Thoughts

I read a lot of David Baldacci thrillers, and I really loved Nash Falls, the first book in this series, so it didn't take much persuading for me to pick up this second book.

There's always an element of suspending your disbelief with this kind of thriller, but this book took it too far. That the criminal mastermind would randomly choose a businessman and his brand-new security agent for a secret mission. That someone capable of such criminal activities and deception couldn't stand up to their own mother. That Walter Nash, after uprooting his entire life, changing his appearance and personality in order to seek vengeance, would suddenly start feeling sorry for his enemy. None of it made sense.

There were moments where Baldacci was obviously trying to impart wisdom but it was all so convoluted:

"Honesty must always be brutal or it grows dangerously close to self-deception and then on to lies, and that helps no one, least of all the liar."

I have no idea what this means but I don't think I agree?

You have to have read the first book to understand what has been sacrificed to get to this point. And you have to read this follow-up because the first ended on a cliffhanger. But having gone through all that, it made this book feel like a waste of a very good build-up.

Baldacci remains a favourite author for me, but this book didn't make sense and squandered a very good character in Nash. It's a 2 out of 5.

Rating: 2 / 5