Walk the Wire by David BaldacciMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
When Amos Decker and his FBI colleague Alex Jamison are called to London, North Dakota, they instantly sense that the thriving fracking town is ripe for trouble. The promise of a second gold rush has attracted an onslaught of newcomers all hoping for a windfall, and the community is growing faster than houses can be built. The sudden boom has also brought a slew of problems with it, including drugs, property crimes, prostitution -- and now murder.
Decker and Jamison are ordered to investigate the death of a young woman named Irene Cramer, whose body was expertly autopsied and then dumped in the open -- which is only the beginning of the oddities surrounding the case. As Decker and Jamison dig into Irene's life, they are shocked to discover that the woman who walked the streets by night as a prostitute was a teacher for a local religious sect by day -- a sect operating on land once owned by a mysterious government facility that looms over the entire community.
London is a town replete with ruthless business owners, shady government officials, and religious outsiders, all determined to keep their secrets from coming out. When other murders occur, Decker will need all of his extraordinary memory and detective skills, and the assistance of a surprising ally, to root out a killer and the forces behind Cramer's death. . . before the boom town explodes.
I'm actually not quite sure what to say about this latest installment. I enjoyed it, the pacing was about perfect, and I was engaged on my daily commute. That being noted, the plot(s) bordered on unbelievable, the conspiracy theories a bit over the top (but yet, not), and all the killings just didn't make sense in the grand scheme of things.
So how to review such mixed commentary?
Characters - I was quite surprised to see a "guest appearance" by Will Robie and it was a nice change of pace from bringing in Melvin from previous books. The three high school classmates that now "ran" the town of London were interesting, and Jamison is a complimentary foil to Decker. Characters worked for me.
Setting - London, North Dakota. Which, really, could be Williston, North Dakota for all practical matters. Not to many stories are set in the middle of the plains in an oil town. Made more interesting because I've been through North Dakota in the last two years, so having that visual helps with the setting.
Plot - if you are into conspiracy theories, this may be a book (and series) for you. While I could loosely accept the whole "ticking time bomb" being hidden at this second, closed, North Dakota Air Force base, the rest of it didn't work for me. And I've never understood the mind-set of "let's murder everyone" to try and cover up a conspiracy. For myself, I was more interested in Decker figuring everything out than I was of the plot itself.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this latest installment. I did have the added benefit that I want to go and pick up the next Will Robie book. I've read #1, but not the rest. Stay tuned!
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