Split Second

By: David Baldacci

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Michelle Maxwell has just blown her future with the Secret Service. Against her instincts, she let a presidential candidate out of her sight to comfort a grieving widow. Then, behind closed doors, the politician whose safety was her responsibility vanished into thin air.

Living a new life on a quiet lake in central Virginia, Sean King knows how the younger agent feels. He's been there before. In an out-of-the-way hotel eight years earlier, the hard-charging Secret Service man allowed his attention to be diverted for a split second. And the presidential candidate Sean was protecting was gunned down before his eyes.

Now Michelle and Sean are about to see their destinies converge. She has become obsessed with Sean's case. And he needs a friend - especially since a series of macabre killings has brought him under suspicion and prompted the reappearance of a seductive woman he's tried hard to forget.

As the two discredited agents enter a maze of lies, secrets, and deadly coincidences, they uncover a shocking truth: that the separate acts of violence that shattered their lives were really a long time in the making - and are a long way from over....

©2003 Columbus Rose, Ltd. (P)2003 Time Warner AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"Baldacci's new thriller is sustained by the pulse-pounding suspense his fans have come to expect." ( Booklist)

So So

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I Personally made myself listen the the entire book, but it was not worth the effort. Lots of twist and turns but not believable and really silly in the long haul.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Scott Brick?

The narration was good.

Did Split Second inspire you to do anything?

Nothing at all.

I meet King and Maxwell.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend. There was alot of action with good dialogue.

Who was your favorite character and why?

King. Loved his wit.

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

cant decide between King and Michelle.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Fool me once shame on you!

Any additional comments?

I down loaded the next in the series

entertaining read

Good job with narration, good story twists and turns. Great read to escape boredom and help pass the time during covid lockdown.

another fine book

loved this book, the action and the adventure, the through character development and fine plot

Fantastic Conspiracy Thriller

Wow. This was fantastic. So many pieces of the puzzle to put together, so many people in danger... Some great twists and red herrings. This was my first conspiracy/thriller novel, and I can't rave about it enough. Politics, Murder, and Kidnapping, oh my! While the plot was so intricate and clues so obscure that it had me guessing and on the edge of my seat throughout, the sensational characters are what sealed the deal for me. I loved how Baldacci drew his agents/investigators - each great individuals in their own right, opposites in habit and operating styles, but with the potential to be complimentary when they put their heads together. . . Or butt heads, as the case may be. They play off of one another extremely well as both characters and investigators, something I very much value. And the secondary players were masterfully depicted too, from Joan and Kate to the professor and other law enforcement. There was a lot of wit and intelligence, and I loved King's cynical sarcastic humor. Sometimes I didn't know which witnesses, which observations to believe, but never lost faith in my new favorite former Secret Service agents.

The narration was great, only recall having voice-attribution trouble once or twice between dialogue and narrative. Character voices were sufficiently distinct, and the female ones weren't gaspy or too high pitched, he didn't force it like some male narrators I've heard.

I must admit, I had already watched the tv series on TNT about a year prior to trying the book, so my concepts of the characters were already somewhat developed, but didn't contradict the original novel versions overmuch. A pretty good adaptation, though it changed the circumstances of Maxwell's disgrace and their teaming up rather more than I'd have guessed.

Over all a great read that I didn't want to put down. I look forward to more great cases in this series.

David Baldacci

One of his best, keeping me on the edge of my seat waiting for the climax.

A bit unbelievable but I seek entertainment!

I usually enjoy anything Scott Brick narrates - this was no exception. I liked the main characters and enjoyed the book.

Decent story, poor performance

Listening to this sounded like Ivy League detectives trying to be Sherlock Holmes. I was easily distracted from the story by the teller because his voices did not hold my attention. Many characters sounded the same. Had no idea when scenes changed or characters changed. I'm probably spoiled by George Guidall read books. It was like Sam & Remy Fargo become private eyes.

Read in 48 hours

If I had the option, I would mark this down as 4.5. It was a fantastic book. I haven't been disappointed by Baldacci. But there is always something that leaves me wanting a tiny bit more.

But I was so entranced by this, I could not put it down. Read it in 48 hours.

Good read but needs your attention!

In fairness to the story, I listened to this over the summer driving up north and back. It's a bit complicated plot so not as easy to follow disjointedly. I would recommend it.