Split Seconds

I meant to read the first couple of chapters before turning off the light and going to sleep, but SPLIT SECONDS just grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I read it straight though, and finally turned off my light at 3 a.m.! Stick Foster is a paraplegic newspaper reporter who doesn't let his wheelchair interfere with his life. He's not a superman or anything, just a smart, determined, and honorable guy who just won't quit. He reminded me of the kind of protagonists Dick Francis creates...people of character whom you'd love to have as friends and business associates. The whole cast of characters seemed very real to me, but sadly, Robinson killed off my favorite one!I enjoyed the fast-paced plot about a computer hacker bent on creating a disaster for NASA, and the book's climax had my heart pounding, but I was just as fascinated by the nuts and bolts of Stick Foster's life in a wheelchair. I had a lot of misconceptions about that before reading this great mystery.I can't wait to read MALL RATS, the second book in this series!

I think is it sad, that a worthy first effort has been dragged down in the reviews by some sick individual. (Have a look at all three in the series - Split Seconds, Mall Rats, Matter of Perspective - always two short, meaningless 1/5 reviews). Whoever wrote these reviews must have something against handicapped people and is obviously doing this maliciously, as evident by their anonymous and content-free reviews. The rest of the reviewing community shuns you fool.Anyway, back to the review: The author obviously has chosen the character of "Stick" so he can write from a point of view that he knows. As mentioned in the trade reviews, the ending can be a bit pat, but overall a good first sleuthing. I want to give 4 stars - but to counter balance the below useless reviews, I am awarding 5.