going to like this book. As a parent it is never easy for me to read books where the crimes being perpetrated are against children. Plus, the author isn't afraid to share all of the gory details that went along with the killings and I started to pull away a bit as a reader. The saving grace of the book for me was Maggie O'Dell and Sheriff Nick Morrelli. Both main characters came across so realistically to me and both were flawed. I loved that! I found it all too easy to connect with both of the main characters which is always a positive in my opinion. I found that for me these two made the book. I loved the chemistry that developed between them, I appreciated the obstacles that they were up against, and I cannot wait to see what future books have in store for them. Because nothing in this book was easy to figure out including the mystery itself. And just when I thought that it was done and everything was figured out, I realized that there was more. And maybe even a little more after that. Let me tell you that these twists and turns really had me turning the pages. I've already mentioned the ending but it bears repeating that the ending left me wanting. I'm so eager to continue on that I'm already planning on grabbing the 2nd book when I visit the used bookstore next time. Or if I decide I can't wait until then a library trip will be in order. Overall, this was a very solid thriller that was made better because of the main characters. I liked that the author didn't give us all of the answers, and I found that it just made me more curious about future books. My only warning before recommending this book is the violence against children issue. If you are squeamish at all (and I was at times) when it comes to this, then you might not enjoy this book as much as I did. I was able to get past it though mainly because of my curiosity and connection to the characters. Otherwise, highly recommended!Bottom Line: A thriller that made me wish I had book 2 instantly!Disclosure: I bought my copy of this book from the used bookstore. I just passed it on to my Mom because I thought it was that good :)
    • 3/5
      I was drawn to read "A Perfect Evil" because Ms. Kava is scheduled to end her current book tour nearby and I hoped to attend. I also recall much about the Joubert killings as I was living in Omaha at the time and just starting my family. The book read quickly. After a third or so I saw a certain predictability to the plot that I did not enjoy. It reminded me somewhat of a tv pilot show. Suspension of disbelief was a bit strained as the plot continually drew in additional family members. At the end, I remained curious about the perversions of the Catholic priest Fr. Killer, and whether any of the sadism described derived from the Joubert case or perhaps that of Michael Ryan, another Nebraska killer.
    • 3/5
      Readable and largely unremarkable murder mystery marred by stereotypical characters.
    • 4/5
      I am back on track with my reading after a very busy weekend. I started A perfect Evil before the weekend, which was a dumb thing to do. I have been so busy over the last week I’ve just been able to read a chapter here and there. I had some down time at work last night, so I managed to get the book finished.I have all the books in this Maggie O’Dell series, sitting on my shelf. I thought it was time I start reading the series. A Perfect Evil is the first in the series. It is also Alex Kava’s debut novel. The story takes place in a small town in Nebraska. I actually enjoyed it. Kava did a good job keeping the reader guessing as to who the killer was. There were several possible suspects. What I liked most about the book was the characters. Maggie and Nick worked well together. There was a lot of depth to their characters. I hope, they are back in future books. Speaking of future books after you read the ending you know there will be a sequel. If there was anything disappointing about the book it would be the originality of the story. I am looking forward to the next in the series, Split Second.
    • 4/5
      An excellent debut novel, the first one featuring FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell. This is superb to read. Cliched in places but fast and pacy. Mention the fact that the profiler is female and the sheriff is male and you should be able to guess the cliches. If you can look beyond this you've got an excellent read ahead of you. The story is set in the close-knit community of Platte City in Nebraska. A killer has been executed, convicted of killing 3 people in a most horrific manner. He knew the truth but no one would listen. Maggie O'Dell is called in 3 months later when a body turned up killed in the same style as executed Jeffreys' victims. A kidnap, another victim and more people discovering the truth - where does it end? A fabulous plot and great writing from Kava. I will certainly be looking out for her other books.
    • 4/5
      Maggie O'Dell, an FBI profiler works with a Nebraska sheriff as they track a serial killer of young boys.
    • 4/5
      A small town is again the target of a serial killer, with the same M.O. as the original... who's been executed. The sheriff has to figure out if it's a copycat, or if the previous sheriff, his father, let the real killer go. Some inconsistencies, and a little uneven in spots, but it's a first book.