by Alex Kava – Book 6 in the Maggie O’Dell series focuses on a deadly biological attack against several seemingly-unconnected people. Caught in the attack, along with her boss, Maggie and her partner RJ Tully have to figure out the attacker’s game before more people die. The stakes go up, the tension mounts, and Tully saves the day. (Thank goodness.)
OK, so if it sounds like I’m giving the story short shrift, it’s probably because I think Kava gave the book’s topic, with all its terrifying implications, the same short treatment. And the developments and effects of the terror attack on the personal relationships of the major characters, surely equally rich topics, were likewise skimmed over. I felt like Kava had a really restrictive word count (after her last wonderfully long novel), so some of the stuff I missed was cut from the final version. Or perhaps she got overwhelmed with faced with the sheer volume of work/words/pages that it would take to fully explore those implications. Or perhaps she just was not 100 percent present, mentally and emotionally, in this particular story. (She has been writing non-O’Dell books, too, you know.)
Whatever the reason, I felt cheated, especially after book 5, which was so rich and satisfying. I do hope book 7, which has an even lower page count than book 6, will not leave me feeling shortchanged, too. (finished 7/3/11)
