This is the first time I’ve read a book by David Baldacci. I didn’t know what to expect from it, but just that many have been recommending me to try.
Two cases sixteen months apart, connected to a person and perhaps through the person’s memory. That person… Amos Decker. The first crime was the murders of his family. The second, a school shooting. It sends Decker, the local PD he once worked for and the FBI on a hunt for a killer who seems to have entered stealthily and left without a trace.
Straight up, I loved Amos Decker’s character. Flawed but human, superhuman because of an event from his past, his memory both his strength and his weakness. It fit. His ability to analyse what he had seen heard before and what he saw in the present was wonderful. He was paired with Mary Lancaster, an ideal foil I felt, till Alexandra Jamison’s character entered the picture. I liked that. It suited Decker’s character sketch better. And of course, there was Bogart, the FBI man. Given the ending, there’s promise in this story series. I am looking forward to more.
The plot kept me turning pages. This is by no means a small book. But I finished it over two days. It was gripping. When the plot seemed to be heading nowhere, the author put in twist after twist to bring just the hint of meaning, making me want to know what would happen next. Loved that. Perfect for a thriller. The motive for the crime was somewhat justified from the criminal’s point of view too. In a way, the reader did feel sympathy and empathy to the criminal too. A first for me, I think.
Would I reread? Without any doubt. Yes. But for now, I’d read more of this series.
