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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

A Perfect Evil by Alex Kava (thoughts)

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 :)

7 comments:

  1. I don't read many thrillers but you make this sound so fabulous! I will keep an eye out for this book/series.

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  2. I read this years ago, maybe 12 years ago? I remember absolutely NOTHING of the book beyond how PISSED I was not the have the second one, and the second one wasn't out yet. Yeah, I could go look those dates up, but I'm lazy.

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  3. This sounds really good, I hope you get book 2 soon! I am squeamish about violence like that, but it sounds ok once you get past it.

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  4. Excellent review and I have to read these books for sure. I will make sure that I have book 2 too!!

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  5. I've read all if these books, she's definitely one of my must-read favorites!!

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  6. I read this when it first came out and remember that I could not put it down. I don't remember what it was about but KNOW that I was extremely ticked off at the end. I was angry at the book - not that I didn't have the next one. I have several more by Kava and hope to get back to this series. I should be cooled off by now. :)

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  7. Suko- I hope that if you get a chance that you enjoy this one as much as I did!

    Lisa- I'm glad that I'm not the only one that felt that way! I really, really want to know what happens next but I haven't grabbed the 2nd book yet. Did you end up continuing on with this series?

    Naida- I can be especially when there are children involved. The ending of the book had me so hooked that it didn't even matter anymore. LOL!

    Staci- I hope that you enjoy these too! Such a good read!

    Tara- I can see her becoming a favorite of mine as well if the 2nd book is as good as this one. I need to go to the bookstore and grab book 2!

    Joy- I was annoyed that I didn't have the 2nd one. Especially when I read the teaser to the second book which made me want to read it even more. I need to get my hands on that 2nd book!!!

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