Friday, September 03, 2010

Books: Simple Genius

Simple Genius
By David Baldacci
Read by Scott Brick
Unabridged
13 hours
Copyright 2007


Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, two secret service agents turned private investigators whom readers first met in Split Second.

Michelle is having emotional problems, apparently as a result of book I missed that is in between this one and the last. She goes off on a drinking spree and picks a fight hoping her opponent will kill her. Sean, in an effort to pay for Michelle's voluntary commitment to a psychiatric facility, takes paying work from his old partner, Joan.

The investigative work sends Sean to eastern Virginia to a place called Babbage Town. This is a think tank for smart people who are doing work with quantum computers and other things that "will end the world as we know it." Across the river lies Camp Perry, a CIA training facility.

Sean figures out that Camp Perry and Babbage Town both have things going on and that events are linked. Michelle, meanwhile, uncovers a drug-smuggling ring at the psychiatric facility and checks herself out. She heads to Baggage Town to help Sean.

She arrives in time to help Sean as people start trying to kill him.

This book is very suspenseful. I was not happy about Michelle's emotional issues but she overcame them and they did not play out as expected, which was a relief, and I thought well done.

Baldacci has a disclaimer at the end noting that he made up Babbage Town and the events at Camp Perry and some historical references. I liked the historical aspect of the novel (an old plantation and a lost treasure) and thought it very well done and quite believable. It is fun to read about things that take place in a locale such as your own state.

3.5 stars

2 comments:

  1. He made up Camp Perry? But in Williamsburg there's a Camp Peary where the CIA has a training facility.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry, my mistake. He made up the events in Camp Perry. I left out a few words. I've fixed it.

    ReplyDelete

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