BEA'S BOOK NOOK "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

Showing posts with label Baldacci. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baldacci. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Bea Reviews Daylight by David Baldacci


Series:
Atlee Pine #3
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: 
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & NobleBook Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

FBI Agent Atlee Pine's search for her sister Mercy clashes with military investigator John Puller's high-stakes case, leading them both deep into a global conspiracy -- from which neither of them will escape unscathed.

For many long years, Atlee Pine was tormented by uncertainty after her twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Now, just as Atlee is pressured to end her investigation into Mercy's disappearance, she finally gets her most promising breakthrough yet: the identity of her sister's kidnapper, Ito Vincenzo.

With time running out, Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo's last known location in Trenton, New Jersey -- and unknowingly stumble straight into John Puller's case, blowing his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation.

Stunningly, Pine and Puller's joint investigation uncovers a connection between Vincenzo's family and a breathtaking scheme that strikes at the very heart of global democracy. Peeling back the layers of deceit, lies and cover-ups, Atlee finally discovers the truth about what happened to Mercy. And that truth will shock Pine to her very core.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Friday Book Memes: No Man's Land by David Baldacci

I'm participating in two Friday book memes, Book Beginnings On Fridays, hosted by Rose City Reader, and The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice.

Every Friday, share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

For the Friday 56, grab a book, any book. Turn to Page 56, or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that's okay. Find a snippet, short and sweet. Post it, and add the url to your post at the link here.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Bea Reviews The Finisher by David Baldacci

Review, The Finisher by David Baldacci, fantasy, Bea's Book Nook
Series: Vega Jane #1 
Publisher: Scholastic Press 
Source: a publicist in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 4, 2014 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Welcome to Wormwood: a place where curiosity is discouraged and no one has ever left.

Until one girl, Vega Jane, discovers a map that suggests a mysterious world beyond the walls. A world with possibilities and creatures beyond her imagining.

But she will be forced to fight for her freedom. And unravelling the truth may cost Vega her life.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Group Interview with Author David Baldacci

Recently, I had the good fortune to be part of a group phone conference interview with author David Baldacci. A number of bloggers were invited to participate and we each had a turn to ask a question. The call lasted about 30 minutes. I was delighted and flattered to be asked to be one of the bloggers in this interview. I've enjoyed David's books and enjoyed listening to him talk; he was funny and eloquent. I've tweaked the interview a bit but it's basically intact. It's a long one! So make yourself comfy and enjoy!

http://www.bighonchomedia.com/assets/Scholastic/DavidBaldacciPhoto.jpg 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Help Me Interview Author David Baldacci

David Baldacci

I was fortunate enough to be asked to participate in a telephone conference interview with thriller author David Baldacci. The call itself will only be about thirty minutes and I don't know how many bloggers will be there but we're allowed two questions each. Since there will be a bunch of us, I want a list of questions so that if some get asked before it's my turn I still have some to choose from.

So, leave me your questions below and I'll add them to my list. I can't promise I'll get to ask them but I'll try!

David's publicist will email the transcript and I'll get that formatted and posted sometime between December 6th and December 12th.

Thanks for your help!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Blog Tour Review of FaceOff, edited by David Baldacci

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
Format Read: print ARC
Source: PR firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci and including stories by Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, and more, this one-of-a-kind anthology pulls together the most beloved characters from the best and most popular thriller series today. Worlds collide!

In an unprecedented collaboration, twenty-three of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers have paired their series characters—such as Harry Bosch, Jack Reacher, and Lincoln Rhyme—in an eleven-story anthology curated by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). All of the contributors to FaceOff are ITW members and the stories feature these dynamic duos:

· Harry Bosch vs. Patrick Kenzie in “Red Eye,” by Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane

· John Rebus vs. Roy Grace in “In the Nick of Time,” by Ian Rankin and Peter James

· Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy vs. Aloysius Pendergast in “Gaslighted,” by R.L. Stine, Douglas Preston, and Lincoln Child

· Malachai Samuels vs. D.D. Warren in “The Laughing Buddha,” by M.J. Rose and Lisa Gardner

· Paul Madriani vs. Alexandra Cooper in “Surfing the Panther,” by Steve Martini and Linda Fairstein

· Lincoln Rhyme vs. Lucas Davenport in “Rhymes With Prey,” by Jeffery Deaver and John Sandford

· Michael Quinn vs. Repairman Jack in “Infernal Night,” by Heather Graham and F. Paul Wilson

· Sean Reilly vs. Glen Garber in “Pit Stop,” by Raymond Khoury and Linwood Barclay

· Wyatt Hunt vs. Joe Trona in “Silent Hunt,” by John Lescroart and T. Jefferson Parker

· Cotton Malone vs. Gray Pierce in “The Devil’s Bones,” by Steve Berry and James Rollins

· Jack Reacher vs. Nick Heller in “Good and Valuable Consideration,” by Lee Child and Joseph Finder

So sit back and prepare for a rollicking ride as your favorite characters go head-to-head with some worthy opponents in FaceOff—it’s a thrill-a-minute read.

Friday, May 2, 2014

The Friday 56 #24 The Hit By David Baldacci


This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join on the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.


I'm reading a thriller, "The Hit" by David Baldacci. The quote is from page 56 in the hardcover.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15791154-the-hit

In Robie's world there wasn't much difference between day and night. He didn't work nine to five, and so seven p.m. was as good a time as any to start his next task.

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Saturday, January 7, 2012

Review of Zero Day by David Baldacci

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: October 31, 2011
Buying Links: Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

 In this heart-racing thriller by bestselling writer David Baldacci, the author of Hell's Corner, military investigator John Puller is called to a remote, rural area where an entire family have been murdered in their home.

John Puller is a former war hero who has become the best military investigator in the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigative Division. He is a loner who has an unstoppable determination for finding the truth.  

 As he investigates the murder case, John learns that the dead husband was in the army and the wife worked for a Pentagon contractor. John makes plenty of enemies whilst working this case, including a local homicide detective, a woman who has personal problems of her own.(less)

Teaser:

She moved forward too.
Puller saw it and launched, He hit Cole right in the gut, lifting her off the ground. They tumbled back toward the tree line two seconds before the truck detonated. A front wheel landed within six inches of them. Debris crashed down around them. Puller covered Cole with his body. A long strip of rubber landed across the back of his legs. It stung, but did no permanent damage. He would have a welt there, but that was all.
As the flames leapt over the truck, Puller knew he had a second problem. He grabbed Cole by the arm, lifted her over his shoulder, and ran into the woods. A few seconds later, the gas tank exploded, sending a second wave of wreckage sailing in all directions.

My Thoughts:

I have a weakness for military suspense novels. Partly it's due to my love of mysteries, partly it's due to a partiality for things military since I grew up as a military brat, and partly due to a fascination with the way various writers handle writing about the US government and military. Despite a certain partiality for the military, I also tend to be a skeptic and know that neither the government nor the military are always the best they can be nor looking out for what's best for the country. Baldacci writes intimately about the US government and military as well as the various alphabet agencies in his books, and he writes with a somewhat cynical eye while portraying his deep love for and belief in the US. It can be a tricky balance and he pulls it off well.

In "Zero Day" our protagonist, John Puller, is an enlisted man in the Army, from an Army family. His father, now retired, was a much decorated, respected, and feared three star Army general; his brother was a scientist and a major in the Army. John, or Puller as he's usually called, often has to defend his choice to go the enlisted route instead of the officer route. Puller likes his current work investigating military related crimes and is content to stay there. His personal life is also complicated - his father is not in good health, seemingly from dementia though Baldacci never actually says, and his brother is serving a life sentence for treason, though again we're never given details.

Baldacci does give lots of details on things such as weaponry, investigative techniques, chain of command, etc. At times it felt like too much detail, as if I were reading a manual, but some readers may enjoy that. The story also gets overly complicated at times and, despite his propensity, for detail, Baldacci has a knack for withholding certain details and facts until just the right moment in the story. At times that was frustrating. When Baldacci finally reveals one of the conspirators, Puller claims to have suspected him from early on but we weren't shown that. I was more surprised by Puller's claim than I was by the identity of the conspirator.

Still, Puller is a fascinating character and I enjoyed his interactions, especially with his family. I hope we'll get more books with him. The other characters are well done and felt real. The overall story is well written and complex, with more depth than I expect in a book in this genre. I really liked the different setting, rural West Virginia, and learning more about both the coal mining business and the military and the government's early work with nuclear weapons. It's a long, somewhat complicated read (all those details) so don't read it when you're tired or short on time, but do read it.

I received a hardcover from the publisher for review.