The First Family by Michael Baldacci (Sean and Michelle #4)

First Family by David Baldacci

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: A daring kidnapping turns a children's birthday party at Camp David, the presidential retreat, into a national security nightmare.

Former Secret Service agents turned private investigators, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell don't want to get involved. But years ago Sean King saved the First Lady's husband, then a senator, from political disaster. Now the president's wife presses Sean and Michelle into a desperate search to rescue a kidnapped child. With Michelle still battling her own demons, the two are pushed to the limit, with forces aligned on all sides against them--and the line between friend and foe impossible to define ... or defend.

Round up to 3.5 stars

Read as an audio book.

This installment seemed to be about everyone but Sean. Michelle is still reeling from her mental breakdown in the previous book compounded by the unexpected death of her Mother. When she starts to question the circumstances in which her deceased mother was found, Michelle quickly decides it was murder and unfortunately, everything is pointing at her Father. Sean was kinda relegated to the sidelines as Michelle works through the past in order to unravel the present.

Then there is Sam Quarry, who has spent years working to right the wrong that was done to his daughter, leaving her brain dead in her 20's. Sam has kidnapped a woman and a twelve year old girl and set into motion events that go all the way to the White House. A lot of the story was about him prepping for the final confrontation.

I thought this got a little long and predictable. I wasn't thrilled with the whole Michelle business in the previous book, and I wasn't exactly excited about it here. Still to much "damsel in distress" syndrome. I know it needed a resolution, but, meh. Whatever.

Quite about revolved around Jane Cox and her Husband, the President. I thought the author did a pretty good job of showing her transformation from worried Aunt to a determined power hungry and arrogant woman. Which was a refreshing change from the power-hungry arrogant male antagonist we so frequently read about. By the end of the book, I was totally detesting Jane Cox.

And as usual, a few points niggled at me - the circumstances under which Michelle's mother's was found dead, a single spot of blood on the floor and no dent in the car. I'm fairly certain a person could smack their head into the side of a car and not dent it - older cars were built like tanks and modern cars are mean to be more resilient. Our heads, however, are not. Not saying I'm right or wrong here, just that I have my doubts.

I seriously didn't care for the business of Michelle returning to the family's previous home over and over and over. This is just my opinion, but it just made the book drag out. And I was never certain if she actually saw her father there just after her Mother died and I don't think it was explained during the conflict resolution. I could be wrong, I do miss things if my mind wanders while listening to an audio book. At any rate, this whole plot thread was played out and we can thankfully move on.

Even with the length of the book and the two disparate plot lines (Michelle's Mother and Sam Quarry), the ending made up for much of the middle. A nice little sucker punch plot twist at the end.

Recommended if you've read the first three in the series.



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