A minute to midnight by David Baldacci
Atlee Pine book 2. Macmillan, 2019. ISBN: 9781509874460.
(Age: 15+) Recommended for lovers of thrillers. Themes: Kidnapping,
Murder. In this exciting and suspenseful novel, Baldacci immediately
grabs the reader's attention with a graphically described rescue of
an abducted girl by the intrepid Atlee Pine, who then realises that
she needs to resolve her anger about the mystery of the kidnapping
of her twin sister thirty years ago. She returns to her hometown in
Georgia, where not only does she uncover some of the secrets of her
past, but faces a serial killer who leaves victims posed in a
ritualistic way.
Baldacci's has a reputation as a leading thriller writer and it is
easy to see why: the flow of his narrative, the short chapters,
often with cliff hangers, and the interesting characters and
settings all combine to make for a satisfying read. I had not read
the first Atlee Pine book, but it was easy to follow both her
character, with Baldacci giving enough background information about
her for me to pick up this book and run with both her ability as an
FBI agent to solve dreadful crimes, but her desire to find out what
had happened to her sister so long ago. Her assistant, Blum, was
also fully fleshed out and added to the interest of the story.
There are enough twists in the plot about the serial killer to
ensure the reader is engrossed to the end, and the mystery
surrounding her sister's kidnapping turns up many twists and turns
that will surprise. And of course there is a cliff hanger at the end
that will guarantee readers will want to return to Atlee's quest to
solve the mystery of her past.
Pat Pledger