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Fabulous reads: Baldacci serves another gripping thriller

Book review - Daylight

Daylight, David Baldacci, Pan Macmillan, ISBN: 9781509874583

THE stakes are high, and time is running out as FBI agent Atlee Pine continues her desperate mission to find her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted when they were just six years old. Daylight is David Baldacci’s third book in the Atlee Pine arc, and my first run-in with the series.

However, this is not my first Baldacci read. I have previously encountered the popular Amos Decker, whom fans will recall as the seasoned yet troubled FBI agent with an uncanny ability to recall his memories in excruciating detail. I became an instant fan!

Following my positive experience with Baldacci and, as an overall fan of crime-thrillers, I was excited to tag along with one of his other characters. And Pine does not disappoint. She is an endearing, brave, tough and a remarkably determined heroine.

Hard-core fans of Baldacci are in for another treat. As Pine delves into the abduction of her sister, she stumbles into the investigation of another beloved character, agent John Puller of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), and the pair decides to join forces. He is just as strong, fearless and endearing as Pine, and the duo complement each other well.

As the duo continues to rifle through the seedy underworld, Pine uncovers harrowing secrets of her past, while they slowly unveil a massive web of high-level corruption within the military and government. Frustration and danger mounts as witnesses/suspects are killed off one by one in an attempt to railroad the investigation, and those at the top even take lethal stabs against the agents (pun intended).

Baldacci’s fast-pace writing will not only keep you engrossed but will also have you reading on the edge of your seat.

I only have two criticisms: The list of suspects was a bit difficult to keep track of at times. They all just seemed to weave into each other. I also felt lost in a few of the revelations regarding Pine’s past, but that was due to a lack of context from the previous books. I would definitely advise readers to start the series from the beginning.

The book ends on an agonising cliffhanger, hooking readers into the next installment of the series.

– Mariclair Smit 4/5 stars

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