Zero Day

Zero Day by David Baldacci

John Puller is a combat veteran and the best military investigator in the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division.  His father was an Army fighting legend, and his brother is serving a life sentence for treason in a federal military prison.  Puller has an indomitable spirit and an unstoppable drive to find out the truth.

Now, Puller is called out on a case in a remote, rural area in West Virginia coal country far from any military outpost.  Someone has stumbled onto a brutal crime scene, a family slaughtered.  The local homicide detective, a headstrong woman with personal demons of her own, joins forces with Puller in the investigation.  As Puller digs through deception after deception, he realizes that absolutely nothing he’s seen in this small town, and no one in it, are what they seem.  Facing a potential conspiracy that reaches far beyond the hills of West Virginia, he is one man on the hunt for justice against an overwhelming force.

--Zero Day
by David Baldacci
Copyright © 2011 by David Baldacci

Published by Grand Central Publishing

My Review

John Puller is a U.S. Army Special Investigator sent to Drake, West Virginia to aid local law enforcement to figure out why a high-ranking military officer and his family were killed.  Puller piggy-backs onto the locals' investigation and discovers more than just this one family has been killed.  There doesn’t seem to be any connection between the two families, and yet there has to be, right?

Coal is the major source of revenue for the town and some people don’t care much for Puller’s investigation, but Puller’s not there to make friends.  He’s there to solve a murder and wherever the clues take him, that’s where he’s going to go.

As Puller investigates, he uncovers some of Drake’s dirty secrets and its dark past, a past that has nothing to do with coal mining and everything to do with the potential destruction of Drake.  And West Virginia.  And a good chunk of the Eastern portion of the United States.

I personally don’t understand how David Baldacci can keep so many different series going (Camel Club, King & Maxwell, Shaw & James) and then turn around and start a brand new one!  But in true Baldacci style, he’s crafted an intriguing tale full of twists and turns without bogging down the story with too much history or technical detail.

Like all of the Baldacci stories I’ve read, the mystery starts out small and in no time escalates into a huge, complicated and complex conspiracy, so it’s a bit formulaic, however, Baldacci crafts a uniqueness into each story that keeps them fresh and keeps me coming back for more.

Although there are similarities between John Puller and my own favorite fiction hero, Jack Reacher, this story is definitely not a Jack Reacher clone (as some have suggested).  I definitely felt some of Reacher in Puller, as they are both intelligent men and determined to see justice done at whatever cost.  But they are different, too, in that Reacher relies on his wits and Puller has the entire Army and its resources at his back.

At the end of the story, Puller takes some well-deserved time off.  He packs a bag, loads his cat (named AWOL—love that!) into his car and takes off, driving aimlessly across the country.  Doubtless he’ll run into a mystery or two in his travels that beg his unique skills to solve.  I’m definitely keeping an eye out for the next installment in this series.

I give this story FOUR STARS.

The Sixth Man

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci

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.

--The Sixth Man
by David Baldacci
Copyright © 2011 by David Baldacci

My Review

Imagine, if you will, a wall. Not just any wall, but a wall of data. Data that informs the viewer of everything—yes, everything—that is going on in the world in regards to the country’s security. Now imagine absorbing all that data, analyzing it, and coming up with strategies to ensure the country’s safety. All without losing your mind.

That was Edgar Roy’s job before he was arrested for murder. Housed in a federal Supermax facility in Maine, he awaits trial. His lawyer, Ted Bergin, calls on his friend Sean King and his partner, Michelle Maxwell, to come and assist him in the case. But on their way to meet him, Sean and Michelle find Ted murdered on the side of the road.

Anxious to work the case, plus find out who murdered Ted, they sign on with Ted’s associate to work on Edgar’s case. Only, as is the usual for them, things are not as cut-and-dried as they may seem. They never are when the power players of D.C. get involved.

The main characters, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, seemed a little flat in this story. They have the same drive and energy as usual, but because they’ve ostensibly put their romantic feelings aside for the duration of the story, they’ve lost some of their depth, only to gain it back at the very end. It leaves the story a little lacking, but despite that, it’s still a great story.

The plot contains the usual deep twists and turns you’d expect from a David Baldacci novel, including one I never saw coming until the end. I figured out the twist pretty much at the same time Sean did, which is great because as a reader, you never really want to figure out whodunit half-way through the story. You want there to be a surprise waiting for you and in this novel, it definitely is waiting for you, lurking, gun in hand, ready and willing to move in for the killshot.

I love the character of James Harkes, though. Someone who could pull off what he did in this story without getting his feathers ruffled catches my interest and makes me want more. I would definitely like to see him again, perhaps in his own series? And perhaps even with Kelly Paul (Edgar’s half sister)? Just a thought…

I give this story FOUR STARS.

Deliver Us from Evil

Deliver Us from Evil by David Baldacci

Evan Waller is a monster.

He has built a fortune from his willingness to buy and sell anything . . . and anyone. In search of new opportunities, Waller has just begun a new business venture: one that could lead to millions of deaths all over the globe. On his trail is Shaw, the mysterious operative from The Whole Truth, who has tracked Waller to Provence and must prevent him from closing his latest deal. But someone else is pursuing Waller: Reggie Campion, an agent for a secret vigilante group headquartered in a musty old English estate-and she has an agenda of her own.

Hunting the same man and unaware of each other's mission, Shaw and Reggie will be caught in a deadly duel of nerves and wits.

--Deliver Us from Evil
by David Baldacci
Copyright © 2010 by David Baldacci
Published by Grand Central Publishing

My Review

Evan Waller is a man with two lives. In his past, as Fedir Kuchin, he was a war criminal and mass murderer from the Ukraine. He faked his death to avoid prosecution and emerged as Evan Waller, Canadian businessman. He made his millions in human trafficking and now wants to branch out into international terrorism by dealing in nuclear material.

Unaware of his previous identity, Shaw and his boss, Frank, want to take him down because he threatens the balance of power in the world. They figure his upcoming vacation in Provence, France, is the perfect place.

Reggie Campion and her team also think Provence is the perfect place to take down Waller. They, unlike Shaw, are aware of his previous identity. Her organization tracks down war criminals who have escaped persecution and deliver final justice to them. They are aware of his current identity and profession, but they want to take him down for his past deeds.

The nuclear deal is abruptly aborted, so Shaw is called off Waller’s tail. But before he can leave Provence, Reggie’s team takes him hostage. Seems Shaw and Reggie—working under aliases—were getting too close for comfort and Reggie’s boss orders Shaw’s detainment.

Waller/Kuchin manages to escape Reggie’s trap in Provence and now he turns his sights on getting his revenge against the people who would seek to take him down. And he finds a most unlikely route…through Katie James.

Sometimes you want the details, and other times, you don’t, wanting to rely on your own imagination to fill in the blanks. Think of the scene in “Silence of the Lambs” where Clarice Starling is shown a picture of one of Lecter’s victims. We see her reaction to the photo, but we never see the photo. The horror of what she’s seeing is left to our imagination. Baldacci doesn’t leave the horrific actions of Fedir Kuchin/Evan Waller to our imaginations. He tells us, in graphic, gory detail, exactly how evil and sadistic this man is. It’s a testament to a skilled storyteller and yet, I can’t help wondering how good the story might have been if he had left something to our imaginations.

Baldacci created a wonderful heroine in Reggie Campion, and as the story progressed, I couldn’t help wondering when/if Katie James was going to make an appearance beyond more than just a phone call and a quick “hi” at a Paris café. She almost could have been edited out of the story entirely, except she’s the route Kuchin/Waller takes to get to Shaw. I liked Katie in The Whole Truth but I have to confess, I like Reggie more. She’s more of a match for Shaw than Katie ever was.

I give this story THREE and a HALF STARS.

The Whole Truth

The Whole Truth by David Baldacci

"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.

--The Whole Truth
by David Baldacci
Copyright © 2008 by David Baldacci
Published by Grand Central Publishing

My Review

Defense contractor and multi-multi-millionaire Nicholas Creel is not happy. The world is seemingly at peace, no major wars going on, and that’s not good for business. He needs a war, so he has his perception manager, Dick Pender, start one. And start one he does. He plants false stories about the Russians and the rumors spread with the speed and efficiency you’d expect from our internet-driven society.

Shaw hears the stories, but he has other things on his mind. A kind of global policeman for a shadowy international agency, he travels the world to take care of problems, big or small, that might impact the global power balance. He’s very good at what he does, going into hairy situations that would get most people killed within the first two minutes and always manages to come out alive. He’s ready to retire so he can marry Anna Fischer, the love of his life, but his boss has a stranglehold on him that he cannot easily escape.

Katie James, an award winning journalist on a downward slide fueled by alcohol, happens upon Shaw as he attempts to take down a group of drug dealers in Scotland. Barely escaping with their lives, they go their separate ways, only to be reunited as they join forces to take down the man responsible for starting Cold War II.

The story is marred by occasional cliché’d dialogue and implausible characters, but it also fast paced and full of action. The plot is both believable and unbelievable, in that you can’t believe something like this could really happen, and yet you’re afraid it really could. A good escapist read.

I give this story FOUR STARS.

The First Family

The First Family by David Baldacci

It began with what seemed like an ordinary children's birthday party. Friends and family gathered to celebrate. There were balloons and cake, games and gifts.

This party, however, was far from ordinary. It was held at Camp David, the presidential retreat. And it ended with a daring kidnapping . . . which immediately turned into a national security nightmare.

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell were not looking to become involved. As former Secret Service agents turned private investigators, they had no reason to be. The FBI doesn't want them interfering. But years ago, Sean King saved the First Lady's husband, then a senator, from political disaster. Now, Sean is the one person the First Lady trusts, and she presses Sean and Michelle into the desperate search to rescue the abducted child.

With Michelle still battling her own demons, and forces aligned on all sides against her and Sean, the two are pushed to the absolute limit. In the race to save an innocent victim, the line between friend and foe will become impossible to define . . . or defend.

--The First Family
by DAVID BALDACCI
Copyright © 2011 by DAVID BALDACCI
Published by PUBLISHER

My Review

Another Sean King/Michelle Maxwell adventure, this one finds the two seemingly on their feet and working to build their business. Years ago, when Sean was still with the Secret Service, he happened to meet Dan Cox, the new senator from Georgia in, shall we say, a compromising position? He returned the inebriated gentleman to his wife and kept the identity of the woman he was with a secret. Years later, First Lady Jane Cox calls Sean for help. Her niece, Willa, has been kidnapped. Will he and Michelle please work with the FBI to find her?

Naturally, they take the case and uncover a plot that digs deep into a father's need to avenge his daughter.

I won't say any more, because I think you might have caught a little bit of the plot that I just threw at you. The basic motive of the bad guy was pretty easy to work out, but it was the execution of his plan, and how Sean and Michelle worked to uncover it, that kept me interested in the story. Baldacci's plots are both simple and intricate at the same time, making the reader actually think about what's happening. That's why I like him so much. As an added plus, Michelle finally uncovers the memory that she's been blocking all this time. Now that she has, I hope she can finally heal. I'll find out eventually as The 6th Man is in my "to listen to" queue.

I give this story FOUR STARS.

Simple Genius

Simple Genius by David Baldacci

In a world of secrets, human genius is power.

And sometimes it is simply deadly...

A three-hour drive from Washington, D.C., two clandestine institutions face each other across a heavily guarded river. One is the world's most unusual laboratory, whose goals and funding are a mystery. The other is an elite CIA training camp shrouded in secrecy. Now a man and a woman are about to run a gauntlet between these two puzzle factories, straight into a furious struggle to exploit a potentially world-shattering discovery--and keep some other secrets underwraps forever...

Former secret service agents turned private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have seen their lives splinter around them. Michelle lies unconscious in a hospital bed after a night of suicidal violence. And Sean is forced to take on a thankless investigation into the murder of a scientist just inside the CIA's razor-wire fence near Williamsburg, Virginia.

Soon he is uncovering layer after layer of disinformation that shields a stunning world filled with elite mathematics, physicists, war heroes, spies, and deadly field agents. Amid more murder, a seemingly autistic girl's extraordinary genius, and a powerful breakthrough in the realm of classified codes, Sean soon learns enough to put his life at risk. Now more than ever, he needs Michelle--at her best--to help stop a conspiracy of traitors operating in the shadow of the White House itself.

From Michelle's courageous struggle to defeat her long-buried personal demons to a
centuries-old secret that surfaces in the heat of action, SIMPLE GENIUS pulses with stunning, high-intensity suspense.

--Simple Genius by David Baldacci, Copyright ©2007 by David Baldacci, published by Warner Books

My Review

At the start of this book, our old friends, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have relocated to Northern Virginia, figuring that location would have more opportunities for their services than Wrightsburg. The market may be large, but so is the competition, and Michelle is not faring well. She sinks into a depression that hits its nadir when she instigates a bar brawl with someone who very nearly kills her. Michelle needs help, and Sean knows the perfect psychiatrist for the job, Dr. Horatio Barnes. After talking to Michelle, Horatio recommends she have in-patient treatment at a clinic he recommends. That kind of therapy doesn’t come free, however, and Sean must find the money to pay for her treatment. Once again, Sean knows just where to turn.

Joan Dillinger (of Split Second and Hour Game) agrees to hire him for a job. A man named Monk Turing was found dead under suspicious circumstances and his bosses want to know exactly what happened to him. Sean takes the assignment and heads to southern Virginia, to a place called Babbage Town, a kind of “think tank” for the super intelligent.

It doesn’t take Sean long to start digging and in doing so, get himself in trouble on more than one front. Babbage Town is located across the York River from Camp Peary, a super-secret CIA facility. It’s also where Monk Turing’s body was found. What was Turing doing on restricted CIA grounds? Sean wants to look around Camp Peary, but can’t set foot on the grounds without getting arrested. Turing’s daughter, Vigenére, is super intelligent in her own right and obviously knows more than she’s letting on, but like all intelligent children, has a hard time communicating simply. Everywhere Sean turns, he runs into one roadblock after another and the body count is starting to rise.

Michelle, meanwhile, is getting into plenty of trouble on her own. Horatio is convinced something in her childhood changed her personality at age six and despite her resistance, he’s going to help her uncover the memories. Before he can do so, Michelle manages to uncover a drug ring operating at the mental health facility and has the parties arrested. Thinking herself cured, she checks herself out of the facility and joins Sean in Babbage Town.

Sean is glad to have Michelle by his side again, but is still worried about her. He asks Horatio to join them, in part to help Viggie Turing, and in part to keep an eye on Michelle. As the two of them dig, they uncover more mysteries and conspiracies surrounding Babbage Town and Camp Peary, the cost of which may be too high for anyone to pay.

I have to admit, this story was a struggle to read at the beginning and didn’t get much better as it went on. The interweaving plot lines make for a very tidy mesh, but the design is complicated and at times difficult to decipher.

I didn’t care for the way this story started—Michelle going into a seedy bar with a death wish—because it touches into the darkness of a broken mind and broken mind is somewhere I really don’t like to go.

(And to think, in high school, I wanted to go into psychiatry…)

But as it turns out, it was Michelle and her problems that kept me going through this story to its conclusion. Otherwise, I might not have bothered to finish it.

A real “kitchen sink” mystery, Baldacci throws everything into this story, including the kitchen sink. Perhaps if he had simplified the plot, it would have made for an easier read. There is such a thing as being too detailed, too complicated and too crazy and this story fit that mold. However, it all played out in such a plausible, realistic manner that anything simpler might have been cheating.

I give this story FOUR STARS.

My enjoyment of the story says to give it three stars, but the intricate design of the plot and the way it played out deserves four stars, so that’s what I went with.

Judging by the reader reviews posted on Amazon.com, if you really love David Baldacci and the Sean King/Michelle Maxwell series, you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re so-so on it or haven’t read the previous books in the series, you might not like it. In fact, I highly recommend reading the previous two books before touching this one.

Split Second

Split Second by David Baldacci

When something distracts Secret Agent Sean King for a split second, it costs him his career and presidential candidate Clyde Ritter, his life. But what stole his attention? And why was Ritter shot? Eight years later Michelle Maxwell is on the fast track through the ranks of the Secret Service when her career is stopped short: Presidential candidate John Bruno is abducted from a funeral home while under her protection. The similarity between the two cases drives Michelle to re-open investigations into the Ritter fiasco and join forces with attractive ex-agent King. The pair is determined to get to the bottom of what happened in those critical moments. Meanwhile, high-ranking members of the legal system and key witnesses from both cases are going missing. King is losing friends, colleagues and clients fast and his ex-lover, Joan Dillinger, is playing curious games - she wants Sean back, but she also owes him for something...

--Split Second by David Baldacci, Copyright ©2003 by David Baldacci

My Review

This is Book 1 in the Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series.

Sean King’s career in the Secret Service came to an end eight years ago when the presidential candidate he was guarding was shot. Now living in Wrightsburg, Virginia with a law practice and lake-side home, he’s comfortable with his new life.

Michelle Maxwell is moving up in the Service when her protectee is kidnapped from a funeral home. Placed on leave, she begins to investigate the case that cost Sean King his career. Their cases were similar, and perhaps by working on his case, she could keep her mind off the disaster that had befallen her.

She gets in touch with King and, despite his unwillingness to participate, they begin to see similarities between their two cases. The more clues they uncover, the deeper they get into the conspiracy surrounding these two events. Could the same person or persons be responsible for both events? And if so, what could their motive be? Who is the ultimate target?

And most important, can King and Maxwell stop them before they fall victim to the mastermind’s plan?

Having already read Hour Game, I was familiar with Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, but it was good to go back and learn how the two former Secret Service agents became former Secret Service Agents and how they became partners in King and Maxwell Investigations.

I read a few other reviewer’s comments about this novel and most of them were disappointed with how the story ended. I admit, I had a hard time buying into the mastermind’s motivation, primarily because I don’t really “get” the need some people have to get revenge for a perceived slight. The mastermind wanted something to go his way—Plan A—and when that didn’t work, he instituted Plan B. When that didn’t work, Plan C. But Plan C wasn’t the end. His need for revenge for the failure of Plans A & B caused him to put together Plan D. At some point, don’t you just say, “Enough is enough, I only have this one life and I’m going to go enjoy it?” But that’s the only reason I didn’t enjoy the ending, a little too unbelievable for my understanding.


I enjoy reading series novels because—if I enjoy the series, then that means I enjoy the characters and if I enjoy the characters, I want to read more about them and watch as they develop over the years. I think I’m going to enjoy these two for a long time to come.

I give this story THREE and a HALF STARS.

Hour Game

Hour Game by David Baldacci

He's copying famous serial killers and the game has just begun.

A woman is found murdered in the woods. It seems like a simple case but it soon escalates into a terrible nightmare. Someone is replicating the killing styles of the most infamous murderers of all time. No one knows this criminal's motives...or who will die next.

Two ex-Secret Service agents, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, have been hired to defend a man's innocence in a burglary involving an aristocratic, dysfunctional family. Then a series of secrets leads the partners right into the frantic hunt that is confounding even the FBI. Now King and Maxwell are playing the Hour Game, uncovering one horrifying revelation after another and putting their lives in danger. For the closer they get to the truth, the closer they get to the most shocking surprise of all.

--Hour Game by David Baldacci, Copyright ©2005 by David Baldacci

My Review

This is Book 2 in the Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series.

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have been hired by Harry Lee Carrick, a local attorney, to investigate a burglary involving one of Wrightsburg, Virginia’s most prominent and wealthiest families, the Battles. The case against his client, Junior Deaver, looks like a perfect slam dunk, but the more they look, the more it looks too perfect.

Meanwhile, a series of murder victims are showing up and the methods reflect those of famous serial killers of the past including The Zodiac and Son of Sam, among others. Each victim is found wearing a watch and each watch is set to the hour that reflects their count in the killer’s agenda (first victim one o’clock, second victim two o’clock, etc.). Given their backgrounds in the Secret Service, the local sheriff is only too glad to deputize King and Maxwell to help him solve these murders before the FBI does.

Can Sean and Michelle find out who’s behind the robbery at the Battles and at the same time figure out who’s killing off the citizens of Wrightsburg before anyone else is killed?

This is a complicated story with several different plots and sub-plots and a large cast of characters—almost too many—each with their own motives and secrets. It was difficult keeping everyone straight. Perhaps if I had been forewarned I could have taken notes, but I muddled through and I was pretty satisfied with the ending when King and Maxwell got their man (men?). However, I think the story suffered by being too complicated. There are those who enjoy deep, involved, interwoven plot lines and those who like to keep their stories simple. If you’re the simple type, you might want to give this story a pass.

Normally, when I start to read a new series, I start with the first book, but since I had listened to almost half of this book on a recent road trip, I decided I had to finish it before I went back to the first book, Split Second. I’m three-quarters of the way through that one and will have its review up soon.

I give this story THREE and a HALF STARS.