Before Evil

"Alex Kava is a master. Her heroine, Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is one of the classic characters of the thriller genre."
--Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

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.

Praise for Alex Kava's Maggie O'Dell novels

"Kava adds a human touch to the HEART-THUMPING CHASE."-Publishers Weekly

"The Maggie O'Dell thrillers KEEP GETTING BETTER with each installment."
--The Omaha World Herald

"Kava creates thoroughly AUTHENTIC, three-dimensional personalities."
-The Boston Globe

"Tension, suspense, MASTERFUL TWISTS . . . Alex Kava's writing has it all."
-Crimespace

"A pro, Kava writes as coolly and adroitly as O'Dell profiles. SUPREMELY PACED."
-The Lincoln Journal Star

"The writing is taut and polished, and the plot is well-woven. The forensic background is METICULOULY RESEARCHED."
-Crime Fiction Lover (UK)

"Maggie is GUTSY AND APPEALING as an FBI agent facing constant danger."
-Library Journal

"Kava does her FORENSIC HOMEWORK."
-Bookreporter.com

"When somebody with the reputation of Lee Child refers to your protagonist as
'Reacher's long-lost twin, ' you MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT."
--BookPage

ALEX KAVA is a New York Times, USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of seventeen novels including the award winning Maggie O’Dell series and the critically acclaimed Ryder Creed K9 series. Her novel Stranded was awarded both a Florida Book Award and the Nebraska Book Award. One False Move was chosen for the 2006 One Book One Nebraska and her political thriller, Whitewash, was one of January Magazine’s best thrillers of the year. Published in over thirty-four countries, Kava’s novels have made the bestseller lists in the UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Poland. She is a member of the Nebraska Writers Guild and International Thriller Writers. Kava divides her time between Omaha, Nebraska and Pensacola, Florida.