Maelstrom

Sarah Reilly #1

by Michael MacConnell

Sarah Reilly is the daughter of FBI legend Harry Reilly. Her father made his reputation hunting down one of America's worst serial killers. But Harry never met the violet-eyed man. Sarah has inherited her father's impulsive intuition and is making a name for herself as a rookie FBI agent. Given the job of investigating a recent double murder, she uncovers some strange anomalies in the modus operandi of the killer ...and a maelstrom of evil is unleashed as a killer finds himself hunted by more than one adversary.

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 4 out of 5]

A taut thriller with plenty of action, i really enjoyed Maelstrom. It has a fresh twist on a familiar idea that makes for compelling reading. The plot is tight and well thought out with a great blend of psychological and physical drama.
MacConnell relies on his characters doing good police work rather than luck to work and solve the mysteries they are faced with.
MacConnell's characters are interesting - I liked Sarah - tough and smart, but not unrealistically so. The Violet Eyed Man is suitably calculating and chilling. The Shadow Men introduce an ambiguity that is unique.
I'm looking forward to finding a copy of the next book Splinter

[del_detriment · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced, intense thriller, with plenty of twists and surprises to keep it from falling into familiar FBI-agent-hunts-serial-killer territory.

Sarah Reilly, FBI agent, is a kick-arse female protagonist - ballsy, smart, vulnerable and flawed. Often, women written by men are cliched and predictable and/or their good deeds are overshadowed by those of secondary male characters. Sarah Reilly suffers neither of those indignities. Kudos to Michael for writing such a well-rounded and authentic female character.

I look forward to seeing more of Sarah in Michael's second book, Splinter.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I technically cheated on this one, and listened to the audiobook on my treks from Melbourne to Shepparton.

Having said that I found it kept me quite engaged, I looked forward to the next time I would be in the car in order to find out what happened next.
I do wonder though how different it would have been if I had read the book in the oldschool way.

I did find that I was constantly trying to work out who the "violet eyed man" was and how he was related to other characters, such as bates, and Sarah.

Pretty sad ending, but overall a good and engaging tale, at least in the audiobook form.

[Shazia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serial killers, CSI'ish forensic science, profiling and one kick-ass female FBI agent - not a bad read

[Oshanie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book,kept me interested for most of the chapter but I felt the ending was rushed

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm becoming quite hooked on crime thrillers and this was a great one! Full of action, drama and suspense, I couldn't put it down.

[Erika Issacs · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the get-go, this book grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. The plot is a cracking blend of suspense and intrigue, with twists that hit like a rogue wave. MacConnell’s characters are vividly drawn, flawed, and utterly compelling, pulling you deep into their world.

The pacing is spot-on, building tension like a storm brewing over the ocean, and the unexpected turns kept me up way past bedtime. The dark, atmospheric vibe and sharp dialogue give it a distinctly Aussie edge, despite its global feel. A bloody brilliant read for any thriller fan—can’t recommend it highly enough!

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Sunnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

MAELSTROM is a no-apologies thriller. I have to be honest and say thrillers aren’t usually my choice of reading. They work better for me on the big screen than between the pages of a book, but I found myself enjoying MAELSTROM much more than I expected. The there is plenty of action without it being dragged out too much and there’s enough plot to keep non-action people like me reading.

Dedicated thriller-readers will enjoy every action-packed page of MAELSTROM. It is a promising debut novel from Michael MacConnell.

MAELSTROM is a 2008 Ned Kelly nominee for Best First Novel.

Michael MacConnell is Australian and lives on the Central Coast of New South Wales. He has a degree in International Relations, History and Ancient History and currently works in New South Wales law enforcement. His official website is http://www.michaelmacconnell.com/

[Wes · Rating 2 out of 5]

A VERY pedestrian style of writing, which only leaves plot and character and each is passible. I liked that the author isn't afraid to kill people who are always (in these kinds of thrillers) in need of rescue. That said, this is a book where the lack of writing style greatly detracts from the plot, not allowing it to elevate to something better than watching it on TV. Thomas Keneally seems to write FOR his audience instead of for himself and thus a lot of roll-your-eyes phrases used. "She vowed she would track down the killer. By God, she would." The plot moved along but had no depth at all (hence the TV-feel) -- but could have done without the hour-to-read killer-holds-hostage-and-puts-cop-through-maze-to-shake-covert-tail chase in the middle. Too long.

Interesting premise sunk by shallow writing.

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love a murder mystery, but but I didn't like this. Gratuitous violence, drawn out scenarios that you don't particularly care about, characters I couldn't care less about - & all of that in the first 100 pages.