Split Second is a crime fiction novel written by American writer David Baldacci. This is the first novel in the King and Maxwell book series. The book was published on September 30, 2003, by Grand Central Publishing.
Baldacci (The Christmas Train, 2002, etc.) sets out with two plot strands. The first begins when something distracts Secret Service Agent Sean King and during that “split second,” presidential candidate Clyde Ritter is shot dead. King takes out the killer, but that’s not enough to save his reputation with the Secret Service. He retires and goes on to do often tedious but nonetheless always lucrative work (much like a legal thriller such as this) at a law practice. Plot two begins eight years later when another Secret Service Agent, Michelle Maxwell, lets presidential candidate John Bruno out of her sight for a few minutes at a wake for one of his close associates. He goes missing. Now Maxwell, too, gets in dutch with the SS. Though separated by time, the cases are similar and leave several questions unanswered. What distracted King at the rally? Bruno had claimed his friend’s widow called him to the funeral home. The widow (one of the few characters here to have any life) says she never called Bruno. Who set him up? Who did a chambermaid at Ritter’s hotel blackmail? And who is the man in the Buick shadowing King’s and Maxwell’s every move? King is a handsome, rich divorce, Maxwell an attractive marathon runner. Will they join forces and find each other kind of, well, appealing? But of course. The two former agents traverse the countryside, spinning endless hypotheses before the onset, at last, of a jerrybuilt conclusion that begs credibility and offers few surprises.
Split Second is a 1953 American film noir thriller directed by Dick Powell about escaped convicts and their hostages holed up in a ghost town, unaware of the grave danger they are in. It featured Stephen McNally, Alexis Smith, Jan Sterling, and Keith Andes.
Sam Hurley (Stephen McNally) and Bart Moore (Paul Kelly) escape from prison, although Moore is seriously wounded in the breakout. They meet up with a confederate, a mute named "Dummy" (Frank de Kova), and hide out in a ghost town. Along the way, they pick up several hostages, Kay Garven (Alexis Smith) and her lover Arthur Ashton (Robert Paige), reporter Larry Fleming (Keith Andes), dancer "Dottie" Vale (Jan Sterling), and the town's sole resident, Asa Tremaine (Arthur Hunnicutt).
Larry tries to warn the gangsters that the government is going to conduct an atomic bomb test nearby the next day, but Sam, their leader, does not believe him. When Arthur causes trouble, Sam kills him without a qualm. Meanwhile, Sam discovers that Kay's husband is a doctor. He phones Neal Garven (Richard Egan) and threatens to kill his unfaithful wife unless he meets them. To Kay's surprise, Neal still loves her enough to show up. He successfully operates on Bart, but warns Sam that moving his friend too soon will kill him. When Sam finally realizes that Larry was telling the truth, he still waits as long as possible to give Bart time to recuperate.
Split Second is an American television game show which originally aired on ABC from March 20, 1972, to June 27, 1975. The show returned on December 15, 1986 in syndication in the United States and Canada, where it was produced, and ran until September 11, 1987.
Both editions of Split Second were productions of Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions. The syndicated series was produced in association with Concept Equity Funding Limited and Viacom Enterprises; the former company was responsible for the production of the show in Canada while Viacom distributed the series to its American markets. Canadian television stations CHCH-TV, CFAC-TV, and CITV-TV assisted in production of the syndicated series as well, but were not credited on American airings.
Tom Kennedy was the host for the original ABC version, with Jack Clark serving as announcer. When the show returned in syndication in 1986, production moved to Toronto and producer and joint creator Monty Hall became the host, with Sandy Hoyt as announcer.
i did not want to be stuck
one second longer than i had to be there,
stuck inside the door.
i'm always scared i'll slam my fingers in the door
because the last time that i left
i slammed my fingers in the door.
when you want to get out,
you get up, and walk straight to the door.
not stop and think about it,
thinking that one second longer
that a car could hit me in it
