Military investigator John Puller arrives in a small Florida
town of Paradise, to check in on his aging Aunt. She had sent him a
mysterious-sounding note the week before, prompting him to visit. And he finds
her dead, and we start to realize that this town does not live up to its name.
Puller finds varying levels of help from the local police,
eventually allying with a highly skilled female officer. Together, they work
the case, as Puller has become convinced that the Aunt’s death was not an
accident. When other bodies turn up in the city, Puller calls in his
supervisor, a female one-star general. A little bit of sexual tension and jealousy arise between Puller and the two women.
For the first half of the novel, we also have occasional
scenes featuring a giant of a man running his own private investigation on the
richest man in the area. We slowly learn that the rich man is involved in human
trafficking, and that this large man is seeking revenge upon him. One of the tensions
in reading the book was figuring out how these two threads were connected. And
when they do connect, and all the characters combine forces in the final
quarter of the novel, it is very enjoyable.
There are a number of twists and turns towards the end, which
add to the tension and drama. And the final disposition of the “big bad” is
enjoyable, as well. Baldacci tells this thrilling tale while also bringing in
nice character moments for Puller. This was a very enjoyable read.
As always, these David Baldaccci novels feature great audio
production. This includes actor Ron McLarty as all of the male characters, and
Orlagh Cassidy playing all of the female characters.
Source: public library
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