The Fallen by David Baldacci (2018)

Here's a recent Amos Decker thriller with his side-kick Alex Jamison. They are supposed to be on vacation in Baronville, a small western Pennsylvania town visiting her sister, whose daughter will be having a birthday. Out on the back deck Amos sees some flickering lights and then smoke, which starts their involvement in a multi-level mystery. First of all there are six dead people, seemingly unrelated - actually more by the time the book is done. Then there is John Baron, after whose family the town is named and his grandfather made a lot of money with mines and mills building up the town, but ended up leaving his family quite poor and the town poorer. John still lives in the falling down mansion, but is disliked by almost everyone in the town except Cindy, the barkeep and owner. There is a rumor of a treasure hidden by the original Baron. There is an opioid crisis in town, which I understand is prevalent in small towns like these - but it was the first time I've run across it as part of a plot. The town seems to be slowly recovering with some large insurance pay-outs on some of these opioid deaths. The other saving grace is a large fulfillment center, like Amazon distribution centers, that is providing jobs, but again, what kind of jobs and what do people have to do to get them and keep them?

Amos gets a bit more human in this one, as he gets clobbered on his head during an explosion and stops seeing blue when people die, has some gaps in his perfect memory, and actually shows some empathy, especially towards Alex's little niece. Somehow he remembers how to be a father and connects with her.

I always like these intricately constructed plots from Baldacci that keeps me wondering how he is going to fit this or that piece into the puzzle. I also liked the realistic view of small town America. I lived in a small town in SE Ohio for a few years - long enough to get a sense of its problems. We do have to find solutions as states and a nation, and I am afraid you can only build so many fulfillment centers, and those are not a great solution.