| Title | : | Split Second (Sean King Michelle Maxwell, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0446614459 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780446614450 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 512 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2002 |
Drawn into a maze of lies, secrets, and deadly coincidences, the two discredited agents uncover a shocking truth: that the separate acts of violence that shattered their lives were really a long time in the making – and are a long way from over….
Split Second (Sean King Michelle Maxwell, #1) Reviews
-
Sometimes you stay up late with a book because it's just that great and you can't bear to put it down; other times, you find yourself up late because you just want this PoS book out of your life as soon as possible.
Like a lot of people right now, I picked up Split Second because it's recently been made into a TV show and I was interested in checking out the source material. Usually the visual media conversion of a book comes off the poorer in any comparison, but after having read the book, I have to say that every change the production company has made has come off as genius in comparison to the poorly written, illogical mess that is Split Second.
It's one of those books that's not just bad, it's boring. I want to call the prose workmanlike, but honestly, I've read a lot of myster-thrillers, it's a genre that generally lends itself to fairly functional storytelling and the prose in Split Second was clunkier and less inspired than its peers. The characters were flat, uninteresting and felt a bit too much like Baldacci's wish-fulfillment.
Related to this, I hated how he wrote Maxwell and the other major female character, Joan Dillinger, both separately and together.
The plot, such as it was, was just painful to get through. Some of this is a style issue. On the one hand, Baldacci gives out information—and really obvious information at that—and then spends the next dozen pages having the characters verbally rehash what just happened. On the other hand, he plays annoyingly coy with any/all the information that would actually let the reader put the pieces together in a way that I more commonly associate with YA, where the author tells you that the character(s) has found or concluded something, but doesn't bother to tell you what it is. I, personally, don't like those types of mysteries; it always feels as though the author isn't playing fair with the reader and that the story (and/or storyteller) isn't good enough to play fair.
The other part of the problem is just that the plot is freaking ridiculous. There is not enough eyeroll in the world for how dumb this story was.
The execution was equally poor. There are all the aforementioned problems, obviously. In one of my status updates, I commented, "This guy never met a scene he wouldn't rather tell than show." (This is especially absurd in a scene where Baldacci narrates only Sean King's half of a phone conversation, even though Sean is the POV character) The forensic and procedural elements read like someone who's never even watched a cop show, let alone done their research.
Bottom line: this was a terrible book that didn't even have the benefit of being interestingly bad. If I hadn't agreed to read it with my husband (and if he hadn't suffered through finishing it ahead of me) I would've never finished it. I certainly didn't enjoy it. -
Do you remember when you first saw Star Wars? If you are a certain gender and a certain age, it was THE defining movie of your childhood. You were either Luke or Han when you played. You craved everything Star Wars.
Then The Empire Strikes Back came out and it added so many layers. You were blown away. “No....I am your father” rocked your little mind. Yoda letting the audience know “No. There is another” led to rampant speculation for a few years about where the story was going to go next.
And then we got Return of the Jedi which pretty much showed us that George Lucas was just making this stuff up as he went along. Luke and Leia are brother and sister and it was always Lucas' intention? Watch the kiss in Empire again and tell me if you believe that.
And then he made the “real” first three and things get out of control. Chewbacca and Yoda are “old friends”? Kenobi and Anakin are enemies for about 30 seconds before Obi Wan runs and hides for twenty years but watch the first one and Kenobi is calling Vader “Darth”, as if it was his name and they knew each other for awhile.
Basically, Lucas was winging it. Granted, it is probably one of the most successful wing its in wing it history but still....
A long winded way to get into this review, but “Split Second” was the first novel where Michelle Maxwell and Sean King meet each other, but it is the fourth of their adventures I have read. Some of their back story has been hinted at in the other novels I read but all of those novels were accessible so I didn't really worry about it.
Now having read this story, I am even more appreciative of the “world” that David Baldacci has created. The narrative thread is strong and while some of the situations are obviously a little far fetched (kidnapped Presidential candidates, underground bunkers, and villains renovating derelict buildings while no one notices) the story is engaging and keeps you guessing.
I seem to be in a rut as to the type of story I am reading these days but I am really okay with that.
Next three: “The Race” by Patterson, “Hell to Pay” by Pelecanos and something by Michael Connely. -
Secret Service Agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell watched their careers go up in smoke in a split second. Though their events occurred eight years apart, they become connected by the events that altered their courses. It also seems now that the two events might have their own connection.
I enjoyed the story, especially the pace as there was rarely time to relax before the next challenge was presented. I liked the murky characters and odd directions the story would take, sometimes making it a bit convoluted but always interesting. While I figured out the villain, the motivation wasn't something I could have ever deduced.
Scott Brick's narration set the right tone for King and Maxwell's relationship dynamics. I'll continue listening to the series as I liked the interplay between the two characters. This was a good start to the series. -
Book 1 in the King & Maxwell series first published in 2003.
For the first 450 pages this book was heading for a five star review from me but then as the end grew near it took on a Twilight Zone feel, when it stepped into the truly unbelievable. To believe that the villain in this piece, sick and twisted as he was, would go to the lengths he went to, to seek revenge just beggars belief.
Sean King was at one time a Secret Service Agent but was dismissed from the agency because he was found guilty of dereliction of duty when a Presidential candidate was shoot and killed whilst under his protection.
Several years on we find Sean a happy and successful lawyer and to all intents, living the good life. On a day like any other Sean arrives at his office to start another busy day. But this will no be like any other day, because Sean finds his assistant dead on the office floor, not just dead but murdered.
Enter Michele Maxwell. Michele is currently employed as a Secret Service Agent charged with protecting yet another Presidential candidate. Unfortunately for Michele her protectee is kidnapped from right under her nose. As you can imagine the powers that be are not too happy with Michele. As a result Michele finds herself on suspension from the Agency, albeit of full pay.
With a goodly amount of female intuition Michele sees similarities between her situation and that of Sean King’s and decided that a visit to Mr. King is a priority.
King and Maxwell meet for the first time and things are going to get much worst for both of them.
Although the end, for me, was a real let down I still have to give this book 4 out of 5 stars because any book that can keep me turning pages for 450 out of 500 of them deserves 4 stars. -
A good quick read by a very talented storyteller. "Split Second" is the beginning of another Baldacci storyline called the "King and Maxwell Series". Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are two disgraced Secret Service Agents whos presidential candidate's both were either killed or kidnapped. Through an elaborately connected chain of events, though not seeming at the time, Maxwell and King team up to discover who is responsible for the conspiracy. Admittedly, I like Baldacci's later "Camel Club Series" much, much better. This was an engaging read, and maybe I shouldn't be so quick to compare it after having only read the first book of the series, but I thought even the first book of the Camel Club storyline was superbly written and meticulously plotted. Though not hard too hard to follow, I thought the intricacies of the conspiracy in this book were a bit overdone. But, still a good read nevertheless.
-
Split Second is a typical Baldacci first book in a series. It has interesting characters and excellent writing but the plot is a bit weak. I have seen this trend across his various books and this one is no exception.
As always, the lead characters are extraordinary individuals (secret agents in this case) who have had to deal with a personal/professional tragedy. This time around, it is the loss of the VIPs they were supposed to protect.
I loved the chemistry between the leads. And the reversal of roles too. The woman is the superior ass-kicker while the man is the superior analyst. They have differing views on life and this makes their interactions interesting.
The plot was weak though. There is this huge conspiracy and a complicated plot that is hinted at. In the end, the plot fizzles out. But, regardless, I still enjoyed the book because, you know, it's Baldacci. -
I have completely forgotten to review this book. Read it this summer thought it was ok, nothing really special. The two main character felt a bit boring to be honest it was nothing like reading about Patrick and Angie by Dennis Lehane. Will perhaps read the rest of the series if I run out of books...lol...
-
Great story. Loved the weaving mystery. It was a great one. Loved the explosive ending!
-
It was the right book at the right time. This is exactly what I wanted to read right now.
And it must be admitted that Baldacci can write a great story. The plot is really complicated and keeps you on the edge of your seat all the time. A few twists and turns really surprised me. And, of course, there were plenty of suspects.
I really liked the very idea of the story. Two Secret Service agents who spectacularly lost presidential candidates whom they were supposed to protect. This alone interested me. And then we quickly discover that the two cases can have something in common. I was really curious how this case would be resolved and who was responsible for it all.
I also liked the main characters. Of course, as already mentioned, their mistakes makes them interesting. But I also appreciate their extraordinary skills and sharp minds. I like that the women in this story are in no way inferior to men. Of course, Michelle's skills are a bit over the top, she is brilliant at literally everything she does, but I was generally fine with it.
I will definitely read more books in this series and maybe soon, because I will happily return to this pair of main characters and hope that the next book will be as good as this one. I give this book a strong 4.5 stars. -
Well written with lots of characters and an interesting plot with twists that surprise you. Love the dialogue between King and Maxwell which is refreshingly respectful and good humoured. Happy to have a large bookshelf of this Authors books. Rock and Roll David Baldacci. 👀
-
Published and set in 2003/2004, the plot revolves around the assassination of one Presidential candidate eight years before the start of this book and the kidnapping of another one in the story's present day. The main characters are the two Secret Service agents, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, whose errors in judgment factored heavily into the aforementioned assassination and kidnapping. Events conspire to bring King and Maxwell together to figure out how, or even if, the two events are related.
As with most of the Baldacci books I've read to date, the writing style is smooth and easy with a sure-footed pacing that ensures a fast read. King and Maxwell make for likable characters; he's in his mid-forties and has managed to rebuild his life after his career took a nose-dive after he lost his protectee to an assassin's bullet. She's in her early thirties and facing her first real failure at, well, anything once the candidate she was guarding gets snatched right out from under her nose. It did irk me a little that once the two started working together it seemed like it was only King who ever made the important connections and discoveries in the cases while Maxwell was left to mostly function as his sounding board. The crimes also seemed extreme and over-the-top considering the motivation behind them. It would be akin to taking some overly winding, side road to get from point A to point B, that ends up taking you three hours out of your way before you get there, instead of the interstate highway that offers a straight shot.
That said, I haven't read a bad Baldacci book yet. I'm always entertained and this book met that standard. -
This was the first Sean King and Michelle Maxwell book in the series.
Eight years ago, Sean King's career as a Secret Service Agent came to a screeching halt when a presidential candidate was killed on his watch. Now, eight years later, Michelle Maxwell gets a taste of what Sean felt like when a candidate she's in charge of is kidnapped.
Sean has worked hard to put his life back together after the Ritter assassination. He's a sucessful lawyer now with a nice house on the lake. Then the man working with Sean is found murdered in Sean's office.
Michelle seeks Sean out after her own failure with the secret service. The two soon begin to link the two incidents together. They both become targets as ghost from the past come back to haunt Sean King.
This was not my favorite David Baldacci novel. I was reading this one with my husband as a buddy read, and felt the same way I did. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it it lacked something. Sometimes there were too many things going on at once and sometimes the story just stalled.
Overall this one is a C. -
I bought it in India international trade fair at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. I wanted to read a new thriller writer and the salesman suggested this. I am thankful to him.
All it takes is a split second to ruin your career. Maxwell and king of secret service has this is common. Now both unite and try to redeem themselves. will they b successful?
I enjoyed it thoroughly. It is a page turner. Kept me engrossed. Highly recommended.
Sean is very fastidious and judicious. Michelle is very unorganised and spontaneous. Though Sean is more experienced and older but he is equally energetic. They complement each other and form a good team of investigators. The relationship is platonic though is wished it should be somewhat romantic. The pace is breakneck and mystery is satisfying. It gives very good thrill. Climax explains everything and ties up loose ends.
Some excerpts:
It only took a split second, although to Secret Service agent Sean King it seemed like the longest split second ever. They were on the campaign trail at a nondescript hotel meet-and-greet in a place so far out you almost had to use a satellite phone to reach the boonies. Standing behind his protectee, King scanned the crowd while his ear mike buzzed sporadically with unremarkable information.
--------
Michelle raced through the wreckage, dodging flames and smoke and screaming out his name. “Sean! Sean!”
------
Another explosion rocked the structure, and she jumped off the front porch a few seconds before it came tumbling down. The concussive force of a second explosion knocked her through the air, and she landed hard, all the breath squeezed from her. She felt all sorts of heavy things hitting all around her, like mortar fire. She lay there in the dirt, her head cut, her lungs drowning in lethal fumes, her legs and arms bruised and battered.
------- -
I loved this. I had read other Baldacci books but none about Sean King and Michelle Maxwell but now I have to read them all.
Sean King is a former Secret Service agent whose split second lack of attention 8 years ago caused a tea party type presidential candidate to lose his life (before there even was a tea party)when a brilliant professor working at a third rate college (he was a UC Berkeley PhD who had fallen from grace after his activism over the Vietnam War and Watergate) stepped up and shot him while Sean was being flashed from an elevator by the female agent he was screwing (someone sent her a phony request from Sean). He now leads a quiet life after being dumped by the Service as a lawyer in a country town and has a nice home on the water.
The quiet erupts into pandemonium when another agent- Michelle Maxwell- loses another presidential candidate and is disgraced. She shows up at Sean's door just as the dead bodies start arriving at his office and home. Soon they, along with the flasher agent from years before, all realize that the two cases are linked and someone intends revenge on Sean and others so the three link up with a crooked US Marshal and this leads to an explosive conclusion (literally).
I enjoyed watching them try to unravel the tangle of past and present evidence and really liked the ending. If mystery, suspense, thrills, and action is your game, you'll like this. If you are like me and like to see intelligent, strong, and capable women you'll love this as Joan and Michelle (who both leave the Secret Service for better careers) are all that and more. -
The first book in the Sean King & Michelle Maxwell series, and a good start to a seemingly good series! The book started out kind of slow, and jumped around a lot, and hard to follow, but after about 100 pages it started to pick up, then it got really good!
Split Second follows former US Secret Service Agent Sean King who's career ended when a Political Candidate who he was guarding is gunned down right in front of him, and failed to stop the assassin. Now 8 years later, young Secret Service Agent Michelle Maxwell is guarding another Political Candidate, who had vanished without a trace while Maxwell was supposed to be guarding him at all times. Now with Michelle's career on the line, she teams up with Sean King who is now working for a small law firm after his career with the Secret Service ended. Learning of King's past and seeing similarities between the present disappearance of one candidate, and the assassination of another 8 years earlier, King and Maxwell form a Lethal Weapon-type partnership and work to find the missing candidate, and discover the motive of the assassination 8 years earlier, and also learning of a deadly conspiracy.
A great first entry to the series, now onto book #2, Hour Game! -
Just finished Split Second and, as with The Winner, was very impressed with Baldacci's style. The research and planning that went into this book was amazing. Unlike The Winner, I did figure out who 'the bad guy' was about a third of the way in, even when he tried to make it look as though I was wrong a bit later. I was, however, wrong about his accomplice.
It will be interesting to see if Total Control, next on my list, is similar to these two books. David Baldacci seems to have a thing about his villains being masters of disguise...and that could get a little old. Still, it's fun to try and figure out who it might be.
All in all, because it kept my interest-from start to finish-I'll give it a five. I think the very end kind of sucked and should have gone a different way, but that's coming from the perspective of someone who's been writing romance novels for a long time.
A final note...I hope that this author continues with this genre...and stays away from romance in the future. After reading The Christmas Train, I was a little hesitant to read anything else by him. Fortunately Split Second was every bit as good as The Winner. -
2.5 ★★✬✩✩ maximal
Dieses Buch könnte dir gefallen, wenn… du einen sehr bescheidenen Geschmack hast, was Thriller angeht, und die Inszinierungen der Amerikaner liebst, in denen sie sich wie die absoluten Helden darstellen.
⤐Insgesamt.
An Krimis habe ich einen besonders hohen Anspruch - aus keinem besonderen Grund. Ich bin einfach noch immer geflasht von der Genialität die da heißt
Crimson Lake. Crimson Lake und der Nachfolger (
Redemption Point) gehören für mich von nun an zu dem Maßstab, dem andere Krimi-Romane gerecht werden müssen. Und im Vergleich zu diesen beiden verblasst Im Bruchteil einer Sekunde gnadenlos.
Ich muss dazu auch einfach sagen, dass mir die 08/15 Geschichten, die in den USA spielen so langsam nicht mehr lesen kann, besonders, da mir auch die Charaktere nicht sehr sympathisch waren. Ihr könnt mir erzählen, was ihr wollt, aber wenn man bei jeder 3. Äußerung genervt aufschnauft und den Showdown des Bösewichts als überspitzt und ÜBER empfindet, fällt es einfach schwer, viel gutes zu sagen.
Als opportunistischer Read war es wohl ganz okay. -
Intense action and a devious puzzle that kept the pages turning.
-
“There’s no greater chaos than when swift, violent death knocks on the door of an unsuspecting crowd.”
In my search for new Thriller/Mystery authors Baldacci crossed my path and in a split second I decide that there will be more of him in my reading life.
This one is fast paced with characters that entertain and a plot filled with twist and turns.
I’m intrigued to see where King and Maxwell will go with their new PI endeavour. Adding the next book in the series to my TBR! Also, I’ll be looking into other works of Baldacci.
Just realised there’s a TV adaptation as well… My Baldacci is going to keep me busy. -
4,25 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Onbewaakt ogenblik is de eerste thriller waarin de personages King en Maxwell hun opwachting maken. Deze personages worden in de eerste hoofdstukken uitvoerig uitgewerkt en dat zorgt al meteen voor een goede kennismaking met de twee.
Michelle Maxwell is agent bij de Secret Service en heeft de opdracht de presidentskandidaat John Bruno te bewaken. Tegen de regels in, maar vooral omdat Bruno er op aandringt, laat ze hem alleen achter in een onbewaakte ruimte. Niet veel later is hij verdwenen. Het heeft er alle schijn van dat hij is ontvoerd. Acht jaar eerder is voormalig Secret Agent-agent Sean King als gevolg van een soortgelijk voorval door de dienst ontslagen. Maxwell vermoed dat beide zaken met elkaar te maken hebben en brengt King een bezoek. Vanaf dat moment gaan ze, waarbij ze geholpen worden door Joan Dillinger, op onderzoek uit en stuiten daarbij op onverwachte en hachelijke momenten.
Het verhaal komt rustig op gang, maar naarmate het vordert komt de snelheid er steeds meer in. Maar wasrom het boek een thriller genoemd wordt is mij niet duidelijk. Sidderende is ver te zoeken. Het heeft meer qeg van een detective.
De ontknoping was wel een verrassing te noemen. Benieuwd naar de overige boeken uit deze serie. -
This is my first experience with David Baldacci. His books are one of those I see around bookstore a lot (in mystery section) but I haven't felt compelled to try. Now I know that he is the author of Absolute Power (I enjoy the movie) and King & Maxwell series from TNT. Because I like the pilot of King & Maxwell, I decided to check out the series.
I love a good mystery. A good mystery book is a good book. And I think this one provides a good mystery. For a peeker like myself, I'm even able to stop from peeking (!). And I am able to guess one of the bad guys. Yay!
King and Maxwell have good chemistry of being partners -- and I hope it doesn't move into romance territory, because as much as I love romance, but sometimes it is not necessary. It is really interesting having characters that start as Secret Service Agent who fall down from grace: King's protectee was killed and eight years later Maxwell's protectee was kidnapped.
I like how it turns out that both cases are very much related, but at the same time, it's not really about them. That it actually has a more twisted plot behind it ().
The story moves along in a nice quick pace -- and very, VERY likeable characters. It's been awhile since I read male/female partnership in mystery (the only one that I read is Lehane's Kenzie/Genarro, I think; MAN, I need to expand my world of mystery!). So I will definitely keep reading the next books. I guess my first experience with Baldacci is a success... -
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202... -
As introductions to series goes this is a good book. Maxwell & King find themselves in the odd position of being secret service agents that have lost the person they were protecting. While I did enjoy this novel it didn't hit it out of the park, and I am not sure why. The story was detailed and somewhat unrealistic but I really don't mind that at all. This is a series I'll be continuing with.
-
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have one thing in common, albeit 8 years apart. As secret service agents they both had harrowing incidents while guarding their protectees who, coincidentally, were both presidential candidates. This is my first Baldacci and I don’t know why I’ve never picked him up before. This story had a really good pace and made you think (because there were a butt load of characters, lol!)
Sean is the older of the two and even though his situation happens first, he is somehow intertwined with the later incident involving Michelle. Once it’s realized that he’s entangled in the whole thing that’s when things get interesting. There’s action, suspense and again, enough characters to keep you guessing as to who’s involved. Sean and Michelle are just getting to know each other in this book but I liked their budding friendship and they complement each other well. He is smart & has refined taste and she is just a strong, female character. (I’m a Buffy fan so I always love a girl who can take charge, lol!) I’m looking forward to reading the other books with these two. Thrills, mystery and action are just my cuppa tea. :) -
Great travel, beach, bedside reading. Short, pithy chapters and action that seldom slows down. Two Secret Service agents who make little mistakes on the job with big consequences. The mistakes are related but the plot is pretty complicated and will keep you interested to the slightly hokey end. I might be a little generous at 4 Stars as there were flaws. But I want to see King and Maxwell carry on in future adventures. Maxwell is great, she kicks butt. King is more of the braniac and moody. Should be a great pairing.
-
A Baldacci reread...Thoroughly enjoyed this whole series of two disgraced Secret Service agents teaming up to become great PIs...This is the origination story, as Michelle Maxwell has a presidential candidate kidnapped under her watch and she seeks the aid of Sean King, who, before becoming a country lawyer, lost a candidate through assassination...plenty of twists & turns as they peal the layers of this page-turning whodunnit...Good Stuff!!!
-
Not to sure of the point of this story as the jump between time tends to confuse more than explain its reasoning in my judgement. There is no logic to explain 11 years later to appear 11 years younger. Perhaps, its because of the abridged story I listened to, but I doubt the unabridged version would change my thoughts. 5 of 10 stars
-
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell - a formidable duo. I enjoyed this first book in the King & Maxwell series although I'll admit that I do prefer the ultimate kick ass partnership of Robie & Reel more. However, I'm definitely planning to continue with this series, as there is no doubting that David Baldacci writes an action packed thriller.
-
This was an awesome beginning to a series. There was twist at every turn with a strong female character. I will definitely continue with the series. I want to see what other trouble King and Maxwell will get into.
