Exposed

This well researched mystery is so believable that it scared me into finishing it as soon as I woke up in the morning after starting it very late one night. The characters are interesting and Maggie, the main character. is authentic, flaws and all, like a beloved relative who can aggravate the socks off you but you love her anyway. The story is relevant because it is taken from the headlines we have become too familiar with, the human "monsters" that prey on and destroy their vicitims and their families. A medical mystery wrapped in an FBI murder case basted with probability and research makes this a wonderful feast for the reader. I enjoyed this book immensly despite it scaring me half to death at times.

This is the second Alex Kava novel I've read and I just loved it! I read the entire book in about a day and a half...I just couldn't put it down! If you like James Patterson, you will like Alex Kava. The chapters are short, the print is large and well spaced, and the writing style is an easy read. The storyline of Exposed was fantastic...a real page turner! Highly recommend.

It isn't so much the actual acts of terrorism that makes Exposed by Alex Kava so chilling! It was, more, that the story setting was so real and vivid! A game of chance used to cover the personal actions of one man to murder those he hated! Innocent victims! It was a routine morning and Maggie and other FBI agents were gathered to enjoy the doughnuts that were sitting waiting to be consumed. Maggie O'Dell was about to take her second bit when her boss, Assistant Director Cunningham stopped her. He pointed to a white envelope at the bottom of the box! The first thought: anthrax. Then other options were explored. "Mr. F.B.I. Man" was written in block print on its front. Inside, the note directed them: "There will be a crash today..." Maggie's partner Tully was late so O'Dell and Cunningham teamed to get to the given address, but it was not the place they had expected. It was a private home in a quiet neighborhood. They thought it was a mistake, especially when a young girl answered the door. Asking for her mother, they realized that the child looked neglected and was able to convince her, Mary Louise, that they were here to help her mother... Maggie whispered they had four minutes left. But it wasn't a bomb or explosives. They reached the bedroom where there was lots of visible blood surrounding Mary Louise's mother. Maggie announced the situation; they needed a hazmat team. Mary Louise vomited and her mother was..."crashing..." Vomit and spittle flew everywhere--it had begun. I was thoroughly caught up within this story by the time I had read this far! If you're into forensic...anything...like I am, then reading and learning more about what happens to individuals who are exposed to some form of biological terrorism will find you as enthralled as I was. Both Maggie and Cunningham were exposed from the minute little Mary Louise had spewed vomit! The first thing that happened was, ironically, they were immediately sent to "the slammer." The story then follows the activities of Maggie, even though quarantined, and other agents as they try to find who is responsible for what has happened. There is an interesting little twist when the "employee" of the guilty party decides to be more creative than instructed in his delivery methods! This man had been reading true crime since he was little and he now used all the knowledge he had gained to copy those evil men who he had so long admired! The front cover excerpt from a forensic psychologist says it all: "Alex Kava knows the psychology of evil." I'm not quite sure why so many of us enjoy reading psychological suspense. For me, I think, it has to do with the constant reaffirmation of good over evil. Indeed Kava has created a strong female heroine that I quickly grew to admire. Certainly Maggie O'Dell novels have been added to my must-read list! Check Out Exposed by Alex Kava--her latest is certainly a winner! G. A. Bixler

This definitely is more fascinating as a thriller than as a mystery. It doesn't take Sherlock to figure things out before the halfway point. This is my first Alex Kava book and my first Maggie O'Dell story, but my unfamiliarity with the chracters was no handicap in enjoying this and I will be looking at some of the previous ones in the series.I will warn you against this if you happen to be a hypochondriac. You're liable to fear you've contracted the virus described in this. LOLThe strength of the book relies on the helplessness of the main character who's been quarantined as a possible victim and carrier of the virus and so she is the adviser to the agent, R. J. Tully who does the leg work and investigation.The chapters are short and once you start this, you may find yourself staying up late ("Just one more chapter") reading it. The ladies may enjoy it a bit more than the guys, but I'm a guy and I liked it.I imagine most of you reading this will enjoy it too.

Exposed is the latest adventure featuring FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell. When she and Cunningham respond to an anonymous threat, sent inside FBI headquarters, they become exposed to a virus so deadly it's known as the Slate Wiper. Who is styling bio-terrorist exposures after cold cases of the past? Maggie battles against time to solve the mystery that might be her own death sentence. The action in Exposed book-ends the race-against-time peril closing in on those exposed to a deadly virus. Much of the suspense plays emotionally on the possible outcome, and is not driven so much by plot twists. Instead, Maggie does her deductive work from the isolation of "the Slammer," a quarantine cell, where she isn't aloud to make contact with the outside world. The other enforcement types who populate her world pursue clues in a passive approach of trying to figure out what they know from the scant clues left at the initial crime scenes. The race against time motif works in context of deadly exposure and unknown peril, and the clues add up in the end. All told, Kava keeps the story tight, even if she dwells as much on relationships as actual plotlines.