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Executive Times |
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2007 Book Reviews |
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Simple
Genius by David Baldacci |
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Rating: |
** |
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(Mildly Recommended) |
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Click
on title or picture to buy from amazon.com |
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Puzzles David Baldacci
reprises former Secret Service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell as
characters in his novel, Simple Genius.
The good news is that readers don’t have to learn anything new about these
familiar characters. The bad news is that despite the action in Simple
Genius, there’s still inadequate character development. The plot takes
readers to a secret think tank, and requires King and Maxwell to solve
complicated puzzles. The pages turn swiftly, but without a lot of satisfaction.
Here’s an excerpt, all of Chapter 4, pp. 14-16: Her fitness was such
that Michelle recovered quickly from her injuries, at least her physical injuries. The effects of the
concussion wore off, the ribs started to heal, and a tooth was implanted to
replace the one knocked out. Sean had checked into a motel near the hospital
and was there with her every day. Yet then another problem cropped up. When
Sean brought Michelle home from the hospital the locks on the guesthouse had
been changed and their bags were packed and sitting on the porch. Sean called
his buddy the owner. The man who answered the phone said that Sean should
feel fortunate the owner was not filing assault charges against him for
attacking his son with a bat. And the man added that Sean should never
attempt to contact them again. Sean looked over at
Michelle in the passenger seat. The woman’s eyes were blank, and it wasn’t
just the pain meds. He said, “Uh,
Michelle, they’re, uh, renovating the guesthouse. I knew about it, but
forgot.” She just looked out
the window, not registering on anything. He drove to a motel
and checked into a double room, not trusting Michelle to be left alone. He
had gotten cash from his bank, afraid even to look at the pitiful balance of
funds left. As dinner that night he had takeout Chinese while Michelle, with
her badly bruised jaw and newly installed tooth, could only drink liquids. He sat on the edge
of her bed where she lay huddled. “I need to change the dressing on your
face,” he said. “Okay?” She had superficial
cuts on her jaw and forehead. Both areas were still tender to the touch and
she flinched as he took the old bandages off. “Sorry.” “Just do it,” she
snapped, startling him. He glanced at her eyes but they’d already retreated
into a deep glaze. “How’re the ribs?”
he asked, trying to keep the conversation going. She turned away from him. After he finished
he said, “You need anything else?” No answer. “Michelle, we need to talk
about this.” In response she lay
back on the bed and curled into a ball. He stood and paced
the room, his hand clasped around a bottle of beer. “Why in the hell would
you take on a guy who looks like he could start at left tackle for the
Redskins?” Silence. He stopped pacing.
“Look, things will turn around. I’ve got a few leads on some work,” he added,
lying. “Does that make you feel better?” “Stop, Sean.” “Stop what? Trying
to be optimistic and supportive?” All that got in
response from her was a grunt. “Look, you go into
another bar like that, some guy’ll probably pull a gun and put a hole in your
head and that’ll be it.” “Good!” “What is going on
with you?” She stumbled into
the bathroom and locked the door. He could hear her upchucking. “Michelle, are you
all right? Do you need help?” “Leave me the hell
alone!” she screamed. Sean stalked
outside and sat by the motel’s pool, dangling his feet in the warm water and
breathing in chlorine fumes while he finished his beer. It was a beautiful
evening. And to top it off a cute, twenty-something lady had just slipped
into the pool wearing a bikini that was so small it hardly qualified as
clothing. She started doing laps, her strokes efficient, powerful. On the
fourth lap she stopped and treaded water in front of him, her full breasts
bobbing on the surface. “Care to race?” “From what I’ve seen of your performance, I doubt
I could give you much competition.” “You ought to see me really perform. And I don’t
mind giving lessons. I’m Jenny.” “Thanks for the invite, Jenny, but I’ll have to
take a pass.” He got up and walked off. Over his shoulder he heard Jenny say
in a disappointed tone, “God, why do I always
pick the cute gay guys?” “Damn, this has been such a great day,” Sean
muttered. When he got back to the room Michelle was asleep. He lay on the
other bed staring at her. Two more days passed with no improvement. Sean
made a decision. Whatever was hurting the lady, he simply didn’t have the
tools to help her. Apparently, a deep friendship didn’t cut it with matters
of a wounded soul. But he knew someone who might be able to help. The
plot momentum in Simple
Genius moves slowly, and the four hundred pages seem more than a hundred
too long. For an escape, or to fill time on a long flight or flight delay, Simple
Genius is good enough. Steve
Hopkins, September 25, 2007 |
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The recommendation rating for
this book appeared in the October 2007 issue of Executive Times URL for this review: http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/Books/Simple Genius.htm For Reprint Permission,
Contact: Hopkins & Company, LLC • E-mail: books@hopkinsandcompany.com |
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