💪💪💪💪 1/2
Hope Rises
David Baldacci
Grand Central Publishing
432 Pages
Hatchette Audio
This is the second in a series of thriller novels about a character named Nash Falls who is helping the FBI to capture a female leader of a crime syndicate, Victoria Steers, after he has already had to transform himself to hide his true identity during the first book in the series. He was so totally transformed through bodybuilding and tattoos, that he was unrecognizable. He was a loving husband and father and the one question any reader might have about him is why he continues doing this. Read the first in the series, and you will understand why this is a valid question. In any event, every reader is advised to read the first book in the series because it will answer many questions that are important to understanding this one, including why he is doing this.
I am very selective about the types of action/suspense books I read; many of them do not engage in any sort of real character development. David Baldacci has been an exception because his novels tend to flesh out characters rather than focus totally on the action. This series demonstrates this. I think the second in the series is better than the first. Although the author built the character in the first book, he is more nuanced and conflicted in the second one. Things were not as black and white as they seemed at first and neither were his emotions. However, the most interesting character in the book is Veronica Steers and Baldacci does as good a job conveying her complexity. At first, the reader cannot help but despise her. She is someone who has done very bad things, However, as we all know, few people are entirely bad. Although it is left up to the reader to determine for themselves how evil she truly is and how much redemption there is in her. I usually do not enjoy books with the “mob” as part of the work but this one works.
I have enjoyed this so far and don’t know how long this series will be. The first was a cliffhanger; this one not so much. I also enjoyed the audio; I listened to about half of it, and enjoyed the different narrators representing the different characters. The multiple narrators make it seem more theatrical.
About the only think I took off any points for was the confusion I experienced at times. There were a few moments when I think the writing could have been a bit more clear. Five stars, rounded to four and a half. Thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Hatchett Audio for an advanced copy of this digital and audio books. All of the opinions herein are my own.
Paul Harford
I think 4.5 stars is generous. The thrill or action was not visceral like other books in this genre. I agree at times the story line became a little muddled. The ending reminded me of the term ‘Jumped the Shark’.
Susan
Actually, I prefer it when the action is not visceral which is what I tend to like about this author’s books. I am not sure the ending was as good as sometimes but I think it was a strong story.