Somehow Baldacci's preface on how he had decided to quit law and write novels was as compelling as his fiction. I was so engrossed I forgot that this part was non-fiction and that it was his real story. I am glad he chose to share his gift of storytelling with the rest of the world.
This was great for a first novel - and with the culprit being as many say, the most important man (so far) on earth - the president of the United States, one whose secret liaison becomes a little too rough, and the woman is killed. Now this is before Clinton got caught with Monica, but I guess people thought Baldacci had seen into the future. A slick thief who steals only from the very rich happened to see the tryst and murder. I loved the complexity of the plot. You had the thief Luther, his estranged daughter Kate, and her former boyfriend Jack, a lawyer. Then there is the president, his chief of staff and secret service men. Then there is detective Seth Frank and his crew. The murdered woman Christine and her very wealthy husband Walter Sullivan. The law firm Jack works for, their machinations, wealthy customers, including Jack's fiance. It all came together very nicely.
Note to self: Just do Baldacci as audio books, especially for long trips where you have to stay awake. He does keep my heart pumping, and at times I had to stop reading, as it seemed one more awful thing was going to happen. And then I told myself, remember this is an American novel, most of the good guys, and especially the main character will be OK.
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