SPLIT SECOND is a tale of two disgraced Secret Service agents racing against time to find the common thread that connects a series of assassinations and abductions."Played" and misled by suspects, the duo search for answers.

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David Baldacci has written another winner. This was book had me hooked from the first page. The plot was skillfully written interweaving past and present facts. We have two very compelling protagonists that look like they were set up for a sequel, at least I hope so. This is the kind of thriller that keeps you on your toes from the first page to the last. It would have been a 5 star book, except the climax was a bit too unbelievable. It was almost like a light bulb went off and suddenly the case is solved. It all unraveled a little too fast. I don't want to give too much away, but the first 4/5 of the book was so good that the ending really did not detract from my overall enjoyment.

26 of 30 found the following review helpful:

This One Falls Short -Disappointing!Sep 29, 2004
By Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana"
I was disappointed with David Baldacci's "Split Second." Unlike his previous works it is definitely not a strong, tightly written novel, although it could have been a real winner. Throughout much of the book, the thrills, adventure and mystery are certainly present and do keep the reader turning the pages. The three main characters are interesting, unusual and well developed. So, what's wrong? The second half of the novel falls apart. The pace slows; the tension diminishes; the characters begin to act out of character, and turn into cardboard figures without much rationale for their actions. The villain, who has such potential to be a really bad guy, is totally one-dimensional - pure evil incarnate with no complexity, more like a cartoon than a human being. There's a fascinating love triangle which should have taken-off - but falls flat. And after the terrific opening and much of the first half, the conclusion is weak. The book ends with a peep, not a bang!

Sean King, Secret Service agent extraordinaire, with great career potential, is guarding a presidential candidate on a campaign stop in Smalltown USA. King's attention is diverted for one instant, and good cause, when the candidate, Clyde Ritter, is shot dead. Agent King recovers his composure immediately and shoots the assassin. The killer dies. So does King's career.

Eight years later Secret Service agent and girl wonder Michelle Maxwell is on a career fast track in a profession where only men succeed. Agent Maxwell, a former Olympic rower, is the exception to the rule. She has her sights set on White House duty guarding the president and she just might get the gig. She is presently guarding a presidential candidate, John Bruno, who is making an unscheduled stop at a funeral home to pay his respects to the deceased. The room is vacated except for the candidate, the corpse and the widow. Bruno insists on time alone, without security. Uncomfortable with the candidate's decision, Maxwell, and fellow agents stand outside the closed door, 99% sure their charge will be safe. He is kidnapped right out from under their noses. Michelle may still have a job, but her career is over. She is determined, however, to find John Bruno before he is killed - if indeed, he is still alive.

Former agent King is now living in a house he designed and built on a quiet lakefront in Virginia. He went back to school for a law degree and shares a practice in town. Sean reads of agent Maxwell's fall from grace and feels great empathy because of his similar experience. His empathy chills considerably when Ms. Maxwell shows up at his door with some questions and a theory that the murder and the kidnapping, eight years apart, just may be related. She provides some convincing arguments, and it doesn't hurt that King is wildly attracted to her, so he considers the ramifications of working with Michelle on the case. Then he finds a body, dead, in his law office. Just about this time, an old flame and colleague of King's, Joan Dillenger, turns up, apparently on-the-make. They haven't seen each other in eight years. She was with him the day before the assassination and stayed with him that night in his hotel room, leaving her black lace panties on the ceiling light fixture for the maid to remove the following morning.

Joan, Michelle and Sean combine their considerable resources to solve this mystery which just keeps getting more complicated - and interesting. But there is someone out there, in the background, with even more resources, who is playing them all with extraordinary expertise.

Given my above comments, if you are a Baldacci fan, then the book is certainly worth reading. It's just a shame he didn't tighten up his narrative and hone the plot.
JANA

29 of 36 found the following review helpful:

a good book, until...Nov 10, 2003
By Vincent Krief
I'm a fan of Baldacci's books. This one is a real page turner and you spend a good moment, until you arrive after de 2/3 of the book. Then you realize something is wrong with the story, that is a bit artificial... This feeling is confirmed by one of the most ridiculous "end-revelation-solution" that I have read in my life. I told myself: "He's kidding"... But no, Baldacci is not kidding.

18 of 22 found the following review helpful:

A first rate thriller!Oct 01, 2003
By Nick G
Secret Service agent Sean King is the best at what he does. Sean takes pride in protecting those assigned to his care, until the one mistake sent his life into a spiral. While protecting a presidential candidate Sean diverts his attention for a split second and in that time the candidate is gunned down right in front of him.

Michelle Maxwell is a Secret Service agent with a bright future, until the moment she tried to comfort a grieving widow and lost the candidate she was assigned to protect. With Michelle's future in the Secret Service destroyed she becomes obsessed with Sean's case, and the more she finds out about him she realizes they have a lot in common.

Sean, now living a quiet life in Virginia, has come under suspicion for a series of bizarre killings, and with no one to trust he turns to Michelle for help. As Sean and Michelle enter a world filled with lies and deception they discover the separate acts of violence that have torn their worlds apart have been carefully planned for a long time, and they are far from over. In a race against time the two must clear their names and stop a killer fueled by rage on a mission of revenge.

`Split Second' is a novel you won't put down for a second. The tension filled plot grabs hold on page one and holds you in it's grasp for 400 more pages. Good guys, bad guys, betrayal, deception, and surprise twists will keep you engrossed as Sean and Michelle race to save themselves. David Baldacci is an excellent writer of thrillers and `Split Second' is further proof of his storytelling power. Baldacci has, once again, written a lightning fast read filled with interesting characters, and razor-sharp suspense, one that will dominate the top spot on all the bestseller lists.

Do yourself a favor a set aside some time for the new MUST read David Baldacci novel `Split Second.'

Nick Gonnella

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