A great new series introducing a great new character. I loved Atlee, and I hope to see her soon in the next book of the series.

Full review: https://mysterysequels.com/book-review-long-road-mercy-david-baldacci.html

Atlee Pine, is a female FBI agent who has been assigned to the field office in Shattered Rock, Arizona, a remote and quiet town in southwestern U.S.. She has a specific reason for wanting to be assigned to that region. But suddenly she finds herself trying to solve a bizarre crime that occurred at the very bottom of the Grand Canyon. A pack mule has been found stabbed to death and its rider is missing. When Atlee begins investigating, she quickly realizes that the rider was not a tourist and finds clues pointing to a plot that threatens the very democracy upon which the U.S. was founded. When Atlee is ordered to stop searching for the missing rider, she has a difficult choice to make.

As best-selling author David Baldacci leads readers on an action-packed adventure through the rough and untamed Grand Canyon and surrounding area, he reveals details about his new female protagonist's background and motivations. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by its toe" is what the kidnapper sang to Atlee and her twin sister, Mercy, when the girls were just six years old. Atlee never saw Mercy again and her abductor was never apprehended. Why was Atlee spared by being left behind? And is the man Atlee believes to be her sister's kidnapper guilty? If so, can Atlee extract the truth from him about where he took Mercy on that fateful night . . . and where Atlee can now find her remains?

The Long Road to Mercy is a stunning beginning to what promises to be another spellbinding, adventurous, and deeply moving series from Baldacci. The characters are compelling. Joining Atlee is her quirky, but devoted secretary, Carol Blum. At 60 years of age, Blum has worked for the FBI for several decades and, with Atlee, finally has a chance to experience actual law enforcement work up close. It's an opportunity she is not about to miss. Then there's Sam Kettler, the Park Service Ranger who discovered the dead mule, and joins Atlee in her quest to solve the mystery before it's too late to derail the nefarious plot that threatens U.S. diplomacy and, perhaps, safety.

The Long Road to Mercy is, in true Baldacci style, the kind of book that can easily be devoured in one sitting or a single day. The problem with that is, at the conclusion of this first installment, readers will be disappointed at having to wait for the next volume to be published. That problem aside, The Long Road to Mercy is one of the best books of 2018 and Atlee Pine an endearing character that readers will embrace and cheer on.

It’s a shiny new series from David Baldacci with a fierce female main character!

Meet Atlee Pine. She’s a tall, muscular, no nonsense FBI special agent, and she’s assigned to the most remote areas of the west.

What inspired her to join the FBI? Her twin sister was abducted by a serial killer, but not before assaulting Atlee, and her life mission has become putting offenders behind bars. Atlee is a top profiler with the agency, and she keeps to herself working on lone missions in her vast assigned territory.

Her current mission: investigating a missing person from the Grand Canyon. This is not the only person missing from the area, so one could could lead to another for Atlee as she profiles the crime. Startlingly, she is told not to investigate further by her superiors, but she does not not heed their orders.

Atlee as a character is well-drawn. I have a sense of her as if she is a real person. I admired her morals and assertiveness. There’s also something soft and vulnerable about her balanced with a hard, strong exterior. She’s going to do what’s right regardless of what anyone else thinks.

I found Long Road to Mercy to be gripping and intense. It stars strong and never lets go of the pull. The pacing is on point, and I was entertained from start to finish. I’m really excited for the next installment because I have to see what Atlee is up to. I think she has quite a story to share with us.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the publisher/author in connection with Killer Nashville and Netgalley in return for my review. Copyright © 2018 Laura Hartman

FBI special Agent Atlee Pine is a loner. She specifically requested an assignment in a tiny office in Shattered Rock, just outside of the Grand Canyon. Pine began her life as a team with her twin sister, but no longer works well with others. Just her and her administrative assistant are perfect for her loner lifestyle. She doesn’t mind hard work or long hours. As a matter of fact it suits her well, leaving less time to think about the serial killer that abducted and most likely killed her twin sister Mercy when they were young children.

Pine gets a call that there is a missing person and a dead mule at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. A missing person is not that unusual. Hikers wander off and go missing, but it is extremely unusual to have someone from a group disappear leaving a dead mutilated mule in his wake. As Pine begins investigating she begins to see the disappearance is just the tip of the iceberg in a much bigger plot with huge ramifications.

It sounds like an impossible riddle: What do the Grand Canyon, a dead mule, the Russian and Korean governments, a possible kidnapping and/or murder and a lone FBI Agent have in common? Baldacci weaves an intricate tale full of action, adventure and intrigue. His characters travel the United States in their quest to find the truth, trying to live long enough for justice to prevail.

I have read many books by Baldacci, and am very excited to find he has begun this new series featuring Atlee Pine. She is a character that has many sides and secrets. Some of them are hers, and some are truths that have been kept from her. I am anxious to find out more.

Baldacci’s latest page-turning thriller lives up to his reader’s expectations and beyond. It is hard pressed to find anyone who has not heard of this award winning, NYT Best Selling author. There is a reason for the accolades; his books are complex yet easy to read. I learned more interesting facts about the Grand Canyon than I’ve heard before, making me want to visit the only one of the Seven Natural Wonders that is located in the United States.