Split Second

Great author but hard to keep track of so many different characters - have patience

Another Balldacci novel that you can't put downs because the last chapter you read leaves you hanging again. Off go read the second book in the series with these complicated private investigators.

The whole thing was a mess, really poorly plotted and nit believable. But I like the two MCs, so I’ll try the next one.

GREAT BOOK

I found the number of characters and events confusing. If you don't read it for a few days, you lose touch with the characters and plot. I'm forcing myself to finish it, but there's just been too many situations that are confusing.

After finishing "The Hit", I was looking around in Baldacci's past works for something that might be similar in the format of a mystery series. This book is pretty good in that respect. But it is not a perfect book, especially if you are a little older, as I am. At 70, I almost need to take notes on the characters as they are introduced to keep everything straight. However the benefit of that is that I can probably enjoy reading it again in about six months while you kids with sharp memories might be bored the second time through.There are many characters in this book. The two primary are, of course, King and Maxwell. They are each Secret Service Agents, or former agents who made the mistake of letting the people die (or disappear) whom they were charged to protect. Maxwell's problem was recent and Sean's was 8 years earlier. A third character who enters as an unexpected visitor at Sean's house in the Virginia mountains is Joan Dillinger. In the beginning Baldacci says Sean has an ex-wife. When Joan shows up, he treats her very much like one would treat an ex-wife and she reciprocates with a measured friendliness, acting like she owns him. This turns out not to be the case. But she is a former Secret Service Agent who played a key part in Sean's mistake where he failed to prevent the man he was guarding from getting shot. They may not have been married but they had acted like it. She presents herself nude on the dining table.Sean has managed to make a new life for himself in the Virginia hills doing basic lawyering. He thinks his past problems are behind him. But they catch up with him when a man working in his office is murdered and turns out to be a Protected Witness. Michell Masxwell comes to see Sean looking for advice on how to recover from being dumped by the Secret Service. Joan Dillenger comes to see Sean to help him with the murder in his office because she has quit the Secret Service and become a Private Investigator. She can make a lot of money if she finds who killed the guy in Sean's office. She asks him to join her for a split of some of that money. Then a lot of other people get into the act from the FBI, the Secret Service and the US Marshall's Office. A team is organized to figure out who did what to whom. A primary bad guy is on the team. Some old ladies that King and Maxwell interview, or King and Dillinger interview, end up mysteriously dying in bathtubs in different places around Virginia. It begins to look like present-day problems related to Maxwell's protection problem are related to Sean's protection problem from 8 years earlier. During all this King and Maxwell become romantically attracted while King remain's unattracted to Dillinger (despite her efforts). Maxwell uncovers the fact that Dillinger mistakenly caused King to be significantly distracted just as the assassin fired at the man he was to protect.The web of the investigation spreads wide and involves many diverse people. When it came time to finish the story, Baldacci had a tough time. It does not go smoothly. An innocent young lady gets killed for no reason except by accident. King gives up a lot of money after losing his big fancy home in an explosion. Some of the characters may be happy but some are probably just confused. It seemed as though someone told Baldacci to finish the story; so he finished it before he was ready. But it does set the stage for what could be some nice following books in the series.I hope the next book in the series is better. I am starting it now.

Too many characters made it confusing . otherwise good plot and exciting read.😀 liked the agents hope to read about them i n another case.

Great book, so much going on. The main characters are good together as they work to solve the crimes that happens throughout the book. Can wait to start the next one..

It's well written, with enough plot and suspense to keep us connected. A great read for the summer.

Le style n'est vraiment pas le point fort de David Baldacci. Pour tout dire, sa série King and Maxwell est mal écrite. Mais les livres se lisent bien, si l'on se contente de l'intrigue.

Había leído antes otros libros de Baldacci con estos personajes, que me parecieron ágiles, con gancho y, dentro del género de novelas centradas en investigación criminal, de las buenas. Me atrajo buscar otras del autor, y de los mismos personajes, en este caso la que inicia la serie. No me ha defraudado en absoluto y la recomiendo.

元シークレットサービスの私立探偵、Michelle Maxwell と Sean King　コンビの第一弾です。　本作では、Michelle が警護していた大統領候補者の誘拐をきっかけに、Seanがかつて要人警護に失敗した事件にさかのぼって、真相が明らかになっていきます。　Baldacciはあまり知らなかったのですが、クリントイーストウッド監督・主演の映画「目撃」の原作（Abslute Power）の作者でもあり、向こうでは人気作家のようですね。　そのせいか、映画向けと思えるビジュアルに訴えそうなシーンが続きます。正直、それは不自然だろー、とつっこみたいところも大ありなのですが、ストーリーテリングが巧みなので、ペーパーバックでも楽しく読めます。ただ、（私だけかもしれませんが）、登場人物の名前と概略をメモっておかないと、「これってどういう人だったっけ？」とあとから読み返すハメになりました。　緻密なストーリー展開や深い人間描写で、思わずうならせる重厚な作品ではありませんがライトにスピーディに読み進められる、思ったよりも拾い物の作品です。

Baldacci should stick to what he writes well, these. King and Maxwell books are bread and butter rubbish. Don't waste your money.