The Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci

Baldacci introduces a strong female protagonist in this book.  Atlee Pine is a strong character, strong in body and in spirit.  She is driven and has been since childhood when her identical twin was taken.  As an FBI agent she doesn’t fit in to the DC mold and chooses to spend her career in the wide-open spaces. Somehow, she little suspected that investigating the death of a mule in the Grand Canyon would lead to mayhem and international intrigue.

Baldacci does great character development.   He crafts them carefully with nuances that pique your interest.  Blum is subtly introduced and reminds us of the Monty Python admonishment, “I ain’t dead yet”.   She shows that age is not a detriment to adventure or accomplishment.

Sadly the premise of the book derives its motivational fear from the current divisiveness of our government agencies and personnel.  The story is entirely too believable due to the current political climate.

The secondary plot of discovering the fate of her sister hopefully segues into future books in a series.

I really enjoyed the book and have mentioned before how much I enjoy butt kicking female protagonists.  I am lucky enough to have some strong females in my life and find that a partner pulling their weight is immensely preferable to a subservient, meek mate.

I highly recommend it.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.