I’ve done what I had promised myself I wouldn’t do again, which is to read another Baldacci novel about Jack Reacher knock-off John Puller. I hated the first Puller novel and disliked the second. And so I was pleasantly surprised that Baldacci brought his “Camel Club” game to this latest novel, a political thriller with high stakes, fascinating characters and a surprisingly subdued and more human Puller revealing less of the super-hero and more of the grit and angst of a real person. Baldacci, a […]
Baldacci gets it right with The Whole Truth
After the last few years’ relative duds by Baldacci, I picked up The Whole Truth at a yard sale and reminded myself that my once favorite author definitely has what it takes, but needs to get over his own popularity and his publisher’s pressures to churn out the moneymakers, and go back to writing good books. This 2008 novel about a neo-Cold War cooked up by a psychotic arms dealer and a “perception management” firm had shivers running down my spine. I won’t say this […]
No excuse for another Reacher knock-off by Baldacci
Baldacci brings John Puller back for another attempt at a Reacher-like hit, but –while slightly better than the first book Zero Day—The Forgotten doesn’t come close to his early stuff. Indeed, Baldacci had a hit-em-out-of-the-park winner with one of his earliest novels Wish You Well, and I’ve been waiting ever since for something with the same degree of character, substance and, frankly, beautiful writing. In The Forgotten, Baldacci tries to capture our interest with the hot-button topic of human slavery in the modern era, but […]
Baldacci popcorn thriller … no nuances, just a fun ride
If you’re looking for a lightweight quick read to go with popcorn, Baldacci’s latest thriller fits the bill. If you’re looking for subtley, nuance, serious character development and plausible plot, look elsewhere. Baldacci brings us another episode of his dynamic duo Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, former Secret Service turned private investigators who just can’t keep themselves out of trouble but who somehow manage to solve global conspiracies by themselves while magically winning the unpublicized appreciation of the U.S. President at the end of the […]
9/11 Conspiracies and Government Assassins
Baldacci turns in another action-packed thriller, bringing back government assassin Will Robie to thrill us with his deadly skills (and to make us wonder what the hell he is doing killing people for the government!) This time, Baldacci gives us double the excitement by giving us a female Will Robie in the form of Jessica Reel, another government assassin who had trained with Robie, but who has apparently gone rogue and killed several American government agents, including the number two in the CIA. When Robie […]