King and Maxwell by David BaldacciMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Jacket Blurb: It seems at first like a simple, tragic story. Tyler Wingo, a teenage boy, learns the awful news that his father, a soldier, was killed in action in Afghanistan. Then the extraordinary happens: Tyler receives a communication from his father . . . after his supposed death.
Tyler hires Sean and Michelle to solve the mystery surrounding his father. But their investigation quickly leads to deeper, more troubling questions. Could Tyler's father really still be alive? What was his true mission? Could Tyler be the next target?
Sean and Michelle soon realize that they've stumbled on to something bigger and more treacherous than anyone could have imagined. And as their hunt for the truth leads them relentlessly to the highest levels of power and to uncovering the most clandestine of secrets, Sean and Michelle are determined to help and protect Tyler--though they may pay for it with their lives.
Read as an audio book.
Premise of the book is, Sean and Michelle are drawn into a web of lies that extends all the way to the Oval Office and the Pentagon. It starts with a teenage boy found running in the rain on a dark and stormy night after he's been told his father died in action overseas. When digging a bit deeper, said father isn't quite so dead, but there is someone out there who really wishes he was. Sean and Michelle find enmeshed in a military muck-up the likes of which no one has ever seen.
Oh my goodness gracious - the implausibilities were as thick as the various alphabet agencies that were involved in this story.
And I enjoyed the story anyway. Maybe because so much of it was just kinda...silly. Plus it's Sean and Michelle - snarky, endearing, fun.
Some of my issues with the book:
- why Tyler Wingo is running around in the rain with a antique pistol never made any sense.
- a shoot-out in a mall? Dumb, just...dumb.
- Nobody is questioning all the bodies in suits piling up dead around Washington?
- Allan Grant's motivation - and the impetus for the entire plot - was weak at best.
- Michelle's jealousy regarding Sean and Dana. Girl, get over yourself.
- The "sexual tension" between Sean and Michelle - not necessary. Book doesn't need it and I think it just detracts from the characters.
I could go on, but as I noted, despite the faults, it was an engaging read and kept me happily entertained during my commute. The astute reader will know how this will end, but it was fun letting the plot roll out and watching the characters run around. Except for Edgar, Edgar doesn't run around. I think he's becoming my favorite character...
Recommended if you've read the first five books in the series.
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