#ReadThis #TheLastMile by @DavidBaldacci Recommended by @ManhattanPeachy
The Baldacci hit parade continues on Whom You Know with The Last Mile, the second installment in the Memory Man series featuring Amos Decker! This is the second book of the series, and a solid effort it is. Avid readers know that Memory Man was most recently Highly Recommended, and that's the first book. Walk the Wire is the most recent and it earned our Highest Recommendation, therefore, we are taking a look at its predecessors.
It's high time to read as most of the world is still staying at home, and thanks to our non-Mayor, inside your apartment reading a book is absolutely the best thing you can be doing right now in Manhattan!
Baldacci is simply brilliant, and as an author he dominates quality in thrillers. We really respect and admire that he does ALL of the work and writing itself. You would think this would be obvious and understood to most of the world, however with the world we live in you can assume nothing and note that many writers today once they have made it especially farm out the actual writing to other people and "co-write," thus watering down the quality. We are not interest in reading diluted books.
The Last Mile continues the Amos Decker adventures, where intensity dictates and drama ensues leaving no room for mediocrity. Decker as a character puts in his all always, and for everyone trying to defeat the quarantine 15, Decker is a weight loss inspiration. Hyperthymesia sets Decker apart from the average banana, and his attention to detail, though innate, is so appreciated. Apparently, Decker's mind is like Times Square all the time (p.205), but not even Times Square is like Times Square today.
The Death Penalty controversy is front and center here, and the pace of the book is good, but not as on-point as in Walk the Wire. See, our point is that Baldacci gets better and better and you can appreciate the progression. If you are ready for some football, this hits on that sport too. If you listen to Bloomberg radio, and who doesn't, you'll find no fixed-to-floating rate swaps and the like but an entirely DIFFERENT kind of swap between these pages. Take a Trip to Mars. And remember, it's a good thing Decker turned on the radio when he did.
The Last Mile is recommended by Whom You Know.
David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, “because every mom needs a break now and then.”)
David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996. The feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 41 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. David has also published seven novels for younger readers.
A lifelong Virginian, David received his Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, after which he practiced law in Washington, D.C.
In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States. In 2008 the Foundation partnered with Feeding America to launch Feeding Body & Mind, a program to address the connection between literacy, poverty and hunger. Through Feeding Body & Mind, more than 1 million new and gently used books have been collected and distributed through food banks to families in need.
David and his family live in Virginia.
