The Long Road To Mercy
by David Baldacci • Review by Yvonne Mott
David Baldacci’s new thriller opens at a
federal super-max prison south of Denver
housing more than seven hundred inmates,
none of whom have ever escaped. Baldacci
begins with background groups and character
development. The introduction of characters
and their involvement in the case will prove to
be of significant importance as the story unfolds.
Atlee Pine is a tall 5’11” muscular thirty-five
year old Special Agent for the FBI. Although born
in the eastern United States, Atlee spent her
adult life in the open spaces of the west enjoying
the outdoor life. She is now on a mission to
meet Daniel James, a two hundred eighty pound
convicted killer. James, a sports star in school,
has a formidable body covered in tattoos. Atlee
has reason to believe that James has knowledge
of the whereabouts of her twin sister Mercy who
was kidnapped at six years of age from their
bedroom over twenty-five years ago.
However, Baldacci diverts Atlee to a case in
Arizona where the stage is set for him to develop
the twists and turns and leaving clues he is
known to present in his thrillers. A mule is found
dead in the Grand Canyon with the initials “J
and K” carved into its hide. A man is reported
missing in the Canyon and Park Ranger Sam
Kittler enters the search. Sam is a good-looking
ex Special Forces commando with a sense
of humor and an eye for Pine, which brings
romance into the story.
FBI Agent Avery, two levels above Pine’s
immediate supervisor, takes an unusual interest
in this case.
Ms. Carol Blum, an administrator in the small
FBI office in Arizona adds a new dimension to
the case as she becomes a major character.
Baldacci weaves historical descriptions
of areas in his stories that set the stage for his
thrillers. He uses Atlee Pine as his point person
to paint a picture of the Colorado River carving
its way into the Grand Canyon. Other characters
bring more illustration to Baldacci’s stories.
Joe Yazzie is an officer with the Navajo Nation
Police and is responsible for seventy miles of
territory within the Navajo Nation. With his cool
demeanor Joe epitomizes the culture of the area
and the lifestyle of the reservation’s Indians.
Baldacci gives the reader an education on the
native Indians and their history in the Grand
Canyon.
Jennifer Yazzie, Joe’s wife, is employed as
a staff member to the Navajo Nation Police.
Although her primary job is in IT she is also
an accomplished artist and has become the
unofficial sketch artist for the police.
As characters are introduced and developed
in their respective environments, the reader is
kept guessing as to which direction the story
is going. As always, Baldacci presents detailed
information that provides leads to the solution
of his crime stories. The reader is transported
through many countries and governments and
their respective spy and military agencies.
The man missing in the Grand Canyon is
Benjamin Priest, whose brother Ed Priest has
arrived in Arizona to aid in the search. As it turns
out, Benjamin Priest has a role in international
affairs that threaten his life and his family's.
Ed Priest eventually finds his brother and
the two meet up with Atlee Pine. It becomes
clear there is a lot going on with Benjamin
Priest. Benjamin is involved in a plot that
involves National Security and puts Ed and his
family in danger. Both brothers disappear and
leave Pine with more questions than answers.
Mary Priest, the wife of Benjamin, enters the
mix of characters. Mary has no knowledge of
Ben’s whereabouts or his involvement in any
clandestine activity. Mary provides Pine with a
key to the Priest’s home in Washington.
Pine and Carol Blum leave for Washington
THE OPEN BOOK continued THE OPEN BOOK continued
DC to find answers to the involvement of the
Priest brothers in some national security affair.
They go rogue and off the radar, staying at Pine’s
friend Kurt Ferris’ home in Virginia. They search
Ben Priest’s home for clues as to his involvement
in a secret mission and find a flash drive which
reveals Russian involvement and nuclear
weapons. The flash drive also references a David
Roth, a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
expert. This introduces the international
intrigue for which Baldacci is most famous.
Continuing her search for clues to the
Grand Canyon mystery, Pine locates a friend of
Benjamin Priest, Simon Russel, and discreetly
follows him to the Chinese embassy.
Now they have information showing Russian
and Chinese involvement in a national security
plot. It is certainly looking like new twists and
a real change from the slow life in the Grand
Canyon.
Pine continues to follow Russel, watching as
several men arrive at Russel’s home. The men
are later identified as National Security agents.
Now it appears that the events in the Grand
Canyon involve agents from high up in the US
government. Russel discloses that something
big is about to happen. Pine and Blum discover
that Ben Priest was a member of the Society for
Good (SFG) which introduces more intrigue.
A new character is brought on the scene in
Oscar Fabrikant, the main player in the SFG.
When Pine finds out Fabrikant is communicating
with the North Koreans and plans to visit Russia
Blum and Pine follow him to the airport. On the
way the three of them are ambushed by men
posing as Washington police but Pine foils this
attempt which allows Fabrikant to continue the
mystery trip to Russia. Returning to Kurt Ferris’
condo, Pine continues to read the flash drive
which reveals a possible link to nuclear weapons
and the Grand Canyon
Did Priest and David Roth try to disarm the
weapons? Again more questions than answers.
Pine and Blum decide to head back to Arizona.
Traveling west involves further adventures
as the girls must evade the various spy agencies
attempting to trap them. But with exceptional
resourcefulness the two taxi to Harper’s Ferry
Virginia and head west on the train. On the train
they watch news reports that Oscar Fabrikant
was reported to have committed suicide, which
of course they don’t believe. Along the way
another body drops when commotion and
violence erupts on the train. Once again Pine
and Blum elude capture. Upon returning home,
Pine is determined to hike the Grand Canyon
floor looking for a nuclear weapon.
Was David Roth trying to locate the Nuke and
possibly hide it in a cave for safety? How did he
plan to get it out? Or was he planning to disarm it?
Baldacci describes the Grand Canyon in
detail and gives an artistic view of the scenery
as is his style.
As Pine explores the terrain and caves in the
Canyon, she discovers 3 men dressed in full body
armor carrying M4 assault rifles following her.
She plays hide and seek with them throughout
the night. The men could not have known she
was down there unless they were also looking for
the Nuke. Who were they? Pine continues on her
search making most of the night time darkness.
Pine begins to explore a very discreet cave
when she is challenged by the three military
men. She could not determine who they were
or where they were from, but she knew they
planned to eliminate her. A very timely rescue
occurs and the search goes on for David Roth
and the nuke.
The closing chapter is action–packed with
Pine and Sam Kittler teamed together. With all
that is occurring, it is a challenge to separate
the good guys from the bad! The story gradually
reveals the answers for which they have been
searching. There are plenty of exciting scenes to
keep the reader involved to the very end which
remains as exciting and entertaining as Baldacci
typically satisfies his readers.
However, the question still remains, “Where
is sister Mercy?” This is book one of David
Baldacci’s new series with Atlee Pine. ☐
THE OPEN BOOK con't. next column THE OPEN BOOK con't. next column
Yvonne was
born, raised
and educated
in the Detroit,
M i c h i g a n
area. Her
w o r k i n g
career was
spent in the
Information
Technolog y
s e c t o r ,
retiring from
Compuware
Corporation
as Managing
Director. Yvonne has traveled
extensively throughout Europe, the
Mediterranean and Caribbean. She
enjoys following her favorite sports
teams and roots for the Detroit Lions!
No. 137 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.31