Fall Reading Challenge Book Review # 1

I stayed up late last night to finish this mystery.

I've read many of Baldacci's novels, especially the ones that feature the ex-Secret Service agent...the ones that feature "The Camel Club"

This novel, however, is NOT in the Camel Club series and to date, it is my favorite of his.  This book was an excellent read and if it had been available at the town library over the summer, I would have completed it in 2 days....it was that good!!

Here's the story summary:

Genre:  mystery/suspence

Setting: Washington, DC

The story opens up with a hit gone wrong.  Will Robie works for the US government.  As a killer.  He is sent out to eliminate someone close to home but something does not seem right to him.  He decides NOT to kill.  Now he is a target himself and he needs to escape from his own people.

As he flees the scene, he meets a young teenage girl....a 14 yr old runaway from a foster home placement.  Her parents have recently been murdered and she is a witness to the murders!  Now her life is in danger.  Robie rescues her, against all his professional habits.....he finds he just can't walk away from her.

The more that Robie learns about Julie, the more he is convinced that she is at the center of a huge cover-up.....it will explain her parents' deaths and reach across to unimaginable levels of power.

Robie needs to step out of the shadows to save this girl's life....and his own!!

MY THOUGHTS

This was a riveting book about power and the mis-use of it in our United States government.  There is a little Middle Eastern warfare going on in the book that includes a Prince and members of one of the USA's army squads.

The characters...especially that of Will Robie and Julia are very believable and "real". It has left me hoping that the author will go on to write more novels featuring Will Robie.

It also made me wonder about the FBI and Secret Service in our country......are they really working in the President's and our own, best interests???  Hm......It IS fiction but there is that underlying thread of "....this COULD happen......."

and.....people are sometimes NOT what they appear to be.......

I don't want to reveal the exact ending as I don't want to spoil it for you. My first gut instinct as to who was the initial bad guy was correct.......maybe you will guess, too!!

I highly recommend this novel if you like fast-paced stories that contain some suspense and mystery.  The language was clean (a nice change!).

This book, in my opinion, would be appropriate for ages 16 and older.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.