Exposed

I've been a bit disappointed with some of the "middle" books in the Maggie O'Dell series, but I thought this one was a darned good read. I think I managed to put it down -- briefly! -- about twice after I started it this morning.

Maggie is sidelined from much of the action in this book, but her frustrated and frightened isolation in a high-tech quarantine facility makes the book very suspenseful. The lives of those affected by the biological weapon are discussed, making the situation seem very real and plausible (as, unfortunately, it probably is).

My only regret is that Maggie is yet another damaged soul. Her love life and home situation remind me of a slightly-less-paranoid Kay Scarpetta, which is disappointing. She seems to have good show more chemistry with someone in each book, only to have it fall apart in the next one and it would be nice if we could occasionally have insightful, brilliant forensic analysts that weren't, well, poorly-adjusted if not downright nuts. show less

SUMMARY: Special Agent Maggie O'Dell returns in this long-awaited installment of Kava's compelling and intriguing series. Her latest foe is a domestic terrorist who leaves clues based on prior unsolved mass crimes, including the Tylenol murders and the anthrax letters (obviously, this book was written prior to the culprit's identity being revealed).

WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: Maggie is a fascinating, complex woman who has yet to tire readers in the way Kay Scarpetta and other heroines have. She's smart, capable, and even when you feel she makes the wrong decisions in her personal life, her logic is sound. She's flawed - at times, horrifically so - but that makes her all the more relatable and human.

WHY YOU WON'T: Sloppy editing. There are show more numerous spelling and grammatical errors laced throughout the manuscript which, while not detrimental to the overall story, are nonetheless irritating and detracting. Those who have waited patiently for Maggie's return might be somewhat disappointed in that she's very passive in the book (due to plot circumstances). This doesn't negatively impact her intellect, but it leaves the reader with a sense of frustration. She doesn't come across as the main character here, but as a supporting player, which doesn't jibe well with previous novels.

BOTTOM LINE: Good, but not great. Fans of O'Dell and Kava will champion their return, but will also wonder if the wait has been worth it. Serious readers will welcome Maggie in any form, but novices to the series would do better to start at the beginning. show less

Deadly viruses and a mystery? A world weary heroine who fights crime by connecting the dots and not by sleeping around? All of my favorite things in one book

Maggie O’Dell is an FBI profiler caught up in a home-grown terrorist attack. While following a lead placed in a box of donuts, Maggie and her supervisor are exposed to an unknown virus and quarantined. Although she has yet to feel any symptoms, one of the victim’s dies. Maggie is able to follow leads through a laptop she is given and notices similarities to the names of the victims and the names from previous unsolved cases. She realizes someone is playing with the FBI and it is someone close to the previous cases. There are some characters I wasn’t familiar with since I have missed a couple of the books in the series. But the plot moves pretty quickly, reminiscent of the movie OUTBREAK. An enjoyable thriller.

Excellent Maggie O'Dell novel dealing with biological terrorism. Well written with enough twists & turns to keep me guessing until the end.

I enjoyed this book. I just felt like it ended too quickly. And I kind of felt like there were things left unexplained. I would have liked to know more about Artie, for example. All in all, I'm enjoying the O'Dell series. This is the French translation of Exposed. Oh, by the way, note to the translator: FDA is not Federal Drugs of America but Food and Drugs Administration. Thanks for the laugh, though.

This book is every bit as good as Kava gets. Psychological thriller!!!
People are getting mysterious packages of money in the mail. And then are exposed to a nasty....(I'll leave that for the book)
I love the Maggie O'Dell books. The characters are well defined. Kava gives the reader just enough clues that you can almost figure it out. After she reveals the conclusion, I like to re-read it and see how the clues are all there if I was just smart enough to put them together.
Can't wait until I get her next book