To Die For: A 6:20 MAN Thriller by David Baldacci

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Travis Devin, the 6:20 man in To Die For, was featured in the prior books as an army ranger and on the financial battlefield as a high-powered corporate man. In this book, he is assigned to aid the FBI in escorting 12-year-old Betsy Odoman, an orphaned girl, to meet her uncle, who is under investigation for RICCO charges. As Devin gets to know Betsy, questions come up about the death of her parents.

The term "three-dimensional chess" is appropriate to this plot because the twists and turns come from all directions.

I enjoyed the first two books, but this was the best in many ways.

No Time Left, by David Baldacci →

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A short story and a little unusal from Baldacci. This short story is about an assassin who at first seems kind of interesting. Usually you expect a short story by a big author will have a deep message or a real twist of irony.

This killer is somewhat stoic about his job. That leads us to thinking again that the story will be a real surprise. I have seen other reviews where the reviewer in the name of bordom reveal the plot. Pretty easy to do that because it has a short plot. I won’t be doing that. I won’t tell you that it is a little surprise who is kill target winds up being and where the target is.

The story could have been a useful part of a bigger novel and Baldacci is very capable of having done that. So why didn’t he? Maybe he just wanted to sell a cheap ebook? Even if he does he won’t make much at the cheap price and he will not gain new readers just make some of his old ones made.

I probably need to apoligize if you already know. Too bad. The story isn’t bad, after all Baldacci is a good writer. Even so I am giving it 3 stars. I am a generous reviewer. .

Daylight by David Baldacci →

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FBI Agent Atlee Pine's twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at six and never seen again. Pine continues to search for this sister throughout the Atlee Pine series.

After finding out that her sister’s kidnapper was Ito Vincenzo, she and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo's last known location in Trenton, New Jersey, where they find that they are in the middle of John Puller's case, disrupting his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation. Pine and Puller begin joint research and find a connection between Vincenzo's family and both cases with global implications for conspiracy.

The story, book 3 in the series, was not the best one in this series and did disappoint.

Daylight by David Baldacci →

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FBI Agent Atlee Pine's twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at six and never seen again. Pine continues to search for this sister throughout the Atlee Pine series.

After finding out that her sister’s kidnapper was Ito Vincenzo, she and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo's last known location in Trenton, New Jersey, where they find that they are in the middle of John Puller's case, disrupting his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation.

Pine and Puller begin a joint investigation and find a connection between Vincenzo's family and both cases with global implications for conspiracy.

The story, book 3 in the series, was not the best one in this series and did disappoint. 2 Stars

One Summer, by David Baldacci

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Jack Armstrong is living out his death sentence, an incurable disease, and is determined to use his last bit of strength to stay alive until Christmas Day so he can spend this last one with his wife, Lizzie, and their three children. On Christmas Eve, Lizzie decides to drive in a blizzard to refill his medicine and is killed coming back in an accident.  Jack cannot care for his children alone, so his choices are grim. His mother-in-law makes everything even more complicated, splitting up the family from coast to coast, leaving Jack in a care center to die alone. Then a miracle happens, and healing takes place, not just physically. As Jack gets better, he finds new strength and is determined to reunite his family. He gets a clean bill of health and then takes his children back and leaves to go to the summer home where Lizzie grew up; through the summer, he struggles, but he finds himself and his family.

The plot is predictable and is nothing like Baldacci’s usual thriller books, but the characters seem real, and it still holds your attention.

Quotes

“Life is crazy and maddening and often makes no sense.”

“Because life doesn't work that way. You can do everything perfectly. Do everything you think you're supposed to be doing. Fulfill every expectation that other people may have. And you still won't get the results you think you deserve. Life is crazy and annoying and often makes no sense.”

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