True Blue by David Baldacci

Paperback 2009, 571 pages
December 7, 2010

The story’s main character is Mace, an ex-cop who was framed and went to jail for two years. Upon her release she wants to clear her name (and get re-instated) by trying to solve a crime on her own. Other characters are her sister Beth who is the Police Commissioner, and Roy a lawyer.

The premise is incredulous enough. And Baldacci adds to that by making the case one of international conspiracy. Money is being laundered through Roy’s law firm with the help of a rogue organization in the intelligence community. The murder of Diane at the law firm is just the first of many murders committed by the group. The story takes the reader through many layers of intrigue before it unveils the real culprits, which it does in haste. The story also ends abruptly with a lame plot by the protagonists to expose the bad guys. Evidently Baldacci suffers the same lack of ability to end a story in a satisfying manner also.

This book is about the same length as the last book I read (one page shorter). I have to say it is quite a bit better than the other one (The Scarpetta Factor) in terms of readability. Baldacci doesn’t have to make tons of digression and needs only a minimal amount of flashbacks to make the story move along. On the other hand, saying the book is better than “The Scarpetta Factor” isn’t saying much.