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tomadavis53's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
miniwheats7's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 /5. The ending appears to have been written with plans for a sequel, however there has not been a sequel written for this book. It is a good book as a stand-alone novel, yet the ending in that case leaves much to be desired; it seemed rushed at the end.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
A very good drama and thriller demonstrating the dark side of national security! Loved the characters –Mace Perry, kidnapped and drugged and spent two years in prison, losing everything including her badge. She is determined to solve the case and find her way back on the force. Her sister Beth is the police chief which cannot help her, while others have their own agenda to send Mace back to prison.
Loved Roy Kingman-- a young lawyer (past college basketball player), who aids the poor and discovers a dead body (one of the law partners-Diane) at his firm in the refrigerator. In addition, at the beginning Jamie Malden is also killed and they need to find the connection. Roy and Mace begin their secret investigation to uncover these secrets of the national capital. Along with way came colorful characters (the Captain-homeless vet and his Twinkies, Razor, and more) which gave the story some humor and some romance as well. Again, listened via audio and the sound effects and narrator were both excellent.
Loved Roy Kingman-- a young lawyer (past college basketball player), who aids the poor and discovers a dead body (one of the law partners-Diane) at his firm in the refrigerator. In addition, at the beginning Jamie Malden is also killed and they need to find the connection. Roy and Mace begin their secret investigation to uncover these secrets of the national capital. Along with way came colorful characters (the Captain-homeless vet and his Twinkies, Razor, and more) which gave the story some humor and some romance as well. Again, listened via audio and the sound effects and narrator were both excellent.
jacki_f's review against another edition
1.0
Mace Perry is an ex-cop who has just spent two years in prison for a crime that she was arguably innocent of. Fresh out of prison, she decides (as you do) that if she can only solve a murder case all on her own before the police can, then her innocence will be proven and she can get her job back. Luckily her sister is Head of Police and lets her tag along on a murder investigation on her very first night out of prison. Luckily too, the lawyer who discovered the body is so attracted to Mace that he is willing to team up with her, committing numerous felonies and losing his job along the way, to help her try to solve the crime (despite the fact that their relationship remains platonic). Oh and of course it all involves a sinister Government conspiracy as well as lots of opportunities for Mace to race around Washington DC on a Ducati.
I picked up this book expecting a gripping thriller, but I found it such hard going that it took me over a week to finish it. For starters, the plot is just ridiculously far-fetched, simply riddled with implausibilities. A lot of time is also taken up with a convoluted sub-plot that adds nothing to the story. While the heroes aren't very interesting, the villains are one-dimensional and behave in the most unlikely ways. For example the reader needs to accept that a brutal gang leader nicknamed "Psycho" would agree to play one on one basketball with his intended victims rather than just knifing them, or that a top notch assassin would decide to have a knife fight with her victims rather than just killing them.
I found the writing to be highly repetitive (I counted at least 9 chapters that ended with some variation of "Mace ran to/roared off on her Ducati") with numerous highly similar discussions between the same characters. I'm not sure that the book's ending even made sense, but by then I was past caring.
The book is a complete disappointment. There are better thrillers out there.
I picked up this book expecting a gripping thriller, but I found it such hard going that it took me over a week to finish it. For starters, the plot is just ridiculously far-fetched, simply riddled with implausibilities. A lot of time is also taken up with a convoluted sub-plot that adds nothing to the story. While the heroes aren't very interesting, the villains are one-dimensional and behave in the most unlikely ways. For example the reader needs to accept that a brutal gang leader nicknamed "Psycho" would agree to play one on one basketball with his intended victims rather than just knifing them, or that a top notch assassin would decide to have a knife fight with her victims rather than just killing them.
I found the writing to be highly repetitive (I counted at least 9 chapters that ended with some variation of "Mace ran to/roared off on her Ducati") with numerous highly similar discussions between the same characters. I'm not sure that the book's ending even made sense, but by then I was past caring.
The book is a complete disappointment. There are better thrillers out there.
nicksc's review against another edition
2.0
So far , quarter of the way through, so bad.
Agree with many reviewers here about the poor writing in this one. Bad characterisations, blatant sexism, poor if paced well plotting. Cannot comment on the geography, but having read some Pelecanos I got a better sense of DC from him.
His other series are very good, cannot beat The Camel Club, his writing is much more professional and better researched.
Disappointed with this one, thankfully it wasn't my initial foray into Baldacci, so I can discount this one as an off year. For the people where this is the first don't dismiss him as a great thriller writer on the poor quality of this book.
Agree with many reviewers here about the poor writing in this one. Bad characterisations, blatant sexism, poor if paced well plotting. Cannot comment on the geography, but having read some Pelecanos I got a better sense of DC from him.
His other series are very good, cannot beat The Camel Club, his writing is much more professional and better researched.
Disappointed with this one, thankfully it wasn't my initial foray into Baldacci, so I can discount this one as an off year. For the people where this is the first don't dismiss him as a great thriller writer on the poor quality of this book.
thursday48's review against another edition
2.0
At 18% of the way through I deemed this book terrible. Now that I've finished I would amend that to really bad. I like strong female characters in books, especially in roles that are usually designated as a man's, but that couldn't save this book for me. Baldacci's writing is stale and relies heavily on naming brands ad nauseum. The characters are...trying. The thing that really made it so I never got into this book was the way all of the characters thought and spoke, it was completely unbelievable. Also the book opens with a murder that isn't mentioned again until a quarter of the way through the book, and seems so off from the story that I thought I'd missed that it was a preview of another book of his. The story was fine (though the mystery was really obvious) but I just could never get over the huge issues.
vinitneo's review against another edition
3.0
True blue is not a mystery thriller, I won't call it a pure thriller. The mystery, if there was any was known throughout the book, the actual case was high national security stuff which was only vaguely reveled, still no idea what had happened to Mace Perry and what is the lawyer Roy going to do? The book feels incomplete and I think it is going to be made into a series because there are a lot of loose ends. The action is very less in this book. Hopefully the second book in this (probable) series would be more entertaining.
simonrtaylor's review against another edition
4.0
True Blue is a top-class legal thriller, and Baldacci ticks so many boxes that many other writers don’t even bother to consider. Set in two polar opposite worlds: the rich middle and upper classes of lawyers, police chiefs and millionaire philanthropists, and the scrape-off-your-shoe estates of junkies and gangs, Baldacci leads you deep and believably into each. Whether in a top-notch restaurant with a motorcade of bodyguards or escaping a drug-laden shack of a flat, we are immersed so deep into their worlds that we can live two lives in one book.
Mace Perry and Roy Kingman are fantastic lead characters, with Mace as a kick-ass ex-cop and Kingman the wimpy sidekick. The sizzling chemistry between them is gripping in itself, and even moreso the relationship between Mace and her police chief sister.
One of the best characters in the book, though, is villainous supporting character Mona Danforth, the culmination of every dragon headteacher, every grade-A student and Connie from Holby City.
Many sub plots are introduced at the beginning of the book, which makes it hard to see which one is going to be the book’s subject. It takes a while for the wheels to start grinding because not enough time is spent on any one plot in order for anything to happen. But when they do start turning, they just keep speeding up and there is barely a moment to breathe along the journey. We zip from one twist to the next, and the shocks just keep on turning.
My only criticism is the book’s 114 chapters. A single scene can be broken up into several tiny chapters for no apparent reason, and this sometimes interrupts the flow of the narrative. But that is just a small irritant in what is a tremendous story, with tremendous characters who live on long after the Ducati is fired up for the final time.
Mace Perry and Roy Kingman are fantastic lead characters, with Mace as a kick-ass ex-cop and Kingman the wimpy sidekick. The sizzling chemistry between them is gripping in itself, and even moreso the relationship between Mace and her police chief sister.
One of the best characters in the book, though, is villainous supporting character Mona Danforth, the culmination of every dragon headteacher, every grade-A student and Connie from Holby City.
Many sub plots are introduced at the beginning of the book, which makes it hard to see which one is going to be the book’s subject. It takes a while for the wheels to start grinding because not enough time is spent on any one plot in order for anything to happen. But when they do start turning, they just keep speeding up and there is barely a moment to breathe along the journey. We zip from one twist to the next, and the shocks just keep on turning.
My only criticism is the book’s 114 chapters. A single scene can be broken up into several tiny chapters for no apparent reason, and this sometimes interrupts the flow of the narrative. But that is just a small irritant in what is a tremendous story, with tremendous characters who live on long after the Ducati is fired up for the final time.
bhumi_19's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
kleedc73's review against another edition
4.0
This rare stand-alone thriller from David Baldacci harkened back to the depth and intensity of Baldacci's earlier works like Absolute Power or Total Control. Mace Perry, former DC police officer, comes out of prison at the beginning of the book, claiming that she was set up for the crime that stripped her of her badge. Mace is determined to either prove her innocence or solve a major crime, either of which she believes will give her a shot at getting her badge back. Mace's sister Beth is the DC Chief of Police and Beth is determined to protect her sister and keep her from going back to prison. But Mace will not be deterred from her goals. She begins investigating the murder of a young attorney from a DC law firm. In doing so, she hooks up with another attorney from that a firm, a former UVA basketball star. Mace and Roy embark on an investigation parallel to that of the police. But the investigation reveals links, complexities and problems that neither could have anticipated. This book had great characters -- Mace and Beth in particular -- and a fast-moving, well crafted plot. The combination makes for powerful reading.