First Family, by David Baldacci

In First Family we meet again the former Secret Service agents, now private investigators, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell. They are hired by Jane Cox, the First Lady, First Family, by David Baldacci to find her young niece who has been abducted. Twelve-year-old Willa Dutton has gone missing; snatched from her suburban Virginia home by heavily-armed men who left her mother lifeless on the kitchen floor.

This is the fourth book featuring this duo. They also appear in Split Second, Hour Game and Simple Genius. They are smart, deadly, good-looking, and attracted to one another. But somehow I don’t really catch on to them – they never really come alive for me. Baldacci is a great writer, and I am a fan of his, but I think he should get rid of these two guys.

First Family is a thick book with lots of twists and turns, a plot slightly on the implausible side, full of politics, scandals and plenty of intense action. It is all here: corruption, greed, lust, betrayal, cover-ups, and so on.

Baldacci’s excellent writing compensates for weaknesses in the plot and largely unattractive heroes. And, guess what, the terrorist is not an Arab! Rather it’s a Vietnam War veteran with a grievance. And as the investigation proceeds, some dark truths about the first family start to emerge. Sean and Michelle start making discoveries about things that are concealed, dubious deals, unscrupulous actions, and infidelity.

It’s a fun, entertaining read, a book that sucks you in after a beginning that is a tad slow. First Family is not the best Baldacci I have read, but well worth reading, and quite good entertainment.

Links to the books by David Baldacci: Baldacci at amazon US, amazon UK, and amazon CAN.