Book review: Murder most mystifying in Amos Decker sequel

DAVID Baldacci's latest novel is a thriller that's difficult to put down.

THIS novel starts off with a bang - literally - as a man shoots a woman outside the FBI headquarters in Washington DC and then shoots himself.

On the surface the murder and suicide make no sense. The man is a respectable family man and successful business owner and his victim is a schoolteacher.

The two do not seem to have any connection and there is no apparent motive for the killing.

The drama is played out right in front of FBI agent Amos Decker, a man with a special gift - extraordinary powers of observation and deduction. Basically, total recall.

While none of it makes sense, Decker can't let it go and slowly puts the pieces together as the novel builds to a thrilling and unexpected climax.

The Fix is the third book in the Amos Decker series and as you turn the pages you never know what to expect and you certainly won't be disappointed.

Decker is joined on his quest by fellow FBI agents as well as Defense Intelligence Agency agent Harper Brown.

The Fix by David Baldacci is out now.

Initially Brown asks Decker and his colleagues to back off the case, but they soon realise that they must work together, as solving the murder could be a matter of national security.

Throw into the mix a bit of leaked information to a hostile government and possibly the involvement of an international terrorist group and you have a powerful and intriguing combination of mystery, action and espionage.

I have not read the first two books in this series, so I read this book with no preconceived ideas or expectations. There was nothing to compare it to, so I enjoyed it as a stand-alone mystery.

I found it a thrilling novel that kept me up late a few nights. It was difficult to put down as I tried to unravel the many layers.

A top read if you enjoy a good suspense thriller.

The Fix by David Baldacci is out now through Pan Macmillan.s

Originally published as Book review: Murder most mystifying in Amos Decker sequel