The Spy / Thriller Genre Continued

Demonstrators in front of US Embassy in Ottawa (courtesy Global news)

It's been an interesting, emotional (to put it mildly) week. There have been protests around the US (every state) and the world in support George Floyd and Black Lives Matter. My daughter attended the one held in Ottawa. They continue today. From reports, there are great crowds in Washington, D.C. today. (and everywhere).

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DEVS

This morning I've relaxed with Jo. I watched the 2nd episode (finally) of DEVS, an interesting Sci-Fi - type series on FX. I'm not too sure what's going on yet, but the visuals are fantastic and Sonoya Mizuno is a wonderful, talented actress. The rest of the cast is also great. I will try to finish Season 1 in the next week.

I also was able to make solid progress on three of the five books I'm working on. Brother Odd is a nicely flowing story by Dean Koontz. I find his work generally hit or miss but I've enjoyed the Odd Thomas series so far. Thomas is such a likable character. I'm also enjoying my further exploration of George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh. Such intelligent writing and so far interesting stories; Orwell's A Clergyman's Daughter and Waugh's Unconditional Surrender.

Now to continue my look at the Spy / Thriller genre

The Spy / Thriller Genre - David Baldacci

David Baldacci

David Baldacci - King & Maxwell. Baldacci is a prolific writer of thrillers. He was born in Richmond, Va. in 1960. He is much like James Patterson in that he has written many, many series. I am focused on his King & Maxwell thriller series. I first became aware of it when Jo and I enjoyed the TV series based on the books, starring Jon Tenney as Sean King and Rebecca Romijn as Michelle Maxwell. The series follows two ex - Secret Service agents who partner up and get involved in action-packed thrillers with espionage overtones. There are six books in this series and I've read the first two so far.

a. Split Second (2003).











"This is the first King and Maxwell mystery/ thriller, the story where Michelle Maxwell, a Secret Service agent, whose charge, a presidential candidate, is kidnapped from under her nose, meets Sean King a former Secret Service agent, whose candidate was assassinated while under his protection.

Both cases seem to be related. It's an action-filled thriller, with many deaths and explosions. King is now a lawyer, who finds his relatively sedate new life turned upside down. There are many suspects in this mystery; although over all, it's probably not that complex. There were some things I found irritating; why, oh why do they always go off by themselves when anybody on their own seems to get killed!! Or just when things get ticklish, someone's cell phone falls off that person's belt and is lost!! But these were relatively minor matters, it was a nice intro to the two intrepid agents. I wonder what the future will hold for them. (3 stars)"

b. Hour Game (2004).











"Baldacci throws everything, including the kitchen sink, at you in this action-packed thriller, the 2nd in the King and Maxwell series. A killer stalks Wrightsburg Virginia, imitating infamous serial killers with each murder. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, two ex-Secret Service agents, working now as Private Detectives in the area are called in to help with the investigation by the local police chief. As well, they are working a separate case for a lawyer, defending a break and entering suspect.

Are the two situations related? Before they get to the crux of solving this case there will be many murders, and almost daily, their lives will be threatened. But they plug on, working to solve the case. It's an easy, exciting read. I wish Maxwell was more than just the physical presence in the partnership, but that's a minor complaint. You have to suspend disbelief somewhat, but that was easy to do. I enjoyed the writing, the pacing and the steady throbbing action. Looking forward to getting into the 3rd book, Simple Genius. (3 stars)"

3. Simple Genius (2007).

"Near Washington, D.C., there are two clandestine institutions: the world's most unusual laboratory and a secret CIA training camp. Drawn to these sites by a murder, ex-Secret Service agent Sean King encounters a dark world of mathematicians, codes, and spies. His search for answers soon leads him to more shocking violence-and an autistic girl with an extraordinary genius.

Now, only by working with his partner, Michelle Maxwell, who is battling her own personal demons, can he catch a killer...and stop a national threat."

4. First Family (2009).













"A daring kidnapping turns a children's birthday party at Camp David, the presidential retreat, into a national security nightmare.

Former Secret Service agents turned private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell don't want to get involved. But years ago Sean saved the First Lady's husband, then a senator, from political disaster. Now the president's wife presses Sean and Michelle into a desperate search to rescue a kidnapped child. With Michelle still battling her own demons, the two are pushed to the limit, with forces aligned on all sides against them-and the line between friend and foe impossible to define...or defend."

5. The Sixth Man (2011).













"Edgar Roy--an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility-is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins-- enroute to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered.
 
It is now up to them to ask the questions no one seems to want answered: Is Roy a killer? Who murdered Bergin? With help from some surprising allies, they continue to pursue the case. But the more they dig into Roy's past, the more they encounter obstacles, half-truths, dead-ends, false friends, and escalating threats from every direction. Their persistence puts them on a collision course with the highest levels of the government and the darkest corners of power. In a terrifying confrontation that will push Sean and Michelle to their limits, the duo may be permanently parted."

6. King and Maxwell (2013).

"It seems at first like a simple, tragic story. Tyler Wingo, a teenage boy, learns the awful news that his father, a soldier, was killed in action in Afghanistan. Then the extraordinary happens: Tyler receives a communication from his father . . . after his supposed death.

Tyler hires Sean and Michelle to solve the mystery surrounding his father. But their investigation quickly leads to deeper, more troubling questions. Could Tyler's father really still be alive? What was his true mission? Could Tyler be the next target?

Sean and Michelle soon realize that they've stumbled on to something bigger and more treacherous than anyone could have imagined. And as their hunt for the truth leads them relentlessly to the highest levels of power and to uncovering the most clandestine of secrets, Sean and Michelle are determined to help and protect Tyler--though they may pay for it with their lives."

The complete list of Baldacci's works is available at this link.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Stay safe.