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Jun 16, 2020Cidherman rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
Writing is good, but the plot is ridiculous. Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2020 David Baldacci is a writer who knows how to engage a reader. He writes vulnerable characters you genuinely like, involved in scenarios that don't scrimp on the action. He has a wild imagination, and in LONG ROAD TO MERCY, it is on full display. Atlee Pine is an FBI agent, lone wolf, Olympic caliber body builder, who is well suited for her position as the agent in charge of the 2 person regional FBI office located a stones throw from the Grand Canyon. The investigation into a missing tourist, whose pack mule is found with its belly slit open at the bottom of the canyon, turns into a desperate search for a nuclear weapon. Atlee's fighting skills are barely enough to save her and her veteran office assistant from a lethal Korean assassin, as the pair criss-cross the country, going full rouge from the FBI, after Attlee is ordered to drop the investigation. LONG ROAD TO MERCY is a fun action packed adventure, but it gets less and less believable as it goes on, with a wrap-up that is patently ridiculous. I loved Atlee, and look forward to reading more novels featuring her, despite the ludicrous plot. LONG ROAD TO MERCY is NOT one of Baldacci's better plots, but it is entertaining, and the setting and characters are interesting well written. Unfortunately, for me, nothing is more important than the plot, and this story misses the mark.