Jonathan K (Max Outlier) > Recent Status Updates

Very cool.. In this second installment Pine meets Jack Lineberry who does a good job of concealing a truth we learn in the third book.. All the more reason for others that read the series to take the linear approach instead of what I did, lol

Having read three this is the weakest one so far but time will tell

In #2 Baldacci plays the shell game with the reader by using a convicted murderer as the target of Pines investigation about Mercy. In the first book she gets hypnotized to see if it will bring back specifics so Baldacci leads us down one path then moves the shells in the next book

Definitely learned its best to read a short series in order rather than jump around like I did.. Regardless am sure this will be as good as the others

Not often I read a series of four and miss the second one..am sure it will rock like the other 3..or will it?

Well done Mr B!

Great crescendo of momentum.. Blum and Mercy have found one another while Pine is on the hunt for her kidnapper.. Are we having fun yet?

Were I to have written this the title would be "Hunting" since every character in the plot is hunting one way or another. Regardless this is another masterpiece from the mind of DB

This is at a much higher level than the others and I love how Carol Blum takes the lead at times. Well done Mr Baldacci, well done!

Quite a departure in plot from the others in the series and far more exciting as well. I'll be curious to see if the twins finally meet as well as what follows. Truth be told they'd make a terrific team.. Twin 6' bad ass women with a take no prisoners mindset

Not what qualifies as page turner but addictive for those who have previous installments. The story is not only revealing but embodies the notion that identical twins may differ in some ways but not in others

Baldacci uses the old apple doesn't fall far from the tree paradigm as he toggles back and forth between the story of twins

Quite a bit different from the others in the series though I know realize that this is #4 and I skipped #3 which I will be reading next. I suspect Baldacci will take the reader on a journey that is revealing in ways we never imagined

Always smart to read a series in succession especially when the main character is hunting for her sister

Very powerful and packed with suspense. Will be reading the next one which is appropriately titled, Mercy! 5 star review tomorrow.

A remarkable memoir in all respects and written as if literary fiction. While I enjoyed the movie prior to reading this I have serious second thoughts about the screenplay due the over zealous creative liberties taken. Painting a picture of the perfect life of a guy and his mother is far from reality as is his success as a NYT journalist

Top notch writing! For those who haven't seen the film, I urge you to add this to your list. While based on facts it reads like a novel. In many ways it's better than In Cold Blood by Capote

This memoir is as much a tribute to books as it is to the home JR equates with the bar. In many ways the movie is a tiny glimpse into his life and bears little resemblance to the book. It's unfortunate how much creative liberties were taken with the script since the author is a truly gifted artist

No getting around the fact that Baldacci is a master of mystery and momentum. Excellent story as well

A labyrinth of epic proportions but that's what to expect from Baldacci

Baldacci uses plot twists as a momentum builder and every chapter he adds another one, aka cliff hanger. My head is spinning from all the new characters, lol

Storytelling at its best, though this is is factual which makes it better!

For those who may have seen the Ben Affleck movie, I urge you to read the book since the script has little to do with the facts, save the main character, JR. In fact the film is so different you'll wonder why the author didn't destroy it

Typical for the genre which is one of the reasons I prefer literary fiction!

Wonderful, it's happy sad and engaging

The good news is it's so engaging. The bad news is the script took more creative liberties than just about any I've seen! So much so that it's like they forgot about the book and used a few characters and not much else

As with most adaptations, extensive amounts of details are left out of the script in order to accommodate running time and target market and for this reason it's important to read the book. This is a true work of art!

And yes I will write a 5 star review tomorrow but it will be brief and focus on theme, premise and the four characters

Put simply, I'm awestruck.. This is the sort of story that causes the reader to pause, contemplate and look into the soul. It's beauty, lyric and themes like a song that echoes