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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
SPOILERS Ahead. Consider yourself warned!!
So when did David Baldacci began writing so heart wrenching and angst-y tales? Or am I just reading too much in the casual flirting between Sergeant Samantha Cole and Special Agent John Puller? I'm not sure what direction the story takes in the sequel, but this book certainly felt like an origin story of John Puller. It reminded me of James Bond and the one woman he truly loved. Enough about Baldacci's Romeo and Juliet, let's focus on the story now which was far more intriguing.
Warrant Officer John Puller is six feet three and seven-eights inches in his bare feet and weighs 232 pounds. He is currently a special agent for the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) of the army. He keeps a fat orange-and-brown tabby cat who he has named AWOL. John has two alive family members; his father and brother. His father, Lieutenant General John Puller Sr. is a legend who has authored many military tactics manuals. However, he now lives in a retirment home for ex-army men and is suffering from a disease like Alzheimer's. John's brother, Major Robert Puller was a nuclear engineer with the Air Force, but was convicted for treason and now serving a life sentence in United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB).
When a army men and his family is found killed in the remote hamlet of Drake in West Virginia, the army CID sends Puller to investigate. He is assisting the local police in solving the murders which is headed by Sergeant Samantha Cole. She proves to be a worthy partner and they end up saving each other many times through the story.
When Puller reaches Drake he finds out that there are more dead bodies than he was initially informed. The neighbors of the killed army man and a police officer who was guarding the crime scene was also killed. They discover that the killings were actually a cover-up for a much larger terrorist scale conspiracy that is spelling out the end for Drake. Puller breaches an abandoned army research facility that apparently still held radioactive fuel and someone rigged a nuclear bomb using that fuel to take out Drake. Puller manages to save the day with the assistance of his imprisoned brother, but Samantha dies during the contained explosion.
On investigation, we discover that the puppeteer of this conspiracy was a Homeland Security agent who was tired of his low government pay and wanted to make money by selling the radioactive fuel abandoned by the government to terrorists. And in this way he avenges the death of his brave Juliet, with whom he was hoping to start a relationship after the case was over.
The bottom-line, I loved this story and would love to read more about Puller. The book is highly recommended for fans of Bourne and Bond like action sequences. I think this story would make a great Hollywood movie someday ... I have my fingers crossed.
So when did David Baldacci began writing so heart wrenching and angst-y tales? Or am I just reading too much in the casual flirting between Sergeant Samantha Cole and Special Agent John Puller? I'm not sure what direction the story takes in the sequel, but this book certainly felt like an origin story of John Puller. It reminded me of James Bond and the one woman he truly loved. Enough about Baldacci's Romeo and Juliet, let's focus on the story now which was far more intriguing.
Warrant Officer John Puller is six feet three and seven-eights inches in his bare feet and weighs 232 pounds. He is currently a special agent for the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) of the army. He keeps a fat orange-and-brown tabby cat who he has named AWOL. John has two alive family members; his father and brother. His father, Lieutenant General John Puller Sr. is a legend who has authored many military tactics manuals. However, he now lives in a retirment home for ex-army men and is suffering from a disease like Alzheimer's. John's brother, Major Robert Puller was a nuclear engineer with the Air Force, but was convicted for treason and now serving a life sentence in United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB).
When a army men and his family is found killed in the remote hamlet of Drake in West Virginia, the army CID sends Puller to investigate. He is assisting the local police in solving the murders which is headed by Sergeant Samantha Cole. She proves to be a worthy partner and they end up saving each other many times through the story.
When Puller reaches Drake he finds out that there are more dead bodies than he was initially informed. The neighbors of the killed army man and a police officer who was guarding the crime scene was also killed. They discover that the killings were actually a cover-up for a much larger terrorist scale conspiracy that is spelling out the end for Drake. Puller breaches an abandoned army research facility that apparently still held radioactive fuel and someone rigged a nuclear bomb using that fuel to take out Drake. Puller manages to save the day with the assistance of his imprisoned brother, but Samantha dies during the contained explosion.
On investigation, we discover that the puppeteer of this conspiracy was a Homeland Security agent who was tired of his low government pay and wanted to make money by selling the radioactive fuel abandoned by the government to terrorists. And in this way he avenges the death of his brave Juliet, with whom he was hoping to start a relationship after the case was over.
The bottom-line, I loved this story and would love to read more about Puller. The book is highly recommended for fans of Bourne and Bond like action sequences. I think this story would make a great Hollywood movie someday ... I have my fingers crossed.
Good book, but having just ready the Smith trilogy (Child 44 etc), this story wasn't all that great. It's very driven by the stiry line, so I felt like the characters could gave been a bigger part of the story.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Murder
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
About what I expected. Rolled my eyes a few times at the dialogue, and thought the ending was unimaginative.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It didn't grab me personally
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
informative
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:
No