A NECESSARY EVIL
Alex Kava
Mira Books
Thriller
ISBN: 0778322742

A good way for authors to gauge their readership is to measure the clamor that is manifested for the return of a minor character --- good or evil --- to a particular series. Alex Kava, whose Maggie O'Dell series has been adding readers exponentially with the subsequent release of each installment, introduced a vile character named Father Michael Keller in A PERFECT EVIL, the first O'Dell book, and let him get away. Fans who've been hoping for Keller's return have finally gotten their wish, thanks to Kava's latest novel, A NECESSARY EVIL.

At the beginning of the book, O'Dell is busily assisting with the investigation of a murderer in the Washington, D.C. area who's beheading young women and leaving their heads in various places. O'Dell is unaware that her mentor, Dr. Gwen Patterson, has been receiving clues about the killings from the murderer. Patterson has been frightened into silence regarding the clues, as the killer has an apparent link to Patterson and will use this information against her if she doesn't cooperate with him.

In the midst of the investigation O'Dell is abruptly transferred to a different assignment in Omaha, Nebraska, where a Catholic priest has been killed. It is soon determined that this murder has similarities to that of another priest and an ex-priest in different locations. However, O'Dell receives the ultimate shock when she gets a telephone call from Father Keller, who is offering his assistance in return not only for immunity from prosecution for his past acts, but also for protection from the murderer, who has targeted Keller as his next victim.

Kava is at top form in A NECESSARY EVIL. There are a number of water cooler moments, the most notable one occurring about halfway through the book. I won't give it away, but it's going to be a while before I can walk into a kitchen without thinking about it. Kava also focuses on events in O'Dell's personal life without allowing the book to stray from the main plot(s), even setting up some plot vehicles for subsequent O'Dell novels. Taken as a whole, A NECESSARY EVIL is a must-read for longtime fans of Kava and for readers looking for a new literary addiction. Recommended.

   --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.

© Copyright 1996-2008, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.

Back to top.