Julie's Reviews: The Sixth Man

Summary: Edgar Roy-an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility-is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins-en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered. It is now up to them to ask the questions no one seems to want answered: Is Roy a killer? Who murdered Bergin? With help from some surprising allies, they continue to pursue the case. But the more they dig into Roy's past, the more they encounter obstacles, half-truths, dead-ends, false friends, and escalating threats from every direction. Their persistence puts them on a collision course with the highest levels of the government and the darkest corners of power. In a terrifying confrontation that will push Sean and Michelle to their limits, the duo may be permanently parted. ~amazon.com

Review: You guys know I love David Baldacci's books right? Well, The Sixth Man is no different. I had forgotten how much I love Sean and Michelle and how much I missed them. Part murder mystery and part political thriller; it is an intricate plot that touches high levels of our government.

What I loved was that there were several different mysteries to the novel. We first want to know who killed Ted Bergin but that leads to us wanting to know if Edgar Roy was set up as a murderer? It makes you wonder how this is all connected. Early on I thought I had the novel figured out and it would be a disappointment for me. Of course, that wasn't the case!

There is just so much going on in the novel that you wonder how it is all going to be linked and how it is even possible for him to tie it all up in the end but does he ever. There are a few twists that, for me, came out of the blue. One I almost fell on the floor when it was revealed and the other one I felt like I should have seen it coming. Either way, I love being surprised by an author.

What amazes me is how Mr. Baldacci comes up with these ideas for his books, when they don't seem quite probable but I know they are probably on the cusp of being reality. The subject matter in this one was interesting and something that science inclined people would really enjoy. Is it possible for humans to use more than 10% of their brain? If our brains functioned at 95-98%, what could we accomplish? I also loved that the book involved the intelligence community of the US and how it could look post 9/11 with collaboration. Is it ever really collaborative when government funding is on the line? How are we as citizens supposed to feel safe, when the alphabet agencies are fighting? It all makes for an exciting novel. Plus I was holding my breath until the last page of the novel and then I breathed out but still not sure where things end up. I will be anxiously awaiting the next King/Maxwell book.

I do have to say this while I adore Sean King and think he's all kinds of cool; it's Michelle Maxwell who kicks ass. She is one female that I would love to have on my side if I was ever in a dark alley or under siege. I have a slight fictional character girl crush on her. :)

This is the 5th book that pairs up King and Maxwell but you don't have to go back to the beginning (Split Second). I think it's pretty clear from the get-go how well they work together and how complex their relationship is. Aren't they all?

Final Take: 4.5/5

Julie's Review: True Blue

Summary: This promising first in a new series from bestseller Baldacci (First Family) introduces Beth Perry, chief of the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police, and Beth's younger sister, Mace Perry, a former police officer dubbed the Patty Hearst of the twenty-first century after she was seized by bandits, drugged and taken along on a series of armed robberies around Washington. Mace, who's just getting out of prison after serving a two-year sentence, is willing to risk everything to clear her name and reclaim her life as a cop by cracking a big case on her own. The rape-murder of a powerful lawyer as well as the killing of a prominent U.S. attorney provide Mace an opportunity to vindicate herself. While Baldacci draws his characters in bright primary colors, and some of the action reaches comic book proportions, he delivers his usual intricate plotting and sets the stage nicely for highly competent Beth and impulsive, streetwise Mace to take on more bad guys. ~amazon.com

Review: As with all authors there are some books where they hit it out of the park and others where they don't. In this case, Mr. Baldacci has another triple! True Blue introduces us to the Perry sisters: Beth and Mason/Mace. Beth is the Chief of Police for D.C. and Mace is a former Detective who was wrongly imprisoned for 2 years. The book begins with Mace being in prison and enduring her last 48 hours in the clink by trying to survive. As soon as Mace gets out she puts her nose in a case that she thinks will get her back to being a "Blue".

Mace is a bit of a rebel and yet as a reader I loved her for it. I can see why it worked for her as a cop and how it might assist her in getting back onto the force. I can also see how it is detrimental to her getting back on the force as well. Mace has tunnel vision with getting back on the force and at times it doesn't serve her or Beth well.

We are also introduced to Roy Kingman, a lawyer who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Instantly, there is chemistry between him and Mace (no shocker there). He is enamored with her no holds barred attitude. You know instantly that he has a bit of a crush. Roy and Mace make a great duo and work well off of each other, using their strengths to go after a case.

Are there things in the book that you have to suspend reality for? Of course, but it wouldn't be a thriller if you didn't. The book deals with different organizations of the U.S. Government. I did find all of the acronyms confusing at times but that's ok. In the end, you don't have to be an expert to get the gist.

Mr. Baldacci has yet again created strong female characters that rock and are fun to read. I would love to see Mace and Beth join forces with Sean King and Michelle Maxwell on a case.

If you are looking for a great thriller with a strong female character, then you should pick up True Blue. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Final Take: 4.5/5

Julie's Review: First Family

Summary: Plenty of intense action drives bestseller Baldacci's stellar fourth novel to feature former Secret Service agents Michelle Maxwell and Sean King (after Simple Genius). Maxwell and King, D.C. PIs, step on the toes of everyone, including the FBI and the Secret Service. They even manage to bruise the ego of First Lady Jane Cox, who hires them after her 12-year-old niece is kidnapped following a birthday party at Camp David. Baldacci excels at making the improbable believable as one obsessed man, 62-year-old Sam Quarry, takes on the best security the U.S. can muster from his Alabama redoubt. Even more impressive than Quarry's determined campaign is the ingeniousness with which Baldacci manages to disguise both Quarry's precise motivation and aims. Meanwhile, Maxwell has to deal with her mother's death and a host of other personal issues. Baldacci's careful plotting and confidant depictions of national security procedures make this a thinking man's thriller. ~amazon.com

Review: I don't think I've ever read a bad David Baldacci book, seriously. As usual, I am behind on his books seeing that my dad gave me this book last summer but First Family is probably one of his best. The book stars Sean King and Michelle Maxwell again. Two former Secret Service agents who are now Private Investigators. At first, Jane Cox the current First Lady, seems on the up and up but as the novel goes on her motives are called into question; not only by the reader but by Sean King, the very man she hired to help find her niece. You pretty much know close to the beginning of the story that she's hiding something, you just aren't sure what. .

We are introduced to Sam Quarry, an aging man who is looking to exact revenge on the First Family but in true Baldacci style, we don't know why..yet. Baldacci is always excellent at the slow reveal and letting you think of several different scenarios and wondering if you have even come close. It's always fun guessing even if you are wrong, which I was this time. He is the character that is supposed to be the villain but he's the one that I ended up wanting to know the most about and hoping that things would work out for him. I also felt horrible for Willa. Here is a girl who is entering the hardest time of her life and she gets kidnapped, held for reasons unknown to her and will soon find out her mom is dead. Through it all she seems like she keeps her wits and her courage.

There is a subplot to the novel as well. This concerned the death of Michelle's mother Sally. Turns out she didn't die of natural causes but rather a severe blow to the head. This is a nice seg-way into figuring out a bit of Michelle's past and the demons that have come to haunt her. I thought it was a nice diversion that was wrapped up quickly to return to the main plot of the kidnapping.

The novel never lets up on the wit, action and drama. There are a few twists that truly keep you guessing up until the end and wondering who will come out on top. The ending is superb and satisfying all around.

First Family isn't an overly political book other than using the Presidential seal on the cover and creating a fictional first family. In fact, President Dan Cox could be anyone with enough charm and zeal to carry himself all the way to the top. The more interesting of the two characters in the White House is without a doubt Jane Cox.

I'm hoping that we'll see Sean and Michelle back very soon. I'd like to see what they are up to and what kind of case they get next.

If you like your thrillers where the author keeps you guessing and you keep trying to figure it out; then First Family is for you.

Final Take: 4.75/5

Julie's Review: Divine Justice

Summary: Readers who have been holding their breath since the end of Stone Cold (2007), the previous Camel Club novel, can inhale: Oliver Stone did survive his plunge into the water. For the uninitiated, Baldacci’s Oliver Stone isn’t the noted film director; he’s a former government assassin who has made a risky living foiling government conspiracies. Now, having eluded capture after committing a pair of necessary assassinations, Stone (or John Carr, if you prefer to use his real name) is on the run, hiding out in rural America, where he discovers that small-town intrigue is at least as intricate and dangerous as anything he’s come up against previously. Combining the Camel Club series’ wit and fast pace with a Fugitive-like story (casting Stone as Richard Kimble, the man on the run who risks his life to protect the lives of strangers), Baldacci shows once again that he is a sort of thriller Renaissance man: a master of plot, dialogue, and character. It’s fascinating to observe how Stone operates when he’s entirely on his own, too. Not only is he evading his pursuers, especially Macklin Hayes, whose obsessive determination to capture Stone may be based more on personal reasons than professional ones, but he’s also cast himself adrift from his comrades, who are working feverishly behind the scenes to find him and keep him safe. A rousing success, although this should come as no surprise to faithful Baldacci readers. ~booklist

Review: Divine Justice jumps right in where Stone Cold left off and never lets up. For some reason I was under the impression that this was the last Camel Club book and as I'm done with the book I can see why it would be the end. Although I just wonder if Mr. Baldacci will be bringing some of these characters to a future book even if it's not a Camel Club book.

If this is the last one, it was definitely satisfying. What a cast of characters! Just when I think that Mr. Baldacci has thought of the worst person in the world, his next book he creates someone more evil. In Divine Justice, this person is Macklin Hayes. Oliver ends up in a small mining town in Virginia and of course it's not an innocent little town. He's stumbled onto something quite strange and mysterious. It doesn't take long before Oliver is wrapped up in the middle of the drama; all while being on the run from killing Carter Grey and Senator Simpson. This is where Joe Knox comes in. You see he's the hunter on Oliver's tail. Except he's in Macklin Hayes' pocket.

As in all Baldacci books there are 2 plots going on here. The one to find and rescue or retain Oliver Stone and what in the heck is going on in Divine, VA? Both stories are well sorted out and executed. There are several twists that I didn't see coming, which I always like. There is a character in the book that I thought for sure was in the thick of things. I like it when I turn out to be wrong.

The pace is no different than all of the Baldacci's I've read..fast and furious. Some authors would lose character or plot development with this type of pace but that isn't so with is novels. By the end of Divine Justice, I feel like I know John Carr/Oliver Stone. While some of his actions weren't always legal or right, maybe in some way they were justified but only in fiction. The ending is a bit unbelievable but as with most thrillers you do need to suspend belief.

If you've never read The Camel Club series, you should. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I know I wasn't.

Now I can catch up on the other 3 Baldacci books I'm behind on...First Family, True Blue and his newest release Deliver Us from Evil.


Final Take: 4.5/5

Julie's Review: Stone Cold

Summary: The modern-day paladins of the Camel Club are back in their third exciting adventure (after 2006's The Collectors). Justice-seekers Milton, Caleb, Reuben and honorary member Alex Ford, a Secret Service agent, are led by feisty Oliver Stone, aka former CIA assassin John Carr. Their associate, Annabelle Conroy, is a slick con artist on the run after stealing $40 million from lunatic casino owner Jerry Bagger, who killed her mother. Oliver's CIA past distracts him from Annabelle's cause: his old unit, Triple 6, was responsible for the death of Raymond Solomon, branded a traitor during the Cold War, and now Solomon's son, DHS security expert Harry Finn, is picking off Triple 6 members. Oliver could be next if Carter Gray, his former boss, reveals that John Carr isn't really dead. Gripping, chilling and full of surprises, Baldacci's latest reveals the anarchy that lurks under the slick facade of corrupted governments. ~amazon.com

Review: You know you've been away from a series for a while when you don't remember what happened in the last book. Although for Stone Cold you don't need to really remember The Collectors, you just need to remember Oliver Stone. I always enjoy David Baldacci books but The Camel Club series is amongst my favorite. You see I love anything that deals with the government, the CIA, the FBI etc but only in fiction. You see I think if we really knew what went on behind the scenes of this country, we'd all be a little more scare or maybe feel a bit more safe. Stone Cold deals with what it's like on the inside of a corrupt CIA director and Senator.

There are really two stories/plots going on here. The first and foremost is that someone is killing Oliver Stone/John Carr's old Triple Six regime. It's not really a problem for him since everyone assumes he's dead. Heck, he even has a plot at Arlington National Cemetery. There is one person who does know that John Carr is alive and that's Carter Grey, former CIA Director and all around nasty guy. Of course, you know that the fact that Grey knows Carr is alive is going to haunt him. The story really goes back to the height of the cold war and the cold war spying industry. This is the part of the book that really fascinated me. I love all that stuff. Well now that it really doesn't exist. When I was a kid is scared the crap out of me.

The 2nd plot is one of Annabelle Conroy and the con she pulled on Casino owner Jerry Bagger. This is a good subplot but one I didn't really care about as much as Oliver's. It gets resolved halfway through the novel so we can concentrate on the main plot, who is killing former Triple Six members?

There are a ton of interesting characters in the book. Of course the Camel Club is ever present, Annabelle (aka Susan) is back, Harry Finn and a few others that I don't want to name because well it's fun for the reader to find out about.

I really did like the ending but it does leave me pause to wonder how Baldacci is going to wrap up the series.

This was a solid entry into the Camel Club series but not my favorite. I believe there is one more book left in the series, Divine Justice (Camel Club). This one is on my short TBR pile since I believe it resumes exactly where Stone Cold left off.

If you haven't read any of the Camel Club series, I highly recommend them. Especially if you like any of kind of government conspiracy or CIA novels. The first book to go and read The Camel Club.

Final Take: 3.75/5

Julie's Review: The Whole Truth

Summary: "Dick, I need a war."
Nicolas Creel is a man on a mission. He heads up the world's largest defense contractor, The Ares Corporation. Dick Pender is the man Creel retains to "perception manage" his company to even more riches by manipulating international conflicts. But Creel may have an even grander plan in mind.
Shaw, a man with no first name and a truly unique past, has a different agenda. Reluctantly doing the bidding of a secret multi-national intelligence agency, he travels the globe to keep it safe and at peace.
Willing to do anything to get back to the top of her profession, Katie James is a journalist who has just gotten the break of a lifetime: the chance to interview the sole survivor of a massacre that has left every nation stunned.
In this terrifying, global thriller, these characters' lives will collide head-on as a series of events is set in motion that could change the world as we know it. An utterly spellbinding story that feels all too real, THE WHOLE TRUTH delivers all the twists and turns, emotional drama, unforgettable characters, and can't-put-it-down pacing that readers expect from David Baldacci-and still goes beyond anything he's written before.~amazon.com

Review: I've been a huge David Baldacci fan since reading a book by him several years ago on a business trip and been hooked ever since. Thank goodness my dad is a fan, so he typically buys his books for us. :) The Whole Truth definitely does not disappoint. Enter Nicolas Creel, a billionaire on a mission to set the world straight by sending it back to the times of the Cold War. Nicolas Creel is definitely the villain in the story but I didn't hate him. I thought he was a bit egotistical but I somewhat understood his reasoning behind his creation of war. Enter Shaw, who is a mercenary who happens to step in to the chaos by accident. Along comes Katie James, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, who has fallen from grace and is scrambling to get her career back. She gets sucked into the main plot by circumstance and inevitably her and Shaw cross paths, separate and then reconnect.

I think this book shed light on things that could happen and maybe even are going on in boardrooms/war rooms right now. The theory of M.A.D (Mutual Assured Destruction)is a theme throughout the book and an interesting one that does go back to the cold war. If anything this book does make you think about if we are safer now or if we were safer back in the days of the cold war. What does it mean to be safe? What are the consequences of some countries having all the power? Is it a bad thing? Is it good? Is it a better known than the terrorists from the Middle East?

I'm looking forward to seeing if Mr. Baldacci creates another book with Shaw and Katie James because it certainly was left open for that option.

At the end of the book Mr. Baldacci makes a statement about "perception management" and how real it is and how there are PR firms that specialize in this but it's kept quiet. I can't say that I'm shocked by this. I'm not a cynic but nothing really, truly shocks me anymore when it comes to world politics.

It wasn't his best book that I've read, but it definitely left me thinking about politics and consequences of too much power and money. If you like this book then I highly recommend Wild Fire by Nelson Demille, it deals with some of the same themes but in a different manner.

Final Take: 3.75/5