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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
The Guilty takes us back to Will Robie's past. Due to something unexpected that happened in Will's previous assignment he is unable to pull the trigger anymore. He receives the news about his father being convicted for murder and sets out to see what it is all about.
Through the novel, we learn about Robie's past and learn about his hometown. There were a number of new developments in the story with numerous new characters. It was entirely different from the previous books on the series. For one the usual parallel storytelling with two different MCs or two different perspectives wasn't present here. It was a linear storyline following Will's adventure as he tries to find the truth about the murder his dad was convicted of. The turn of events throughout the story was a fun one to read through.
Through the novel, we learn about Robie's past and learn about his hometown. There were a number of new developments in the story with numerous new characters. It was entirely different from the previous books on the series. For one the usual parallel storytelling with two different MCs or two different perspectives wasn't present here. It was a linear storyline following Will's adventure as he tries to find the truth about the murder his dad was convicted of. The turn of events throughout the story was a fun one to read through.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I would go 1.5, if there were such a choice. This is the first David Baldacci I've read. Someone gave it to me as a gift. I get it that he's written scads of books and has millions of adoring fans, but I don't frankly see what all the excitement is about. If this book is a fair indication, Baldacci is not in the same class as, say, John Grisham (and I got tired of Grisham many books ago). This is very violent--at least 30 deaths, all in a small Mississippi town. The "heroes" are responsible for at least 23 of those (I did not count carefully), and yet everyone just takes it in stride. The plot is fairly engaging until the end, when it turns out that Baldacci does not play fair, in the sense that there was no way any reader could possibly have figured out what was coming.
we are led to believe, a trip down memory lane in the hometown he left 22 years earlier can fix all that. Yet once there, he has no trouble shooting pretty much everyone. And oh, we are supposed to buy that years of animosity between Robie and his father are all resolved in a bare moment. The dialogue is stilted and the characters not very interesting. The psychology is superficial; the resolution not believable. If this is typical of Baldacci fare, then I can live without all the rest.
Spoiler
In fact, the hero didn't see it coming either. No one solves this mystery. The plot doesn't even hold up: the whole premise is that Robie, the hero and sniper extraordinaire, already a problem for me, has a traumatic experience and can no longer bring himself to shoot his targets. Somehow or another,we are led to believe, a trip down memory lane in the hometown he left 22 years earlier can fix all that. Yet once there, he has no trouble shooting pretty much everyone. And oh, we are supposed to buy that years of animosity between Robie and his father are all resolved in a bare moment.
This one started off slow, but the action picked up. I liked the twists and turns at the end. I struggle with Baldacci's female protagonists. (I don't feel they are real enough. Too flat) I enjoyed the chapters that were just with Will Robie.
Loved it! Kept me hooked throughout the entire thing. And the ending was not what I expected.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not his best. Let's put Robie back in the field where he belongs. Too many little plot errors. It was all to obvious given that you're only introduced to a few people--really limits the suspect list.
Baldacci always puts out a solid thriller, and this was no exception. I found this one more far-fetched that usual, but enjoyed it nonetheless.
My god this went off the rails. It was tropey from the start but ones I actually was super into! Return of the prodigal son to get your head straight in rural, southern US. The actual method of his mental health break is prettty hand wavey and throwaway, but I was on board.
Then it got really contrived. I guess the author really wanted more characters involved instead of keeping it intimate and interesting. The “bad guy” was similarly contrived to the previous book; more so even, as I don’t think the seeds of that were sewn in previous books.
If it was just about him navigating his fathers case, and that not being contrived, it could have been pretty fun. Investigating the crime, exonerating the dad, potentially, if guilty, and dealing with the towns’ animosity. That’s a solid enough story.
I don’t think he has the chops to write black characters convincing either, they felt like caricatures for the most part either. Basically as soon as the lawyer was introduced, the Contrivance began. And then it turned into a day time soap. It’s a wild, wild book, friends. I am not surprised the series ends with the next book.
Then it got really contrived. I guess the author really wanted more characters involved instead of keeping it intimate and interesting. The “bad guy” was similarly contrived to the previous book; more so even, as I don’t think the seeds of that were sewn in previous books.
If it was just about him navigating his fathers case, and that not being contrived, it could have been pretty fun. Investigating the crime, exonerating the dad, potentially, if guilty, and dealing with the towns’ animosity. That’s a solid enough story.
I don’t think he has the chops to write black characters convincing either, they felt like caricatures for the most part either. Basically as soon as the lawyer was introduced, the Contrivance began. And then it turned into a day time soap. It’s a wild, wild book, friends. I am not surprised the series ends with the next book.