The Fix by David Baldacci (2017 fiction)
David Baldacci has a surefire cast in Amos Decker and associates, notably Melvin Mars. Decker has perfect memory and Mars has an NFL body after 20 years solo imprisonment. The Fix challenges Decker and a first-class team in solving a mysterious suicide, presented in a succession of superb subplots. My complaint is exhaustion. The Fix could be presented as an unfolding and fascinating plot. I found it a succession of disparate developments. Each step of the way was complete and satisfying but brought to an insoluble and screeching halt. Then, time and again, Baldacci pulled rabbits out of his literary hat, often by way of Decker’s brilliance, and we were on the trail again. I loved the twists and characters and emotional cul-de-sacs, but I felt cheated. It was unfair to this sophisticated thriller reader. However, I recommend The Fix for an infuriating marathon read.
Reviewed by Martin Waldron
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