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David Baldacci is another of the formidable array of lawyers who have found their way into the realms of fiction. And he is one of those writers who provides a puzzle at every turn, if HOUR GAME is a representative sample of his work. There is a killer on the loose, one who is mimicking the chefs d'oeuvres of serial killers of yesteryear. Strangely, this man has a conscience. He apologises to the first corpse for whose slaughter he is responsible, telling her she is "all I had" and reassuring her that she did not "die in vain". I suppose that depends on one's viewpoint. A quick prayer, an exhaustive clean-up and the killer bustles off, leaving a watch on the hand of the dead woman, set to 1.01. Former Secret Service agents Michelle Maxwell and Sean King, the latter an attorney, have set up their own investigation agency. Their fame from the adventures detailed in SPLIT SECOND ensures them a healthy clientele. A less healthy indirect client is the murder victim in the woods, upon whom Michelle stumbles. Maxwell and King are drawn into the investigation while at the same time being hired by a lawyer friend to try to prove the innocence of one Junior Deaver, a man accused of stealing from former employers. This is a very exciting tale. I found myself quite on edge when reading the car chase involving Sean, Michelle and someone who wished them nothing good. Corpses, complete with cryptic clues, adorn the landscape but Baldacci is most generous in that he also provides a multiplicity of murderers, so much so that between the corpses and the corpse makers, I found myself becoming giddy. Threats, both veiled and naked, lie in wait for all the characters of the story, both the rich and privileged and the poor and wanting, not to mention the police, FBI and Maxwell and King. A nice glimpse into how the ultra-wealthy disport themselves is given while something sinister steals through the shadows attempting to assassinate its several targets. Perhaps the cornucopia of mayhem and murder is a trifle overfull. While the thrills are certainly there, a reader can be calloused if there is too much of a bad thing. The killing logic is reasonable, when explained, but the characters leave a little something to be desired. Perhaps there should be more emphasis on the detail of the characters than on the bloodied guts and gory brains. Nonetheless, it is a good read and one which would encourage its audience to watch for the next one in the series.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, August 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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