Amazon.com Review Two disgraced former Secret Service officers team up to solve a series of copy-cat crimes in this exciting new thriller by a master of the game. Sean King was momentarily distracted when a presidential candidate he'd been guarding was assassinated a few feet from where he stood, and Michelle Maxwell left the Service under a similar cloud when she lost a "protectee" to an ingenious kidnapping scheme, events told in Baldacci's typical terse, fast-paced style in Split Second. Now partners in a private investigation firm in a small Virginia town, they're hired to investigate a burglary at the home of a wealthy local family. But even before the chief suspect in the break-in meets his death in a gruesome slaying reminiscent of a serial killer long since caught and punished, King and Maxwell get caught up in a string of other murders, each of which copies the techniques of another madman, from San Francisco's Zodiac Killer to Chicago's infamous John Wayne Gacy. While the two protagonists aren't especially complex or well-developed, the action never stops, and Baldacci's trademark pacing keeps the reader turning pages until the denouement, which unfortunately isn't quite as satisfying as the rest of the novel. --Jane Adams
Product Description Following their collaboration in "Split Second", ex-Secret Service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have gone into partnership and are investigating the robbery of some secret documents at the residence of the incredibly wealthy Battle family. Meanwhile, a spate of serial killings begins to terrorise the neighbourhood; the murderer kills in the manner of famous killers of the past but takes care to leave a stopped watch at each crime scene either on the hour, or one tick off. Why? As the killing spree escalates it seems that the Battle family are somehow involved ...
Excellent! A page-turner not to be missed.October 27, 2004 Nick Gonnella 8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Two Secret Service agents turned private investigators, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, have been hired to prove a man's innocence in a domestic burglary. As the two investigate the burglary, they are pulled into a separate case, one involving a series of murders based on the criminal methods of the most infamous killers.
As the bodies begin to pile-up, Sean and Michelle race to stop a killer, as well as save themselves, but just as they are about to uncover the truth they are hit with one last surprise...
`Hour Game' is a can't-put-it-down, up-all-night page turner that truly deserves to be called a page turner. I don't want to spoil any of the surprises by going into the plot any further, however, I will say that the novel is a bit of a venture into new territory for David Baldacci. This time around Baldacci has decided to write about serial killers, with some forensic detail thrown in for fun and he does so flawlessly. Full of suspense and interesting characters, `Hour Game' proves David Baldacci is a master of his craft and ranks as one of his best books.
Expect to see `Hour Game' dominating the top spot on the bestseller lists.
A MUST read!
Nick Gonnella
Two Secret Service agents turned private investigators, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, have been hired to prove a man's innocence in a domestic burglary. As the two investigate the burglary, they are pulled into a separate case, one involving a series of murders based on the criminal methods of the most infamous killers.
As the bodies begin to pile-up, Sean and Michelle race to stop a killer, as well as save themselves, but just as they are about to uncover the truth they are hit with one last surprise...
`Hour Game' is a can't-put-it-down, up-all-night page turner that truly deserves to be called a page turner. I don't want to spoil any of the surprises by going into the plot any further, however, I will say that the novel is a bit of a venture into new territory for David Baldacci. This time around Baldacci has decided to write about serial killers, with some forensic detail thrown in for fun and he does so flawlessly. Full of suspense and interesting characters, `Hour Game' proves David Baldacci is a master of his craft and ranks as one of his best books.
Expect to see `Hour Game' dominating the top spot on the bestseller lists.
A MUST read!
Nick Gonnella
Intricately plotted and intenseOctober 29, 2004 Bookreporter.com(New York, New York) 10 out of 12 found this review helpful
David Baldacci has taken a new approach to murder in HOUR GAME. The killer he has created is no run-of-the-mill killer. Quite the contrary. This killer shows an astounding cleverness, exhibiting an ego that mocks the police by making sure the clues he leaves are obvious and in plain sight, while at the same time ensuring that he "plays" by the rules --- warped rules, admittedly, but rules nonetheless.
The small Virginia town of Wrightsburg sees very few murders, and most of those are domestic disputes. So when a body shows up in the woods, the local lawmen get very nervous. Evidence points to foul play immediately, no question. The positioning of the corpse and some gruesome trademarks well known as the MO of a long-ago serial killer leave no doubt about that. Has the Zodiac started up again? Authorities don't think so, since his age would render him incapable of the physical strength required to snuff the life out of the young woman, not to mention muscle the body deep into the woods. A copycat maybe? An equally chilling thought, but it, too, soon proves to be a dead end. Maybe a pair working in tandem?
While the cops are scrambling to understand the killer's strategy, a couple of high school lovers turn up slaughtered, and another calling card --- reminiscent of another infamous serial killer --- is left at the scene. The police admit they are truly baffled. Who is this fiend and what is he trying to tell them? They fear that if they don't figure it out soon, there will be more corpses. But unearthing a common thread between the victims proves a disheartening challenge. The clues are unmistakable yet don't seem to form any cohesive pattern except that, for some reason, wristwatches are being left on the bodies in what appears to be a taunting message. Before the authorities can piece it together, their worst fears are realized.
In the same little town, private investigator Michelle Maxwell and partner Sean King, who readers will remember from SPLIT SECOND, are looking into a burglary at the estate of the richest family in the area. In their follow-up interviews, they cannot help but notice that their paths are crossing those of the murder investigators. Soon, the FBI is called in to help, and Maxwell and King find themselves deputized, the Police Chief having decided that a pair with Secret Service backgrounds could be quite helpful. Good thing, too, because the body count just keeps going up.
Intricately plotted, HOUR GAME contains a bagful of red herrings, with myriad clues that build a maze of misdirection. Just when you think the pace can't possibly intensify, it screams into a high gear you wouldn't have guessed existed. David Baldacci packs more into this few hundred pages than Hollywood does in a week-long miniseries.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
Penetrating insight into murdering mindOctober 29, 2004 Richard Lee Fulgham(Bel Air, MD, USA) 5 out of 6 found this review helpful
You won't find a more penetrating look into the back alley of a killer's mind -- where all is dark, fetid and even the rats are dead. The cold bloodedness of Baldacci's killer is too believable. It's so believable that I'm wondering about my computer repairman, who has the deadest espression I've seen and a voice that sounds like an echo out of an well. If I didn't know him, I'd think Baldacci created him for the main character in "Hour Game" Only "Man's Laughter" has a more frightening killer, and then only because he turns out to be a state trooper. Between the two, I'd have to recommend Baldacci as the better man for Frankensteining a killer. David certainly has more ability in creating one, whereas Fulgham only met his killer once, while the guy was dying. Buy Baldacci's account first. If you dare a second glimpse into an empty heart, then get Fulgham's "Man's Laughter". I thoroughly enjoyed both of them.
tense police procedural and private investigate mixingOctober 27, 2004 Harriet Klausner 9 out of 12 found this review helpful
Wrightsburg, Virginia residents are in a panic as a serial killer has murdered at least four times. The victims seem random and the motive unknown, but the MO imitates the infamous murderers' row to include the Zodiac killer, Gacy, Sam, and Ramirez so far.
Chief of Police Todd Williams knows he and his force do not have the skills to deal with this new predator and wonders if the FBI Agent will prove helpful. Meanwhile former Secret Service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have opened up a private investigative office in town; they are already working on the fifth slaying that of international businessman Robert E. Lee Battle, but their "client" becomes the next victim. Struggling like the sheriff to understand the motives, King and Maxwell may be experience with deranged monsters, but not a mimic like this one. They struggle with FBI agents, who are also trying, their way, to stop this aping serial killer before others die too.
The investigation is top rate as a tense police procedural that is heading no where merges with a powerful private investigate spin in which the "client" dies causing the case interconnection. King and Maxwell are a fabulous pairing but this time they have a more complex exciting plot to star in as they work through an intriguing battling family to determine if a member is the killer knowing that in a SPLIT SECOND they could be the next victims. David Baldacci is at the top of his thriller game with this fabulous tale.
Harriet Klausner
Another page turner!May 8, 2005 J. T. Cawley(Frederick, MD) 4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Vintage Baldacci, with a few more brutal elements. If you love this author, you will not be dissappointed.
The story is a rollercoaster of events which will keep you guessing until the end.
I had many a night where I finally turned the light out at 1:00am because I could physically read no more.
I finished it this morning (Mother's Day) with my breakfast in bed! A rare treat all around.
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It's hard not to notice that the majority of fictional serial killers are cut from the same mold. When David Baldacci wrote Hour Game, he went out of his way to create a murderous original. Read this Amazon.com exclusive essay to learn how and why he did it.