Ratings16
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings16
Average rating3.6
As a series of brutal murders darkens the Wrightsburg, Virginia countryside, the killer taunts police by leaving watches on the victims set to the hour corresponding with their position on his hit list. What's more, he strives to replicate notorious murders of the past, improving on them through savage attention to detail. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are already investigating a crime involving an aristocratic and dysfunctional Southern family, but when they're deputized to help in the serial killer hunt they realize the two cases may be connected. Adding to the tension is the appearance of a second killer, this one imitating the murders of the first. Soon, the two killers are playing a game of cat and mouse, with King and Maxwell racing to solve the intricate puzzle of their identities--before the body count escalates.
Featured Series
6 primary booksSean King & Michelle Maxwell is a 6-book series with 6 primary works first released in 1979 with contributions by David Baldacci, Rogier van Kappel, and Hugo Kuipers.
Reviews with the most likes.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Whoops – it's been two and a half years since I read the first volume in the series – I really meant to get back to it sooner. Oh well, better late than etc., etc. I don't have much to say about this, but I have a few thoughts.
This picks up a few months after Split Second, the partnership between King and Maxwell has solidified, they've had some success and have settled into their lives. They're doing some work for a local attorney assisting him defend an accused burglar, when they're asked to help the local police investigate a murder that resembles a famous serial killer. Soon afterwards, other bodies show up – each following a different serial killer's M. O. to keep the authorities guessing.
Soon, King and Maxwell are officially involved – as are the national media and the FBI. Naturally, the two cases intertwine – as does another mystery.
The mysteries were pretty easy to guess, but how Baldacci resolved them wasn't – which was nice. The character moments were okay, actually – the characters were the best part of this book, not just our leads, but pretty much everyone who wasn't killed within a page or two of being introduced.
Will you hold it against me if I admit it wasn't until as I was writing this that I figured out what the title referred to? I really hadn't thought about it, but I really shouldn't have had to.
I liked this more than the last Scott Brick audiobook I listened to – which wasn't bad. His accent work was good (have heard him do better), and he made the characters come to life – even giving a couple of characters I could live without enough of a hook that I probably liked them more in audio than I would've if I read it.
Hour Game was well constructed, well paced, and kept me engaged and entertained – an improvement over the first one, too. Can't ask for much more than that.
