Product Description
David Baldaccis suspense thrillers, like Last Man Standing, always find their way to the top of the New York Times best-seller list. Simple Genius follows on the heels of The Hour Game and stars Secret Service agents Sea… More >>
Simple Genius
Written by admin on May 31st, 2010 in Audiobooks.
Tags: Genius, Simple
Just finished reading _Simple Genius_ (2007) by David Baldacci, whose work I usually really enjoy, and I was so disappointed!
The first 4 chapters, instead of any exciting action or plot set-up, have you slogging through the vaguely undefined and improbable mental problems of one of the protagonists (a former Secret Service agent, who for some unknown reason is not sleeping with her gorgeous male partner/close friend–but this is never linked to her mental/emotional issues in any way…).
When the action finally starts, it revolves around, get this–a hidden treasure from colonial days, a German POW who escaped from a US camp during WWII, and the modern-day drug-running of top-level CIA agents gone bad, plus an autistic piano-playing math whiz–all on a little cape on the Virginia coast!
The end brings even more improbable plot twists, including (I kid you not) one of the bad CIA agents trying to kill the other protagonist by thrashing him with her prosthetic leg!!!
I got through the whole audiobook by habit and/or hope that it had to get better, but I’ll think twice before picking up another David Baldacci book.
Rating: 1 / 5
David Baldacci is synonymous with mystery, intrigue and suspense. With a distinct flair for weaving a bit of truth into his fictional creations, Baldacci captures the reader’s imagination, while presenting a believable story. Add the talented actor/author Ron McClarty narrating, and Simple Genius is a knock-out, one-two punch. He uses all the narrative tools-and the result is an audio experience second to none!
After her latest outburst of self-destructive behavior and threatened with jail time, investigator Michelle agrees to enter a private clinic. While she is under treatment, her partner, Sean contacts his ex-lover for an assignment. With funds drying up, he did not have the luxury of holding grudges.
Suicide or Murder? Officially Monk Turing’s death was ruled a suicide, but Sean was interested in the unofficial version. Monk’s body was found just inside the perimeter of the CIA’s top secret training facility, Camp Peary-known as the “secret place” by the locals. It didn’t take long for Sean to understand that the research conducted there was highly sensitive.
Monk’s autistic daughter, Viggie, was frightened and had great difficulty expressing her feelings. When anyone got too close she would withdraw into her own world. At times Viggie would play a specific selection on the piano, shout “codes and blood,” then disappear up to her room. When Michelle arrives, Viggie takes to her instantly. Numbers and codes, secrets and stories-Monk had programmed his daughter-and now the only way they could protect her was if she trusted them enough to tell them what she knew. And that was a very big if.
Baldacci takes the reader on a fast-paced, breathtaking journey into a town’s buried secrets, where lives depend on the codes hidden in the mind of a grieving child. The character interaction, combined with a multi-layered plot line, creates an engrossing story that builds upon itself with the turn of each page. Baldacci successfully ties up all the threads in a shocking, but satisfying conclusion.
Happy Reading!
Rating: 4 / 5