Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Terminal Event

Rate this book
A young Psychic driven by the shadow images in her mind locates the body of a missing teen. This event leads her down a path to locate and capture a serial killer who is stalking women in the Deep South. Tally Rainwater finds much more when she falls in love with the intriguing “Spooky” Cooper.

ebook

First published July 10, 2011

20 people are currently reading
60 people want to read

About the author

Ali Spooner

72 books123 followers
I am a native Floridian who is temporarily (I hope) displaced in Memphis, TN. for work purposes, however I hope to make it home to a partner of 17 years and our family as quickly as I can. I enjoy photography as a hobby along with spinning a good tale.

I am American by birth and Southern by the Grace of God. LOL I enjoy writing about the south and creating characters and events that I hope my readers enjoy as much as I have in creating them.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
67 (56%)
4 stars
28 (23%)
3 stars
17 (14%)
2 stars
5 (4%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for MaxDisaster.
677 reviews87 followers
November 20, 2022
DNF at 9%
I tried I really did, but:
1)I loathed the writing style. It wasn't helped by the fact that I generally dislike first person point of view unless it's exceptionally well done. This really, really wasn't . I felt like the author was spoonfeeding me only the info she found relevant and in a way that made me felt like a moron (I can grasp a sentence with more than eight words, no need to write so many simple sentences). The pacing was weird too.
2) no kid talks like that. Even 12 year olds.
3) I'm too old to force myself to read stuff I hate in my free time (high school is over) so I won't do it

So it's possible it got drastically better afterwards and that the main story would be so good it would outweigh my dislike of the writing style.
But the beginning felt like torture to me and I'm not into self-flagellation
Profile Image for Loek Krancher.
1,042 reviews66 followers
June 21, 2015
Fantastic!

Wow, this was so exciting. I could not put it down. From the beginning to the end I was fascinated by the story. The interactions during her visions, I loved it. The whole hunt for him was breathtaking. And the sweet romance made the story perfect. I want more and I recommend it highly to everyone.
Profile Image for Val.
412 reviews16 followers
February 14, 2017
3.5 This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed the story. The main characters fall in instant love so I think that could've used more development. The dialogue is a little stilted in places when the characters don't use contractions. No one in the south talks like that. We try to use fewer words, not more. ;-)
Profile Image for P. Industry.
163 reviews15 followers
November 3, 2015
Tally Rainwater is an illegitimate (but belovéd) daughter raised in small-town America. Living in a trailer under the care of her waitress single mother, she never knew her father and never really expected too. But Tally is unusual in one critical way; she possesses the ability to talk to spirits, and her gifts become both more potent and undeniable after she is struck by lightning while out riding her bicycle.

Prompted by spirits, Tally begins to travel across state lines on "find and retrieve" missions, seeking closure for families. Lost kiddies and dead bodies both fall within her purview - with the bodies comes their baggage. These bodies (and the spirits they belong to) were victims of a prolific serial killer operating all over the lower American South. Tally comes a godsend for the FBI Agent sent to investigate these murders - Blair "Spooky" Cooper. Competent, attractive, and mercifully credulous, they gather their band and hunt their prey, seeking to catch the killer before he slips away into the bayou and out of their grasp.

Cool premise. So how does it shape up?


Well, badly. Alas. This book had a lot of promise, but the whole effect was marred by the execution. Everything felt... awkward. There really is no other word for it. Relationships were either rushed and ridiculous, or slow and strained. No one seemed to really react in a believable way (- the cops and FBI agents especially). There was a broader problem in the characterizations; I struggled to find character in major players (such as the doughty Officer Joe) even as the author attempted a wide gamut of human emotions.

The relationships which should have formed the backbone of this novel really were difficult. It was a result of poor writing, not poor imagination or a lack of scope. Probably the most egregious example was Tally and Blair - in a crime/romance novel, they needed to work. Instead they fall in love so quickly I literally thought I had accidentally skipped a whole section of the book, and cycled my Kindle back to find out what it said. For the record - no, I hadn't skipped a word. They literally go from "hey I'm attracted to that person, but they're kind of mysterious" to "undying love" in four pages. (It was super unprofessional as well - seriously, an Agent falling in love with... whatever Tally is? A consultant? Whatever, it was unprofessional.)


The imagination and scope of this story form its saving grace, and save it from complete catastrophe. Even as the writing stuttered, the mystery itself was well done. The clues and references came together in order to structure the action neatly, and everything fed back in on itself in a most pleasing way. Classic storytelling. Probably the author would have done well to ditch the romance angle entirely, and focused on the crime instead.

But all up its flaws are... how to term this... it's flaws are omnipresent, but not overpowering. I don't really recommend it for anyone looking for a "good" book, but it's not bad in and of itself. If you are willing to settle for below-average writing, then you're in luck. But it's not worth the Kindle asking price.

Three stars.
Profile Image for Pam.
424 reviews
June 8, 2021
The gift of sight can carry such a heavy burden when others are in the vision.

Tally is an only child from a single mom. Shelby fell in love with a kind soul who gave her Tally before he disappeared. Tally had a gift she did not understand in her youth. They lived a life full of love knowing one day she would understand and would meet someone who would help her. This is Tally and Blair's story.
What an amazing, twisted kind of journey Tally has had and when she meets Blair she sees her path clearly. I won't spoil the story because it is so brilliantly written with moment of extreme pain and beautiful closure that I felt so deeply. Ali Spooner brings characters to life in such a way you feel their experiences. This is such a great story even though evil truely happened the way it was conquered was just so good. The crime novel with a romance and woman trusting their deep spiritual nature. I was spell bound from page one and captivated thru all the book.
652 reviews8 followers
February 9, 2021
Suspenseful!

Like all of Ali’s books, this one grabs you from the get go! Tally is a young woman that was born with a special psychic gift. This gift, it turns out, helps law enforcement find missing women that have been murdered by a serial killer. The story evolves in Tally meeting Special Agent in Charge Blair Cooper, the head of the task for hunting the killer. Throughout the story, Tally and Blair developed a relationship that ultimately turns out they are soulmates. Also, Tally is able to get into the mind of the killer they are hunting. That dynamic is very interesting till the very end.

Ala in all, the characters were well developed and the plot line was really good. I liked it a lot!
296 reviews2 followers
July 29, 2020
INCREDIBLE!!!

Oh my Goddess! This novel was a phenomenal journey through Tally’s life and acceptance of her astonishing gift!
I love the way Ms. Spooner writes. This book had a profound effect on me as the movement from one task to another was heart wrenching. Please ... read all of her works. You won’t be disappointed. I enthusiastically and unequivocally and heartily recommend her writings. Thank you Peace
44 reviews
July 27, 2021
Hemingway-like prose, a young woman blessed with the "sight" and a serial rapist murderer, oh my!!!

So well written even the eerie parts slip right on by with an even eerier ease until you are completely immersed in a tail that feels so real you can smell the swamp and hear the gators!!! Kept me guessing until the end and I swallowed it whole in one exciting rainy thunderstorming afternoon of wonderfully fulfilling enjoyment! Highest Marks!!!
Profile Image for Frances Bell.
424 reviews11 followers
April 5, 2021
Good book

The characters of baby likeable the story line was great Just wanna category a little mystery and romance with a little psychic involved I'm getting ready to read the next book I recommend this book
27 reviews3 followers
April 23, 2022
so good

Action packed and with a love interest. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. There’s equal romance and thrill. I loved getting to know Tally from her perspective. And seeing the love interest’s too. Very good book. Can’t wait to read another by Ali.
33 reviews
March 3, 2020
Just wonderful

Loved this book from the first word to the last. I hope this will become a series. Great story and wonderful characters.
1,149 reviews15 followers
February 27, 2021
Excellent.

I loved Terminal Event. I don’t normally read books with a sprit/ghost theme. But this book handles it tastefully and tactfully. Loved it.
28 reviews
April 27, 2023
Fantastic!

This is a great book. I couldn't put it down, I needed to know what happened next. Psychic and FBI agent, what more could you want?
97 reviews1 follower
June 6, 2024
Wow, what a ride! This thriller kept me on the edge of my seat. I did not see the ending! This writer is on a par with Patricia Corn well and James Patterson. I highly recommend this book
155 reviews
July 27, 2016
I have read many of Ms Spooner's books but none as gritty as this one. Tally Rainwater has the gift of 2nd sight and one of the visions asks her to help find her killer. Tally has never known what to do about these visions until given the purpose to find a killer. The book takes place in the Bayou, home of voodoo, spirits and the unknown. My favorite part was the interaction between the Tally and her visions. I got goose bumps and shed a few tears not to mention a few unusual dreams. The ending was amazing. I will not spoil this for you. Read the book.
Profile Image for Margaret Guadarrama.
74 reviews4 followers
December 10, 2016
Amazing

This was an amazing yarn of mystery, intrigue, and local culture that Ms Spooned created. At times, I could hardly put it down but yet was almost afraid to keep going because I had no idea what the next bizarre event would happen. Ms Spooned is an excellent author in my opinion.
Profile Image for Heather Henkel.
1,404 reviews23 followers
August 12, 2017
Great book

I really loved the mix of supernatural, criminal investigation and romance that this story blended together beautifully. I can't recommend this book enough.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.