Sunday, July 31, 2011

Wish You Well

This is an okay book written by David Baldacci. Precocious twelve-year-old Louisa Mae Cardinal lives in the hectic New York City of 1940 with her family. Then tragedy strikes – and Lou and her younger brother, Oz, must go with their invalid mother to live on their great-grandmother’s farm in the Virginia mountains. Suddenly Lou finds herself coming of age in a new landscape, making her first true friend, and experiencing adventures tragic, comic, and audacious. When a dark, destructive force encroaches on her new home, her struggle will play out in a crowded Virginia courtroom and determine the future of two children, an entire town, and the mountains they love.

Simple Genius

This is an okay book written by David Baldacci. After their last adventure nearly killed them, King and Maxwell are out of work and fighting for their survival. Maxwell, having lost her edge and her confidence, now carries the burden of a death wish. Knowing his friend needs help, King takes her to a psychiatric facility. He then crawls back to his ex-lover for a job. The assignment she gives him seems simple enough, but soon it becomes apparent that he and Maxwell are being used in an elaborate conspiracy that could have dire consequences for national security.

Camp Peary has been closed to the public since 1951. It seems to be the location of a covert CIA training facility. The hunting lodge of Lord Dunmore, last royal governor of Virginia, still stands on the grounds of Camp Peary. This is the third novel to feature Sean King and Michelle Maxwell.

Bel-Air Dead

This is an okay book written by Stuart Woods. Stone Barrington receives a rather unexpected phone call from Arrington Calder, the ex-girlfriend with whom he has a son. Arrington’s much older husband, the actor Vance Calder, has just died, leaving her a fortune in Centurion Studios stock. Arrington has plans for the money and asks Stone to represent her in the sale of the company. But when he arrives at her home in Bel-Air to finalize the deal, things take a nasty turn. It seems many of Hollywood’s rich and beautiful have Arrington and Centurion in their sights, and Stone finds himself dragged into a surprisingly deadly web of intrigue.

This is the 20th novel to feature Stone Barrington.

Divine Justice

This is an okay book written by David Baldacci. Known by his alias, "Oliver Stone," John Carr is the most wanted man in America. With two pulls of the trigger, the men who destroyed Stone's life and kept him in the shadows were finally silenced. But his freedom comes at a steep price: the assassinations he carried out prompt the highest levels of the U.S. government to unleash a massive manhunt. Yet behind the scenes, master spy Macklin Hayes is playing a very personal game of cat and mouse. He, more than anyone else, wants Stone dead.

This is the fourth novel in the Camel Club series.

Absolute Power

I liked this book written by David Baldacci. When the wife of a wealthy campaign contributor is found dead in her bedroom, President Alan Richmond swears – in public – he will use the full power of the Oval Office to find her killer. However, when a cat burglar proves he has a missing piece of evidence linking Richmond to the crime, a dangerous cover-up is in order.

Clint Eastwood directed and starred in a 1997 film adaptation.

Total Control

I liked this book written by David Baldacci. When Jason Archer – a rising young executive at the world’s leading technology conglomerate – fakes his own death in a plane crash, he enters into a deadly world of enormously powerful computers, multimillion-dollar deals and brilliant, savage minds. Soon, his wife, Sidney, aided by FBI agent Lee Sawyer, discovers the startling truth behind Archer’s disappearance.

Hour Game

I liked this book written by David Baldacci. A series of brutal murders darkens the Wrightsburg, Virginia countryside. The killer, replicating notorious murders of the past, seeks to improve them, while taunting the police by leaving watches on the victims set to the hour corresponding with their position on his hit list. When Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called to join the case, they are already investigating a crime involving an aristocratic and dysfunctional Southern family. But, as they soon discover, the two cases may be connected.

This is the second novel to feature Sean King and Michelle Maxwell.

The Christmas Train

This is an okay book written by David Baldacci. When Tom Langdon mouths off while going through airport security, he’s booted off the flight and banned from flying. His only chance to make it to Los Angeles in time for Christmas with his girlfriend is to catch a train. Tom’s a journalist, temporarily short of funds, so he finances the trip by selling a story of a train trip during the Christmas season. But this train trip will turn out to be more special than any plane flight Tom could have taken.

The Winner

I liked this book written by David Baldacci. LuAnn Tyler, a destitute mother living in a trailer park, receives a job offer, but when she goes to the interview she meets a man who claims that he can fix the lottery. At first she opposes this idea, but then something goes terribly wrong in her family and she accepts the offer a few minutes before it is rescinded. The mysterious man who goes by the name of Jackson tells her that she must flee the country to avoid being investigated by the FBI and he provides her with a new identity. She takes her baby daughter and travels with another man who eventually becomes her closest friend.