David Baldacci
Author of The Camel Club
About the Author
David Baldacci was born in Richmond, Virginia on August 5, 1960. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia. He practiced law in Washington D.C. as a trial and corporate lawyer. His first novel, show more Absolute Power, was published in 1996. It won Britain's prestigious W.H. Smith's Thumping Good Read award for fiction in 1997 and was adapted as a movie starring Clint Eastwood. His other works include Total Control, The Winner, The Simple Truth, Saving Faith, True Blue, One Summer and End Game. He writes numerous series including King and Maxwell, Freddy and the French Fries, the Camel Club, Will Robie, Shaw and Katie James, John Puller, Vega Jane, and Amos Decker. He also published a novella entitled Office Hours and has authored five original screenplays. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by David Baldacci
De terugkeer (Nash, 2) 5 copies
Memory Man / The Target / Hell's Corner / The Whole Truth / Split Second / Hour Game (2015) 3 copies
About the Author 2 copies
King & Maxwell (Season 1) 2 copies
[unidentified works] 2 copies
David Baldacci Amos Decker Series 4 Books Collection Set (Memory Man, The Last Mile, The Fix, The Fallen) (2020) 2 copies
Evil 2 copies
Guilty The 2 copies
Innocent The 2 copies
Zero Day (John Puller, #1) 1 copy
No Man_s Land 1 copy
Voodoo Ridge 1 copy
Hell_s Corner 1 copy
A szökés 1 copy
2007 1 copy
2002 1 copy
The Three-Nine Line 1 copy
1997 1 copy
MOTIUS PER MORIR 1 copy
2001 1 copy
The 6.20 Man 1 copy
The Lion 1 copy
Legend: Event Group Thriller 1 copy
Hard Rain 1 copy
First Degree 1 copy
Death Trust 1 copy
Agents of Innocence 1 copy
A Knife Edge 1 copy
24 Rouge: Live Another Day 1 copy
One God Deed 1 copy
the Gift 1 copy
All In (6:20 Man Book 4) 1 copy
The Origins of Wish You Well 1 copy
Memory Man [abridged] 1 copy
Kirjavaliot - Aavikon hiekkaa, Elämä yllättää Julia-rouva, Karu totuus, Jotta toiset saisivat elää (2000) 1 copy
Familiegverraad 1 copy
The Trial 1 copy
David Baldacci Atlee Pine Series 4 Books Collection Set (Long Road to Mercy, A Minute to Midnight, Daylight, Mercy) (2022) 1 copy
Mörkläggningen 1 copy
Split Second / Hour Game / Simple Genius / First Family / The Sixth Man / King and Maxwell (2013) 1 copy
Suspense Magazine June 2014 1 copy
The Innocent Have Fallen 1 copy
Shall We Tell the President 1 copy
Balance of Power 1 copy
The Camel Club series 1 copy
King & Maxwell 1 copy
As You Were 1 copy
The Places in Between 1 copy
Lovely Lies 1 copy
Hope Rises 1 copy
Associated Works
Why We Write: 20 Acclaimed Authors on How and Why They Do What They Do (2013) — Contributor — 208 copies, 10 reviews
Reader's Digest Select Editions 1999 v02 #242: The Simple Truth / Rainbow Six / Cloud Nine / The Cat Who Saw Stars (1999) — Contributor; Author — 47 copies
Reader's Digest Select Editions 1998 v03 #237: The Winner / Homeport / Then Came Heaven / Flight of Eagles (1998) — Contributor — 44 copies
Libros selectos. El tatuado de la danza macabra. Vuelo funesto. El halconero. La última jugada (2000) 6 copies
Reader's Digest Select Editions 2012 v01 #319: One Summer / Cast Into Doubt / Casting About / The Lion (2012) 4 copies
Livros Condensados: O Último Detective | Annus Mirabilis | A Menina do Papá | O Comboio do Natal (2003) 4 copies
Livros Condensados: O voo das águias | Primeiro prémio | Assassino a soldo | Sétimo céu (1999) 3 copies
Reader's Digest Select Editions: The Vanished Man • Street Boys • The Christmas Train • The Summer That Never Was (2003) 2 copies
The Enforcer / Firefox / Absolute Power / Sudden Impact (4 Film Favorites) — Author — 2 copies
Reader's Digest Auswahlbücher 223 - Die Versuchung / Only Love - die Liebe allein / Das Medusaprojekt / Ashana (1999) 2 copies
Het Beste Boek 192: Duister lot / Drie wensen / Het kartel / De roep van de wolf (1998) 2 copies, 1 review
Het Beste Boek 222: Horen, zien, zwijgen / Zwarte vrouw van de Nijl / Sarin / Nachtreizigers 2 copies, 1 review
Reader's Digest Select Editions: Rain Fall • The Shadow Catcher • The Summer That Never Was • The Christmas Train (2003) 2 copies
Válogatott könyvek 2014/2 David Baldacci - Az ártatlan; Dorothy Koomson - Barátnőm kislánya; Anthony Horowitz - A Selyemház titka; Eowyn Ivey - A hóleány (2014) — Contributor — 1 copy
O Inocente; A Quinta; A Menina de Neve; Dezembro Perdido — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Ford, David
Ford, David B.
Ford, David Baldacci - Birthdate
- 1960-08-05
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Virginia (JD)
Virginia Commonwealth University (BA)
Henrico High School - Occupations
- lawyer
author - Organizations
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society (National Ambassador)
Wish You Well Foundation - Awards and honors
- People Magazine's Fifty Most Beautiful People (1997)
- Agent
- Aaron Priest (Aaron Priest Literary Agency)
- Short biography
- David Baldacci (b. 1960 in Richmond, Virginia) is a bestselling American novelist. Baldacci received a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. As a student, Baldacci wrote short stories in his spare time, and later practiced law for nine years near Washington, D.C.. While living in Alexandria, Virginia, Baldacci wrote short stories and screenplays without much success. In despair, he turned to novel writing, taking three years to write Absolute Power. It took Baldacci two years to get the book published, but when it finally did hit the shelves in 1996 it was an international best seller.
David Baldacci serves as a national ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and participates in numerous charities as well as founding his own foundation for literacy, Wish You Well Foundation. Baldacci was raised in Virginia and still resides there (in Vienna, Virginia) with his wife, Michelle A. Collin-Baldacci (Mikki), and two children. His cousin is the Democratic Governor of Maine John Baldacci, first elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.
In 1997, People magazine named him one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Places of residence
- Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Vienna, Virginia, USA
Washington, D.C., USA - Associated Place (for map)
- Virginia, USA
Members
Discussions
Let’s Meet.. in Book Discussion : Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci (June 2020)
Chat in Book Discussion : Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci (June 2020)
Chat in Book Discussion : Divine Justice by David Baldacci (May 2020)
Chat in Book Discussion : Stone Cold by David Baldacci (April 2020)
Let’s remind ourselves about the Author. in Book Discussion : Stone Cold by David Baldacci (April 2020)
Chat in Book Discussion: The Collectors by David Baldacci (March 2020)
Meet the Author... in Book Discussion : The Camel Club by David Baldacci (August 2019)
Chat in Book Discussion : The Camel Club by David Baldacci (July 2019)
Meet the Author in Book Discussion : End Game by David Baldacci (December 2018)
Chat in Book Discussion : End Game by David Baldacci (December 2018)
Chat in Book Discussion: The Guilty by David Baldacci (August 2018)
Chat in Book Discussion : The Target by David Baldacci (May 2018)
Chat in Book Discussion : The Hit by David Baldacci (January 2018)
Chat in Book Discussion : King and Maxwell by David Baldacci (September 2017)
Chat in Book Discussion : The Innocent by David Baldacci (August 2017)
Chat in Book Discussion : The Sixth Man by David Baldacci (May 2017)
Chat in Book Discussion - First Family by David Baldacci (January 2017)
Pre Book Discusssion Chat in Book Discussion : Simple Genius by David Baldacci (October 2016)
Crime fiction/Thriller series similar to Jack Reacher in Name that Book (August 2016)
Pre Group Read Discussion in Book Discussion : Hour Game by David Baldacci (July 2016)
YA -Girl in small mountain (mine?) town in Name that Book (July 2016)
Reviews
In One Good Deed, bestselling and award-winning author David Baldacci introduced readers to Aloysius Archer, a World War II veteran who had just been released from prison for a crime he maintained he did not commit. He became embroiled in a murder mystery and helped solve the case. He so impressed the lead detective, Irving Shaw, that Shaw recommended Archer to his buddy, Willie Dash, who once worked with Eliot Ness. As A Gambling Man, the second book in the series, opened, Archer was on his show more way to Bay Town, California, to take advantage of Shaw's generosity and convince Dash to give him a chance. Along the way, Archer found plenty of trouble, as well as Liberty Callahan, a Reno nightclub performer with dreams of making it big in Hollywood. Finally arriving in Bay Town, Archer became Dash's apprentice and his relationship with Liberty grew closer.
Dream Town begins with Archer, now thirty years old, and Liberty attending a posh party in Hollywood on New Year's Eve 1952. Archer still drives the 1939 red Delahaye convertible he acquired in A Gambling Man. He has spent three years working with and learning from Willie Dash in Bay Town, and is now an experienced and highly skilled investigator. Baldacci again expertly sets the scene, evoking the time period, and instantly draws readers into the time period. Baldacci wanted to write about the post-World War II era because he "finds it fascinating." It was a unique time in U.S. history. Americans were tired of being poor, having survived the Great Depression. There was a great migration to the West and, more particularly, California, the Golden State where life was sure to be better.
Gone is the Archer who survived war only to find himself in prison and then, in One Good Deed, on parole. He had to operate carefully because an infraction -- or violation staged by corrupt local officials -- could result in further incarceration. In A Gambling Man, Archer had been released from parole and was free to begin his journey to California, but he had not established himself as a competent investigator. Three years later, he is confident and self-assured, but still gets aggravated when he feels he could have handled a situation better. Archer is a multi-layered, fully formed character and very much a man of the time in which he lives. He is masculine and protective of those he believes he needs to shield from harm. He is also capable of introspection and has maintained a close friendship with Liberty while she has found modest success in Hollywood, landing supporting roles that pay extremely well, as she continues striving for the big break that will put her name on a marquee. His feelings for Liberty have deepened with time. But Liberty fears for Archer as he careens from one near-miss to another. Can she tolerate the stressors of Archer's profession? Or can she convince him to settle down and, perhaps, play a cop on a television show or in the movies?
Archer is immediately hired by Eleanor Lamb, a screenwriter living in Malibu. He is thrust into the Hollywood scene, interacting with famous, wealthy, powerful, and, in some cases, nefarious people who have much to lose. The story takes off at a brisk pace as Archer ventures to his client's home only to discover that she has vanished. He finds a dead body in the house and someone gets the jump on him as he is searching for details about the decedent's identity and actions.
Archer does not trust the police. First of all, the local force has a terrible reputation and has been at the center of scandals. More importantly, Archer has learned over the years that "anybody can be bought," so he does not provide information to the authorities as he gathers it. Archer has learned to rely only on himself and trust his investigative instincts. That wisdom is critical to the story because Baldacci reveals that money is at the root of several aspects of the plot. Which makes sense because, after all, Archer is operating in Hollywood with an eclectic cast of supporting characters who work at and operate big movie studios. There is a lot of money, along with reputations, at stake.
The story is told in Baldacci's signature style. He employs short, action-packed chapters that detail Archer's investigative efforts and his thought processes as he pieces together the clues he finds. Baldacci is known for his economy of language which always serves his stories well.
And language is an important component of the story's authenticity, of course. Archer lives in what "was a very different world" as is reflected not only in the characters' attitudes and outlooks, but also the very words and phrases they use. For instance, readers may find themselves reaching for a dictionary when Dash tells Archer to take a seat on the "davenport" in his office. (It's an antiquated term for "couch" or "sofa.") Archer uses the old-fashioned phrase, "Come again?" when he doesn't understand what another character is telling him. The way that male characters refer to and discuss women is jarring and, by today's standards, offensive. Baldacci explains that in order to adopt a historically accurate tone, he researched what life was like for women during the era. And some of what he discovered was shocking. In one scene, Archer visits a bank to inquire about Eleanor's purchase of her Malibu home. He learns that it was a cash transaction. To secure a mortgage, Elanor would have "needed a male co-signor. An unmarried woman can't get a mortgage without a suitable man signing with her." When Archer questions the practice, the banker cavalierly explains, "Banks need a guy on board to feel secure. And it's for the ladies' protection, too. Dames are clueless about money and such. They won't get taken for a ride with a sharp guy around. . . . I guess there's no law against a dame buying a house with her own cash, though there probably should be." (Women were not issued credit cards in their own names until the mid-1970's.)
And as with the previous installments in the series, locations serve as supporting characters in the story. Baldacci takes readers along with Archer to the beaches and canyons of Malibu, studio back lots, seedy parts of downtown Los Angeles, and even Orange County. One character lives in a modest tract house in Anaheim on the edge of a long-gone orange grove outside the city limits. Archer interacts with a friend of Dash's. He's a former police officer who now runs a bar near Chinatown. His name? Jake Nichols. Archer also takes a flight to Las Vegas where he mixes it up with mobsters, and makes his way to the beautiful shores of Lake Tahoe.
The story in Dream Town is another engrossing and highly entertaining journey featuring a tautly-constructed, imaginative, and often surprising plot. There are many dead bodies and numerous characters in various forms of distress, some of whom are motivated to commit heinous acts in order to preserve their wealth, power, and lifestyle. They are no match for Archer, who survives more than one assault in his quest to learn Eleanor's whereabouts and whether she was abducted or fled. And if the latter, what motivated her to disappear? Is she a victim or caught up in criminal activity?
Dream Town is a traditional mystery, in some ways outright old-fashioned. But it is also a charming and compelling escape to a time period when life was simpler. No characters send text messages or emails to each other, vehicles are large and gas-powered, the old Hollywood studio system is still operational, and society's expectations of men and women are clearly outlined. Archer, Liberty and many of the other characters smoke. (Archer's brand is Lucky Strike.) Thus, the story is also thought-provoking because it spotlights how much the world has changed in the ensuing seventy years. Best of all, Archer is attractive, endearing, and surprisingly vulnerable, and accompanying him as his latest investigation proceeds is enjoyable in much the same way as watching classic black-and-white movies. Happily, Baldacci promises more installments, noting that his research has provided plenty of material for future Archer adventures. It will be fascinating to see if any time elapses between the conclusion of Dream Town and the beginning of the next book, and if Archer, and the world, will have changed.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book. show less
Dream Town begins with Archer, now thirty years old, and Liberty attending a posh party in Hollywood on New Year's Eve 1952. Archer still drives the 1939 red Delahaye convertible he acquired in A Gambling Man. He has spent three years working with and learning from Willie Dash in Bay Town, and is now an experienced and highly skilled investigator. Baldacci again expertly sets the scene, evoking the time period, and instantly draws readers into the time period. Baldacci wanted to write about the post-World War II era because he "finds it fascinating." It was a unique time in U.S. history. Americans were tired of being poor, having survived the Great Depression. There was a great migration to the West and, more particularly, California, the Golden State where life was sure to be better.
Gone is the Archer who survived war only to find himself in prison and then, in One Good Deed, on parole. He had to operate carefully because an infraction -- or violation staged by corrupt local officials -- could result in further incarceration. In A Gambling Man, Archer had been released from parole and was free to begin his journey to California, but he had not established himself as a competent investigator. Three years later, he is confident and self-assured, but still gets aggravated when he feels he could have handled a situation better. Archer is a multi-layered, fully formed character and very much a man of the time in which he lives. He is masculine and protective of those he believes he needs to shield from harm. He is also capable of introspection and has maintained a close friendship with Liberty while she has found modest success in Hollywood, landing supporting roles that pay extremely well, as she continues striving for the big break that will put her name on a marquee. His feelings for Liberty have deepened with time. But Liberty fears for Archer as he careens from one near-miss to another. Can she tolerate the stressors of Archer's profession? Or can she convince him to settle down and, perhaps, play a cop on a television show or in the movies?
Archer is immediately hired by Eleanor Lamb, a screenwriter living in Malibu. He is thrust into the Hollywood scene, interacting with famous, wealthy, powerful, and, in some cases, nefarious people who have much to lose. The story takes off at a brisk pace as Archer ventures to his client's home only to discover that she has vanished. He finds a dead body in the house and someone gets the jump on him as he is searching for details about the decedent's identity and actions.
Archer does not trust the police. First of all, the local force has a terrible reputation and has been at the center of scandals. More importantly, Archer has learned over the years that "anybody can be bought," so he does not provide information to the authorities as he gathers it. Archer has learned to rely only on himself and trust his investigative instincts. That wisdom is critical to the story because Baldacci reveals that money is at the root of several aspects of the plot. Which makes sense because, after all, Archer is operating in Hollywood with an eclectic cast of supporting characters who work at and operate big movie studios. There is a lot of money, along with reputations, at stake.
The story is told in Baldacci's signature style. He employs short, action-packed chapters that detail Archer's investigative efforts and his thought processes as he pieces together the clues he finds. Baldacci is known for his economy of language which always serves his stories well.
And language is an important component of the story's authenticity, of course. Archer lives in what "was a very different world" as is reflected not only in the characters' attitudes and outlooks, but also the very words and phrases they use. For instance, readers may find themselves reaching for a dictionary when Dash tells Archer to take a seat on the "davenport" in his office. (It's an antiquated term for "couch" or "sofa.") Archer uses the old-fashioned phrase, "Come again?" when he doesn't understand what another character is telling him. The way that male characters refer to and discuss women is jarring and, by today's standards, offensive. Baldacci explains that in order to adopt a historically accurate tone, he researched what life was like for women during the era. And some of what he discovered was shocking. In one scene, Archer visits a bank to inquire about Eleanor's purchase of her Malibu home. He learns that it was a cash transaction. To secure a mortgage, Elanor would have "needed a male co-signor. An unmarried woman can't get a mortgage without a suitable man signing with her." When Archer questions the practice, the banker cavalierly explains, "Banks need a guy on board to feel secure. And it's for the ladies' protection, too. Dames are clueless about money and such. They won't get taken for a ride with a sharp guy around. . . . I guess there's no law against a dame buying a house with her own cash, though there probably should be." (Women were not issued credit cards in their own names until the mid-1970's.)
And as with the previous installments in the series, locations serve as supporting characters in the story. Baldacci takes readers along with Archer to the beaches and canyons of Malibu, studio back lots, seedy parts of downtown Los Angeles, and even Orange County. One character lives in a modest tract house in Anaheim on the edge of a long-gone orange grove outside the city limits. Archer interacts with a friend of Dash's. He's a former police officer who now runs a bar near Chinatown. His name? Jake Nichols. Archer also takes a flight to Las Vegas where he mixes it up with mobsters, and makes his way to the beautiful shores of Lake Tahoe.
The story in Dream Town is another engrossing and highly entertaining journey featuring a tautly-constructed, imaginative, and often surprising plot. There are many dead bodies and numerous characters in various forms of distress, some of whom are motivated to commit heinous acts in order to preserve their wealth, power, and lifestyle. They are no match for Archer, who survives more than one assault in his quest to learn Eleanor's whereabouts and whether she was abducted or fled. And if the latter, what motivated her to disappear? Is she a victim or caught up in criminal activity?
Dream Town is a traditional mystery, in some ways outright old-fashioned. But it is also a charming and compelling escape to a time period when life was simpler. No characters send text messages or emails to each other, vehicles are large and gas-powered, the old Hollywood studio system is still operational, and society's expectations of men and women are clearly outlined. Archer, Liberty and many of the other characters smoke. (Archer's brand is Lucky Strike.) Thus, the story is also thought-provoking because it spotlights how much the world has changed in the ensuing seventy years. Best of all, Archer is attractive, endearing, and surprisingly vulnerable, and accompanying him as his latest investigation proceeds is enjoyable in much the same way as watching classic black-and-white movies. Happily, Baldacci promises more installments, noting that his research has provided plenty of material for future Archer adventures. It will be fascinating to see if any time elapses between the conclusion of Dream Town and the beginning of the next book, and if Archer, and the world, will have changed.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book. show less
Simply Lies: A can't-miss psychological suspense stand-alone from the author behind the blockbuster hit The 6:20 Man. by David Baldacci
David Baldacci is one of my favorite authors so I was thrilled to be able to read Simply Lies which is a perfect title for this book! What seems real, isn’t. What seems true, isn’t. Who seems credible, isn’t. Who seems evil, isn’t.
I often use the rollercoaster analogy for twisty, turny thrillers but I found myself thinking more of a tilt-a-whirl ride while experiencing this book. I was constantly thrown off my balance, in an exhilarating way, as I thought the plot line was playing show more out one way, but isn’t.
Excellent character development - from the beloved to the despicable. And a person who we credit with one attribute, we often find out isn’t. A truly riveting tilt-a- whirl of a novel…
My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this exciting ARC. show less
I often use the rollercoaster analogy for twisty, turny thrillers but I found myself thinking more of a tilt-a-whirl ride while experiencing this book. I was constantly thrown off my balance, in an exhilarating way, as I thought the plot line was playing show more out one way, but isn’t.
Excellent character development - from the beloved to the despicable. And a person who we credit with one attribute, we often find out isn’t. A truly riveting tilt-a- whirl of a novel…
My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this exciting ARC. show less
I'd enjoyed 'The 6:20 Man' and 'The Edge' so I had 'To Die For', the third Travis Devine novel, on pre-order. I dived in as soon as it appeared on in my Audible Library and was immediately glad that I'd bought the book. From the opening, I thought it was going to be the best in the series so far. I had no idea what was going on and I wasn't trying to figure it out. I was happy to just enjoy the read, confident that whatever the bad guys were up to, Devine, through a mix of determination, show more sacrifice, violence, empathy, analytical ability and fast reflexes, would find a way to stop them.
The storytelling was a nice mix of mystery and almost cute character-building, spiced with intermittent explosions of violence that Devine has to find a way to survive. It helped that I like Devine. He's a rule follower with empathy and a strong protective streak but without any of Reacher's weirdness. For the first half of the book, 'To Die For' was great entertainment.
BUT...
...reading isn't just about the text, it's about what you bring with you when you're reading the text. 'To Die For' was published on 9th November 2024, so one of the things I brought with me was the outcome of the US Presidential Election four days earlier. That changed my experience of the novel. When, in the second half of the novels, it became clear that a key element of the plot was the attempt by multiple US Federal agencies to frustrate the plans of well-funded and well connect white supremacist domestic terrorist groups to overthrow the government, I had difficulty sustaining my interest. This newly published book suddenly felt atavistic. White supremacists don't need to overthrow the government any more. After Trump's inaugeration, they will BE the government.
I think Baldacci did a great job but I think he built a beach house in the path of the tidal wave of history.
If you can read 'To Die For' as an entertaining thriller, free of the current political context, then I strongly recommend the audiobook version. All of the narrators are good and I really like the techniques of having some of the dialogue spoken by people other than the main narrator. show less
The storytelling was a nice mix of mystery and almost cute character-building, spiced with intermittent explosions of violence that Devine has to find a way to survive. It helped that I like Devine. He's a rule follower with empathy and a strong protective streak but without any of Reacher's weirdness. For the first half of the book, 'To Die For' was great entertainment.
BUT...
...reading isn't just about the text, it's about what you bring with you when you're reading the text. 'To Die For' was published on 9th November 2024, so one of the things I brought with me was the outcome of the US Presidential Election four days earlier. That changed my experience of the novel. When, in the second half of the novels, it became clear that a key element of the plot was the attempt by multiple US Federal agencies to frustrate the plans of well-funded and well connect white supremacist domestic terrorist groups to overthrow the government, I had difficulty sustaining my interest. This newly published book suddenly felt atavistic. White supremacists don't need to overthrow the government any more. After Trump's inaugeration, they will BE the government.
I think Baldacci did a great job but I think he built a beach house in the path of the tidal wave of history.
If you can read 'To Die For' as an entertaining thriller, free of the current political context, then I strongly recommend the audiobook version. All of the narrators are good and I really like the techniques of having some of the dialogue spoken by people other than the main narrator. show less
David Baldacci's 'End Game' is probably the 'end game' for me with Baldacci novels. Totally pedestrian writing, wooden dialogue, unrealistic action, and a bunch of situations that should cause readers to say 'huh?', combine with a fairly silly plot to create a book I couldn't wait to finish. I thought about bailing several times, but thought it might improve.....not.
In this installment of the Will Robie series, Robie and Reel, two kick-ass CIA types, are called in to locate their 'boss', show more a.k.a. 'Blue Man', who's disappeared somewhere in eastern Colorado while on a solo vacation. He has tons of government secrets that must be protected at all costs (which would lead to my first major question: why send only 2 agents?). In short order, the agents arrive at the small town that was Blue Man's vacation base as well as his original home town, seemingly without possessing any real advance intelligence about the area and its inhabitants (again, they work for one of the most sophisticated and capable areas of US law enforcement and they venture to a remote area blind?) and manage to piss off virtually the entire population. Since that population seems to be largely comprised of skinheads, 'sovereign citizens', and various other nutcases, fully armed, that might be problematic for most people, but not Robie and Reel. They're apparently never outnumbered and they never miss when they shoot!
Is 'Blue Man' found? Does he survive? Is the sexual tension between Robie and Reel ever resolved? How about between Robie and the local female sheriff? Unfortunately, if you really care you need to slog through about 400 pages of mediocre writing to find out. Don't say you weren't warned. show less
In this installment of the Will Robie series, Robie and Reel, two kick-ass CIA types, are called in to locate their 'boss', show more a.k.a. 'Blue Man', who's disappeared somewhere in eastern Colorado while on a solo vacation. He has tons of government secrets that must be protected at all costs (which would lead to my first major question: why send only 2 agents?). In short order, the agents arrive at the small town that was Blue Man's vacation base as well as his original home town, seemingly without possessing any real advance intelligence about the area and its inhabitants (again, they work for one of the most sophisticated and capable areas of US law enforcement and they venture to a remote area blind?) and manage to piss off virtually the entire population. Since that population seems to be largely comprised of skinheads, 'sovereign citizens', and various other nutcases, fully armed, that might be problematic for most people, but not Robie and Reel. They're apparently never outnumbered and they never miss when they shoot!
Is 'Blue Man' found? Does he survive? Is the sexual tension between Robie and Reel ever resolved? How about between Robie and the local female sheriff? Unfortunately, if you really care you need to slog through about 400 pages of mediocre writing to find out. Don't say you weren't warned. show less
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Statistics
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