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David Baldacci's latest novel marks the return of former Secret Service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell who are ready for more after the events of 2003's bestseller SPLIT SECOND. They are now in business together working as private investigators in Wrightsburg, Virginia, and are doing well for themselves. Now they will face their greatest danger featuring a foe like they never imagined who is playing for keeps. If they thought their last adventure was something, think again. In HOUR GAME, King and Michelle are hired by a defense attorney to prove the innocence of his client accused of burglarizing the home of one of the most wealthy and influential people in town, the Battles. Everything appears to be straightforward in this case, but there is a little more to it than that. The Battles are carefully protecting something or someone and this family has been an enigma in their town for generations. Complicating matters is a serial killer murdering people near town. Whether it is imitating the Zodiac killer or the Son of Sam, he does what he does with no apparent rhyme or reason according to the press. But he does have an agenda in mind and he wants the two detectives to find him. He is a devious manipulator and everything is moving like clockwork just as he wanted. He has a massive surprise in store and he just cannot wait to reveal it. The book is a bit exasperating at first, as Baldacci throws in three separate storylines and lets them flow and run their course. One thinks that the author has gone off at a tangent not knowing what he is doing, but Baldacci has something up his sleeve. When all of these plot lines converge, the fun is about to begin. The twist-laden mystery novel turns into a heavy action thriller that brings out the two protagonists' personalities to the forefront and lets them loose. The one to look out for is Michelle 'Do first, ask questions later' Maxwell. She is a hoot. She knows what her priorities are when someone is trying to kill her with a car and knows the perfect way to relax -- running a marathon, rowing for miles, or pummeling and kicking a punching bag to death. When it comes to kicking butt, no one does it better (Well, maybe J.D. Robb's Eve Dallas, but I digress). Michelle's partner Sean King is the voice of reason, the level-headed one, who can match mile by mile, weight by weight whatever Michelle throws at him whenever he wants too. That girl is just nuts. The story is filled with quite a few surprises and the plot is a bit over the top, but so what? Live a little. HOUR GAME will definitely take away the doldrums away and create some excitement. Who knows? You might just like it even if you figure things out early. Give it a shot.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, November 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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