Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Simply Lies by David Baldacci Published by Grand Central Publishing on April 18, 2023
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 432
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Mickey Gibson, single mother and former detective, leads a hectic life similar to that of many moms: juggling the demands of her two small children with the tasks of her job working remotely for ProEye, a global investigation company that hunts down wealthy tax and credit cheats.
When Mickey gets a call from a colleague named Arlene Robinson, she thinks nothing of Arlene’s unusual request for her to go inventory the vacant home of an arms dealer who cheated ProEye’s clients and fled. That is, until she arrives at the mansion to discover a dead body in a secret room—and that nothing is as it seems.
Not only does the arms dealer not exist but the murder victim turns out to be Harry Lancaster, a man with mob ties who used to be in Witness Protection. What’s more, no one named Arlene Robinson works at ProEye.
In the blink of an eye, Gibson has become a prime suspect in a murder investigation—and now her job is also on the line until she proves that she was set up. Before long, Gibson is locked in a battle of wits with a brilliant woman with no name, a hidden past, and unknown motives—whose end game is as mysterious as it is deadly.
I’ve enjoyed many books and series by David Baldacci. Simply Lies is possibly a standalone or the start of a new series. The main character is Mickey Gibson. She is a divorced, single mom with two kids under 5. She has been a police officer and works for a private firm from home searching for assets of criminals. I enjoyed her father, who is a retired cop, but we didn’t see much of her mother.
The beginning was slow to read. There were a lot of characters and events, a lot of details, and other than the main character Mickey, it was hard to tell who were the good guys and who was bad, what was truth and what was lies. Mickey gets jerked around by a bunch of people who are threatening her family. It kept her on edge (and me). One woman was her primary frenemy on working the murder case. Mickey is a lot more calm and forgiving than most people.
The pace picked up and really moved just after halfway. Before that, it just seemed like an overwhelming amount of data but without the crucial facts to organize it. I enjoyed when she got smarter and figured out more things. I don’t plan to say too much as I don’t want to spoil anything. It was fascinating as she worked with her frenemy more and they develop some new allies. I wonder if they will continue to work together and this will be a new series. I’d love that now that I am more familiar with these characters.
About David Baldacci
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.”) He published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996; it was subsequently adapted for film, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 36 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels have been translated into more than 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries, with over 130 million worldwide sales. David has also published six novels for younger readers.
A lifelong Virginian, David graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia School of Law, after which he practiced law in Washington, D.C.
David and his wife, Michelle, are the co-founders of the Wish You Well Foundation®, which supports family and adult literacy 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 used books have been collected and distributed through food banks to families in need.
David and his family live in Virginia.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 23-COYER
Oh, fingers crossed this becomes a series. He develops characters so wonderfully you don’t want to let them go. One of these days I’m going to do a binge listen of all the books by him I’ve collected. Wonderful review, Anne💜
Thank you Jonetta. I really hope it is a series because by the end I am invested in these characters. There’s a story with her ex husband and no doubt that would figure in one of the books. That sort of loose end makes me think maybe series plus if Mickey is going to work for Pro-Eye or someone else or herself in the future. I don’t know about a “day” it would be more of a binge listening month to read all his stuff.
This does sound like the start of a series. Not liking the sound of the frenemy. I put a hold on the audio at my library, but it’s a long wait.
HIs books are popular. There are enough small loose ends to be the start of the series so maybe. The first half seemed like many disparate details without too much progress. Then things really picked up.
Sometimes you gotta just push through the slow beginning to get to the good stuff.
That’s right! It ended up being a good one.
Glad you liked it. I’ve read his books before and really enjoyed them, but it’s been a while.
Thank you. This one started a bit oddly but I really enjoyed it by then end.