Gibson said, “That part I know very well. It was before my time, but the firm has never forgotten it. It’s part of the company lore. They even tell it to you during orientation as a warning sign against complacency and not going the extra mile.” He also informed me that he told you to paint the town red tonight or something to that effect, on the company dime, of course.” First I want to say that there is so much to like when it comes to reading his stories. He does so many things well. Things I love. He can create suspicion, tension, strong MCs and story lines to match. He puts in some great twists and I am always pulled in. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. Sixth, the writing just isn’t very good. Some sentences are mere fragments. Others are awkwardly phrased and/or rely on cliché to get their point across.

Unfortunately, David Baldacci’s “Simply Lies” is far from one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read. Baldacci expertly keeps the tension high and weaves a twisty suspenseful tale starring two intriguing women leads. Both women are interesting, and I enjoyed the suspense and cat-and-mouse game. There are also parts of cryptocurrency and NFTs that are fascinating.While Baldacci is usually an excellent storyteller, this story is convoluted, long-winded, and frankly a bit boring. The characters are quite well developed, but they are not exciting, and there were several times that it got mundane to the point of putting the book down for good. There are several sub-plots that aren’t really necessary. Baldacci fans are used to his ability to tie the sub-plots together; that doesn’t happen in this novel. In fact, after the dénouement, the book seems to be like an Energizer bunny and keeps on going, and going, and going ad nauseum with a sappy conclusion.

When she receives a call from a woman named Arlene Robinson, that says she works with the company requesting her to conduct an inventory of a vacant home of an arms dealer who cheated ProEye’s clients and fled, she goes. mudslingers. And there were so many of these monied deadbeats that ProEye and thus Gibson were flooded with work.Thanks. I don’t believe we’ve spoken before,” said Gibson as she bit into her cookie and took another sip of her tea. Gibson looked at her son, whose expression told her all she needed to know. She ran for it and reached the toilet just in time to hold him over the bowl while simultaneously hitting a button on her headset to place the call on mute. Tommy managed somehow to miss the toilet completely and instead puked on the toilet paper holder and her pair of slippers. Gibson had left them there earlier after attempting to use the bathroom. Then she’d heard a crash somewhere and found Tommy sitting on the kitchen floor, covered with most of the wet dirt from a potted plant. She’d stripped the boy and thrown his clothes directly into the washing machine. Gibson had wanted to toss him in, too, only she didn’t relish a visit from Child Services. But she’d forgotten the slippers. And her urge to pee. Ah, that’s the notorious Rutger Novak. He bought the place about seven years ago and spent an enormous amount of money undertaking an extensive renovation.” Vanished, or so the file says. He owes so much his creditors are trying to grab everything they can. This mansion is one of them. That’s why they want you to go there. The firm wants to make amends for what happened last time.” All I needed to know going into Simply Lies was that it was written by David Baldacci. He is a prolific author who needs no introduction. I cannot get enough of his twisty tales and realistic characters. This is a stand-alone book, although I can see it being the beginning of a new series.