Maggie O'Dell

Series · 17

books · 2000-2017

By J.T. Ellison, Erica Spindler, Alex Kava, and more

Books in series

Before Evil

2017

International bestseller Alex Kava delivers a stunning prequel to her critically acclaimed Maggie O’Dell series. From her small Quantico office, Special Agent Maggie O'Dell has profiled serial killers using Poloraids, faxed copies and scraps of evidence provided by homicide detectives from across the country. She's gained a reputation for successfully profiling killers and solving crimes without ever stepping foot at a real crime scene. Then comes Albert Stucky, and nothing will ever be the same. Stucky is a sadistic madman who enjoys his twisted games as much as he enjoys the kill. Pieces of victims start showing up in takeout containers, strategically left for unsuspecting bystanders to find. Sometimes the body is dumped near by. Others are never found. Maggie is tasked with profiling the murders. Despite all her skills and talents nothing has prepared for this. For the first time in her career she’s seeing the gruesome crime scenes firsthand, because this madman has chosen the backwoods of Virginia as his killing grounds. When Stucky discovers an attractive female FBI agent is part of the task force to stop him, he begins to taunt Maggie. He leaves notes and bits and pieces as if they were clues for a morbid scavenger hunt. Each step of the way he’s daring Maggie to catch him if she can, all the while planning to make her his next prey. Let the chase begin.

#0.5

Sweet Dreams Boxed Set

2015

A Perfect Evil

2000

A killer is watching . . . The brutal murders of three young boys paralyze the citizens of Platte City, Nebraska. What's worse is the grim realization that the man recently executed for the crimes was a copycat. When Sheriff Nick Morrelli is called to the scene of another grisly murder, it becomes clear that the real predator is still at large, waiting to kill again. Morreli understands the urgency of the case terrorizing his community, but it's the experienced eye of FBI criminal profiler Maggie O'Dell that pinpoints the true nature of the evil behind the killings—a revelation made all the more horrific when Morrelli's own nephew goes missing. Maggie understands something else: the killer is enjoying himself, relishing his ability to stay one step ahead of her, making this case more personal by the hour. Because out there, watching, is a killer with a heart of pure and perfect evil.

Split Second

2001

They dubbed him the Collector, so named for his ritual of collecting victims before disposing of them in the most heinous ways possible. FBI special agent Maggie O'Dell tracked him for two years, finally ending their game of cate and mouse. Now Albert Stucky has escaped from prison…and he is setting up a new game for Maggie O'Dell. Some say Maggie O'Dell has lost her edge as one of the FBI's best profilers. Since capturing Stucky, she has been walking a tightwire, battling nightmares and guilt over the victims she couldn't save. Now that Stucky is loose again, she's been pulled out of the field. But as Stucky's trail of victims leads closer and closer to Maggie, she is put back on the case under the supervision of Special Agent R. J. Tully. Together they race against the clock to hunt the killer, and Maggie finds herself pushed to the very edge. Has her desire to stop Albert Stucky become a matter of personal vengeance? Has she crossed the line? And has that been Stucky's goal all along—to make her into a monster?

The Soul Catcher

2002

FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell and her partner Tully investigate two cases—the murder of a senator's daughter in Washington, D.C., and a deadly shootout in Massachusetts, both of which are linked to Reverend Joseph Everett, who is dating Maggie's mother.

#3.1

Goodnight, Sweet Mother

2006

Experience a heart-pumping and thrilling tale of suspense! Originally published in THRILLER (2006),edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author James Patterson. In this engaging Thriller Short, New York Times bestselling writer Alex Kava sends her longtime character FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell on a road trip that does not go as planned. Maggie and her mom, Kathleen, decide to take a trip together, even though they really don’t get along. At a diner they encounter a man then later, back on the road, they see the same guy again. This time he sideswipes their car. The ensuing action sends the O’Dells down a hole that will make them wish they had stayed home

At the Stroke of Madness

2003

With only an old man afflicted with Alzheimer's as a witness, FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is on the trail of a serial killer who targets people with physical disabilities, removing each victim's imperfections to keep as a twisted trophy.

A Necessary Evil

2006

When a monsignor is found knifed to death in a Nebraska airport restroom, FBI special agent Maggie O'Dell is called in to profile the ritualistic murder of a priest, the latest in a series of killings. Maggie soon discovers a disturbing Internet game that's popular among victims of abuse by Catholic priests. With this first real lead in the investigation, she wonders if the group has turned cyberspace justice into reality. Then Maggie gets a second lead—one that leaves her stunned. For the past four years she has been obsessed with finding Father Michael Keller, whose brutal acts against children continue to haunt her. Now, it seems, he has become a target. When Keller offers to help Maggie solve the ritual killings in exchange for protection, she decides to ally herself with the elusive child killer, stepping into a world of malevolence from which she may not return unscathed. Maggie knows the bargain is a necessary evil—one that may be made in blood.

Exposed

2008

Agent Maggie O'Dell and Assistant Director Cunningham believe they're responding to a threat made at Quantico. Instead they walk into a trap. Before they realize it, they've both been exposed to a killer who can strike at anyone, at any time, and no one can predict who might be next…until it's too late. The killer's tactics suggest he's an aficionado of criminal minds. He uses bits and pieces from those he admires: a phrase from the Beltway Snipers, a clue from the Unabomber, a delivery method similar to the Anthrax Killer. His weapon is a deadly virus, virtually invisible and totally unexpected. His victims appear to be random but, in fact, they are chosen with a revengeful precision. The vaccine is limited and untested. Maggie knows dangerous minds�from hauntingly perverse child predators to cunningly twisted serial killers. Now she faces a new opponent from inside an isolation ward at a biosafety containment hospital. Maggie must help Agent R. J. Tully find clues to catch the killer�while waiting to see if the deadly strain is already multiplying in her body. With every new exposure there's the potential for an epidemic. And Maggie knows she and Cunningham may not live long enough to discover who is the deadliest, most intelligent killer they've ever profiled.

Black Friday

2009

On the busiest shopping day of the year, some idealistic college students believe they're about to carry out an elaborate media stunt at the largest mall in America. They think the jamming devices in their backpacks will disrupt stores' computer systems, causing delays and chaos. What they don't realize is that instead of jamming devices, their backpacks are stuffed with explosives, ready to be detonated by remote control and turning them into suicide bombers.Caught up in a political nightmare, battling a new interim director and still mourning the death of her boss A. D. Cunningham, FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell must put her own troubles aside and fly to Minnesota to help figure out what's behind this terrorist attack—a massacre that is all the more frightening because no group has claimed responsibility. The search becomes personal when a tip reveals that one of the college students involved is Patrick, Maggie's brother. Afraid and on the run, Patrick must decide if he can finally trust Maggie enough to help her unravel this horrifying nightmare. Sifting through the debris for answers, Maggie is joined by Nick Morrelli, who has recently taken a job with a national security company that oversees security for the mall. Although Maggie and Nick have investigated several cases together in the past, they've never investigated a relationship with each other. Nick would like to change that. When an informant confides in Maggie that there are other attacks on the secret agenda, she knows that she's running out of time. In less than twenty-four hours she'll need to figure out exactly when and where the second attack will take place, who to look for and how to keep her brother from becoming one of the casualties.

#7.1

A Breath of Hot Air

2010

MURDER IN PARADISE: Pensacola Beach – sugar-white sands, emerald waves, sizzling hot temps served up with delicious fresh seafood – the perfect vacation spot. Except FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell isn’t on vacation. Her boss has sent her into the path of Hurricane Isaac to investigate a discarded fishing cooler that the Coast Guard pulled out of the Gulf of Mexico; a cooler filled with carefully wrapped body parts (DAMAGED, Doubleday). This short story, A BREATH OF HOT AIR, takes place in the middle of that investigation. Maggie O’Dell is awakened in her hotel room on Pensacola Beach by a frantic desk clerk. Housekeeping has made a gruesome discovery – a dead guest. Maggie teams up with Denver homicide detective, Glen Karst to determine if a murderer is on the loose. But Karst isn’t in Pensacola on vacation either. He’s on the track of a killer who escaped Colorado years ago. And it appears Karst may have found him. International bestselling author, Alex Kava and Patricia A. Bremmer, author of the Elusive Clue series, throw their sleuths together for the first time, searching for evidence before a Category 5 hurricane roars ashore. BONUS SECTION includes: an excerpt from Bremmer’s CLINICAL DEATH, an excerpt from Kava’s DAMAGED, character profiles of O’Dell and Karst, conversations with both authors, research trivia Kava’s essay on “Creating Maggie O’Dell.” Also included, is an exclusive look at the “lost first chapter” to Kava’s DAMAGED.

Damaged

2011

New York Times bestselling author Alex Kava joins the Doubleday list with her best novel yet. On Pensacola Beach, the Coast Guard prepares for a Category 5 hurricane that has entered the Gulf of Mexico. When the air crew patrols the waterways, they spot a huge fishing cooler about a mile offshore. Drug traffickers have been known to dump coolers with smuggled product to avoid detection and pay fishermen to retrieve them. But when the crew open this cooler, they’re shocked by what they find: body parts tightly wrapped in plastic. Though she is putting herself in the projected path of the hurricane, Special Agent Maggie O’Dell is sent to investigate. Eventually, she’s able to trace the torso in the cooler back to a man who mysteriously disappeared weeks earlier after a hurricane hit Port St. Lucie, Florida. Only Port St. Lucie is on the Atlantic side. How did his body end up six hundred miles away in the Gulf of Mexico? Cliffhanger chapters, behind-the-scenes forensic details, colorful characters, and satisfying twists have become the trademarks of Kava’s psychological thrillers. In Damaged, she ratchets up the suspense a notch by sending Maggie into the eye of an impending monster hurricane to track down a killer.

Hotwire

2011

In "New York Times" bestselling author Alex Kava's new thriller, Special Agent Maggie O'Dell investigates the death of three teenagers, only to find herself in the middle of a conspiracy involving biological warfare. On a crisp fall evening in western Nebraska, what started as a group of kids filming their drug-fueled party ends in an explosive light show, leaving the victims apparently electrocuted, with odd scorch marks being the only evidence. While Maggie tries to make sense of the dif-ferent stories, sifting through what is real and what is hallu-cination, she realizes that the surviving teens are being targeted and systematically eliminated. Meanwhile on the East Coast, Maggie's FBI partner, R.J. Tully, and Army colonel Benjamin Platt are at the scene of a deadly outbreak, desperate to identify the pathogen that has infected children at a Virginia elementary school. Despite the miles that separate them, the two cases collide as Maggie, Tully, and Platt uncover secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the remote Midwest landscape.

#10

Fireproof

2012

"New York Times" bestselling author Alex Kava returns in a blaze of glory with a gripping, action-packed thriller featuring special agent Maggie O'Dell, who is leading the search for a serial arsonist whose crimes threaten Maggie dangerously close to home. When a building bursts into flames on a cold winter night in D.C., investigators see a resemblance to a string of recent fires in the area. There is one difference, however: This one has a human casualty. The local team insists they're looking for a young white male, suffering from an uncontrollable impulse to act out his anger or sexual aggression. But when special agent Maggie O'Dell is called in, everything she sees leads her to believe that this is the work of a calculating and controlled criminal. Jeffery Cole, a reporter looking for his big break, is also at the scene of the crime and decides to make Maggie part of his news piece, digging up aspects of her past that she would rather forget. Maggie's brother Patrick is also back in DC where he is working for a private firefighting company and is frequently called in as these fires continue to light up around the city. As the acts of arson become more brazen, Maggie's professional and personal worlds begin to collide dangerously. The killer may be closer than she imagines.

#11

Stranded

2013

New York Times bestselling author Alex Kava returns with another action-packed thriller featuring special agent Maggie O'Dell, who is on the hunt for a "truck stop" serial killer. Tired travelers and weary truckers have stopped at rest areas on the nation's highways for decades to refuel, grab a bite, and maybe get some shut-eye, but one man's rest stop is another's hunting ground. For decades the defenseless, the weary, and the stranded have disappeared along the highways and byways, vanishing without a trace, but these seemingly unconnected incidents are no coincidence, and a madman stalks the freeways. When FBI special agent Maggie O'Dell and her partner, Tully, discover the remains of a young woman in a highway ditch, the one clue left behind is a map that will send Maggie and Tully on a frantic hunt crisscrossing the country to stop a madman before he kills again. As the body count rises and Maggie races against the clock to unmask the monster who's terrorizing the nation's highways, she turns to a former foe for help since he seems to know just what the killer's next move will be. As she gets closer to finding the killer, it becomes eerily clear that Maggie is the ultimate target.

#13

Slices of Night

2011

One killer: A psychopath who flies under the radar, moving from city to city, preying on the lost and forgotten. Three investigators: Detective Stacy Killian from the New Orleans P.D., Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson, and FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell—who witnessed some of the worst. And brought down some of the best. Will this one slip through their grasps, as he has slipped through grasps of so many, for so long? From three of today's most acclaimed thriller writers, SLICES OF NIGHT offers readers a sneak peek into the lives of three very different investigators, in three very different settings, as they hunt for a killer who's able to disappear into the night. Erica Spindler, Alex Kava and J.T. Ellison bring you face to face with their own unique brands of evil.

#16

Storm Season

2012

A massive storm system is unleashing its fury from Illinois to Florida - where it collides with a tropical disturbance and rages up the eastern seaboard. In the midst of the wind, rain and snow, Rockford Homicide Detective M.C. Riggio, FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell, and Nashville Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson find themselves fighting not just the elements, but three diabolical killers ... Rockford, Illinois - A young co-ed's body is pulled from the Rock River, and Violent Crimes Bureau Detective Mary Catherine 'M.C.' Riggio and her partner, Kitt Lundgren, quickly learn that things are not always as they appear at first glance. Pensacola, Florida - FBI Agent Maggie O'Dell is about to do something she swore she'd never do again: climb into a helicopter. But a US Senator's family has gone missing aboard their houseboat, and Maggie and her partner, R.J. Tully, have been dispatched to accompany the rescue crew on their search. Soon, however, there is an even greater danger on board... Washington, D.C. - Metro Nashville Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson has reluctantly agreed to take the place of her fiancé, FBI profiler John Baldwin, as a presenter at the annual Freedom Conference. But when two guests go missing, and one of them is found dead in his room, Taylor discovers an assassin amongst the spies - one with a deadly score to settle.

Authors

A New York Times and International bestselling author, Erica Spindler's skill for crafting engrossing plots and compelling characters has earned both critical praise and legions of fans. Her stories have been lauded as “thrill-packed page turners, white- knuckle rides and edge-of-your-seat whodunits.” Erica loves meeting and interacting with her fans, both in person and online. She has a wicked sense of humor, an optimistic spirit and loves coffee, chocolate and red wine, not necessarily in that order. In 2002 her novel Bone Cold won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence. A Romance Writers of America Honor Roll member, she received a Kiss of Death Award for her novels Forbidden Fruit and Dead Run and was a four-time RITA® Award finalist. In 1999 Publishers Weekly awarded the audio version of her novel Shocking Pink a Listen Up Award, naming it one of the best audio mystery books of 1998. Erica lives just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband and two sons.

Alex Kava

Author · 29 books

ALEX KAVA IS A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of the critically acclaimed Maggie O’Dell series and a new series featuring former Marine, Ryder Creed and his K9 dogs. Her stand-alone novel, One False Move, was the 2006 One Book One Nebraska. Published in over thirty countries, Kava’s novels have made the bestseller lists in the UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Poland. Her novel Stranded was awarded both a Florida Book Award and the Nebraska Book Award. She is a member of the Nebraska Writers Guild and International Thriller Writers. Kava divides her time between Omaha, Nebraska and Pensacola, Florida.

Heather Graham

Author · 246 books

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake. New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books. Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity. She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight. Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Cynthia Eden

Author · 174 books

Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes sexy tales of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over one hundred novels and novellas. Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies including hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.

Liliana Hart

Author · 94 books

Liliana Hart spent five years teaching music in the public education system. She molded America’s youth, busted kids for smoking pot in the restrooms, and broke up illicit affairs behind the stage on a regular basis. (Liliana’s Addison Holmes Mystery Series, about a small town teacher who gets into a whole lot of trouble, is somewhat autobiographical, but she won’t confess to which parts). Liliana began reading romance novels with all her new found free time, and when she ran out of things to read, she decided to write her own novels. The result was a 150,000 word thriller—a dazzling adventure—where the heroine was a thirty-year-old virgin assassin (Yes, you read that right). She couldn’t imagine why people weren’t knocking down her door to read it, but she persevered and began writing a second book. She finally got the hang of things, and eventually learned that losing one’s virginity wasn’t all that romantic after all. All of her books involve some kind of suspense (she just can't help herself), laughter, and a lot of steamy sex. Since the failure of her first attempt, Liliana’s books have won awards such as: The Daphne Du Maurier, The Suzannah, The Linda Howard Award of Excellence, The Maggie, and many others. Her affiliations include Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America. Liliana loves to cook, and is addicted to reading, Internet Boggle, kickboxing, and Bones. She lives in a big, rambling house in Texas with a couple of cats to keep her company. She loves to get emails from readers. Enjoy the Adventures!

C.J. Lyons

Author · 39 books

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over forty novels, former pediatric ER doctor CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge Thrillers with Heart. Two times winner of the International Thriller Writers coveted Thriller Award, CJ has been called a "master within the genre" (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as "breathtakingly fast-paced" and "riveting" (Publishers Weekly) with "characters with beating hearts and three dimensions" (Newsday). Learn more about CJ's Thrillers with Heart at www.CJLyons.net

Carla Neggers

Author · 70 books

Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sharpe & Donovan series featuring Boston-based FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan, and the popular Swift River Valley series set in the small, fictional New England town of Knights Bridge. With many bestsellers to her credit, Carla loves to write now as much as she did when she climbed a tree at age eleven with a pad and pen and spun stories perched on her favorite branch. A native New Englander, Carla and her husband divide their time between their hilltop home in Vermont, a sofa bed at their kids' places in Boston and various inns, hotels and hideaways on their travels, frequently to Ireland. Find out more and sign up for Carla's newsletter at CarlaNeggers.com.

T.R. Ragan (Theresa Ragan) is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling mystery and thriller author. Readers interested in signing up for a monthly newsletter or getting their name in a TR RAGAN book should check out her website at www.trragan.com Facebook • Twitter • Instagram: @trraganauthor LIZZY GARDNER SERIES Abducted Dead Weight A Dark Mind Obsessed Almost Dead Evil Never Dies FAITH MCMANN TRILOGY Furious Outrage Wrath JESSIE COLE SERIES Her Last Day Deadly Recall Deranged Buried Deep - 4/19

Jo Robertson

Author · 10 books

Like many writers, I penned my first story at a young age. However, a family and a teaching career put my writing dreams on hold until my Advanced Placement seniors conned me into writing my first complete manuscript. That story, which subsequently won RWA's Golden Heart Award in 2006, was THE WATCHER. From the moment I put my fingers to the keyboard, the barrier between my brain and the paper lifted, the story flew from my mind, and I fell in love with everything about the process of writing. Raised as an Army brat, I lived in Germany as a child, Northern Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Idaho, and Utah before finally settling in Northern California. Whenever I visit my sister in Virginia or my brothers in North Carolina and Florida, upon returning home I remember again why I love Northern California, home of the ancient redwoods, the fecund forests and the rugged Pacific coastline.

Allison Brennan

Author · 74 books

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Allison Brennan believes that life is too short to be bored, so she had five children and writes three books a year. 40 books and numerous short stories later, Allison relocated in 2019 from Northern California to Arizona with her husband and two youngest children. RT Book Reviews called Allison “a master of suspense” and her books “haunting,” “mesmerizing,” “pulse-pounding” and “emotionally complex.” She's been nominated for many awards, and is a three time winner of the Reviewer's Choice award winner for RT Book Reviews as well as the Daphne du Maurier award. Most recently, she was nominated for Best Paperback Original by International Thriller Writers. Most recent book: THE WRONG VICTIM out now in hardcover, in paperback in September 2022. In 2023, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR (Jan); SEVEN GIRLS GONE (April); and NORTH OF NOWHERE (Aug). You can reach Allison through Goodreads or through her website.

Brenda Novak

Author · 91 books

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career. “I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.” However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business. Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer. “When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….” Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she continues to publish two or three novels a year, in a variety of genres. Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. Now that they are empty-nesters, she spends her free time babysitting her two grandchildren. When she’s not with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. To date, she's raised almost $2.6 million. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking—she rides an amazing 20 miles every day! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-...