Friday, December 18, 2009

True Blue - David Baldacci


I had read many of David Baldacci's early novels but kind of got away from him for a bit. I rediscovered him reading Divine Justice and listening to First Family.

I chose to listen to True Blue.

Mace Perry was a cop's cop on the DC force. Until she was kidnapped and forced to participate in robberies. She went down for two years. Newly released from prison, she returns to DC, determined to clear her name. Her sister Beth is the chief of police. In her first few days out, she becomes involved with a young lawyer, Roy, who discovers a female attorney's body at his office. Mace can't help herself - she was born to be a cop. She dives in, working outside the law with Roy to solve the case. She hopes it will get her reinstated. Others are hoping she fails and are willing to make sure that happens.

A mystery, legal and action thriller all rolled into one with lots of action. Yes, the characters of Mace and her sister Beth are a little over the top, but if you're looking for an entertaining read or listen, this is a good bet.

I was thrilled that Ron McLarty was the reader again. His voice is slightly gravelly and rich. He easily portrays the female Mace character and male roles with enough difference that you know who is 'talking'. His inflection is excellent and his voice effortlessly describes action and emotion.

Listen to an excerpt of True Blue.

Read an excerpt of True Blue.

Also mentioned in the Crime Fiction Carnival.

5 comments:

Donna said...

I've never read any of David Baldacci books before. By your review, they sound like my sort of read. Thanks for the review!

bermudaonion said...

I'm a fan of Baldacci's work, so I'm glad to see this is good.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree about Ron McLarty as a narrator.

kalea_kane said...

I have it in hard cover. I have been definitely looking forward to reading it. Sounds like it was worth listening too. Though a good reader definitely helps.

Portugal said...

I've never felt inclined to write a review before but this book was so bad that I had to. The plot is bad, the characters are poorly written and the ending is unbelievably bad. Too many situations make you almost laugh out loud at how ridiculous they are. The tough gang leader Psycho deciding to play one on one basketball to decide the heroes fates. The Russian assassin who rather than simply finishing her job and killing them decides it would be more interesting to have a knife fight with Mace. The police chief is a joke, not to mention the entire police department.