I first discovered Baldacci when I read his novel Wish You Well. Since then, I have read several of his popular thrillers. I don’t feel the need to blog individually about each book, as they are very similar in style and substance. However, if you are looking for an easy, entertaining, suspenseful mystery, Baldacci has many to choose from. I particularly enjoy his books because they are mostly set in the DC/Virginia area, which is familiar to me. Baldacci lives in Virginia, and writes very knowledgeably about the area.

Books of his that I’ve read:

Saving Faith: Lee Adams, PI and Faith Lockhart, lobbyist are on the run from powerful Washington leaders.

Split Second: Former Secret Service agent Sean King, and disgraced agent Michelle Maxwell realize that there’s a connection between the crimes both have witnessed. They join forces to clear their names.

Hour Game: King and Maxwell have now formed a PI firm. They must investigate a series of murders in their own hometown. This one was my favorite by far–much more suspenseful, easy to read, yet not as predictable as previous books.

Baldacci is a well-known author, most recognized for his political thrillers such as Absolute Power. In Wish You Well, he takes a break from the action in Washington DC, and writes about a small town in the mountains of Virginia. 12 year old Lou and her younger brother Oz are sent to live with their great-grandmother after an auto accident, which killed their father and left their mother in a coma. Life on their great-grandmother’s mountain farm is totally different from New York City. But Lou and Oz come to love their family farm, and when it is threatened, they will do anything to get it back.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are colorful, and the story immediately draws you in. The story is told from the children’s perspective, but it’s not at all childish. Although I don’t agree with Baldacci’s theory that if you wish hard enough, you’ll get what you want, he still has a lot to say about hard work, family and integrity. I’m sure I’ll be trying another one of his books soon.