Member Reviews
"Daylight" by David Baldacci is a mystery thriller centered around his character FBI Agent Atlee Pine. It is the third book in the series.
In "Daylight," Pine is still looking for her twin sister Mercy, who was abducted when they were both children. Using her FBI connections, her trail leads her to New Jersey and Fort Dix, where the investigation intersects with Army CID (Criminal Investigation Command) agent John Puller's investigation into drugs on base.
Turns out the mob family who may be involved in her sister's disappearance is also involved in Puller's case. A case that reaches farther into the American criminal and political system than either expected.
Though I jumped into Pine's story in the third book, Baldacci rebuilds her world for new readers well. Puller was also new to me, but had been the lead in a different series of books by Baldacci.
The two no-nonsense characters worked well together, as well as on their own solving separate facets of the overall mystery. From a chance meeting to a full-on espionage case with roots in the American government, "Daylight" was thrilling to read.
This is the next in the Atlee Pine series, with the FBI officer still trying to find her twin, Mercy, who was kidnapped when they were 6 years old, with Atlee was left for dead. No nearer to finding her, as all the leads come to nothing she gets caught in the middle of a military operation, being led by John Puller. As people start dying, Puller and Pine work together to try to sort it out.
I love Pines’ character, a feisty, damaged soul, who is determined to find her sister, dead or alive. She is helped by trusty sidekick, Carol Blum, an FBI admin officer, who has taken leave to help search for Mercy. Whilst Pine comes across as uncaring, disinterested even, she is so much more than that. This is well written, with the author always doing an immense amount of research, the characters have depth and whilst you may not like them all, they draw you into the fast paced plot. I also like it when characters from one of the author’s series’ cross over into another, ie Puller in this one. It’s a shame I read this so quickly but I just didn’t want to stop reading. I enjoyed the twist on Pines hunt for her family, and hope the next book in the series brings it to a conclusion.
Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
What a great character Baldacci has created in Atlee Pine. Fierce, independent, tough, flawed, emotionally damaged - she's all that and more. The unsolved abduction of her twin sister when they were 6 years old molded her character and her life, and as an adult FBI agent she's still searching for her sister, Mercy. In this book she's been granted time to track down a new possible clue in that hunt, and in the process is drawn into a current case with John Puller (the main character from another Baldacci series) and his military investigation of a drug ring. There are twists and turns in both cases, and while one is solved, the other leaves Atlee with as many questions as answers.
When I received an advance copy of this book, I made sure to read the first two books in the series before diving into this one, and thank goodness I did! I probably could've followed it reasonably well, Baldacci fills things in without it feeling overly redundant, but still I was glad to have the full background of those first two books. Overall, a very good addition to a very good series.
My thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.
I usually like this author, but had not read either of the previous titles in this series, and I don't plan to go back and find them.. Atlee Pine is not really very sympathetic. She had taken an leave of absence from her regular job with the FBI to search for her sister, but she keeps getting sidetracked into these other investigations and I don't think she will EVER find the time to actually look for her sister. After all, her sister was kidnaped when they were 6 - so what's the rush, right?
This one also involves John Puller, who is usually a reliable indicator of a good story. But this one just seems to ramble and go nowhere, until suddenly it is time to wrap up the story so everything miraculously fits and the book ends. Still LOTS of questions about Atlee's sister, but, hey, we have to sell more books.
Not recommended. This falls into that category of "There are just too many good books out there to waste my time with this".
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for this advanced copy of the latest in the series featuring Atlee Pine and in this book, the character of John Puller. Two of my favourite characters, what more can you ask for in this non stop page turner of a book. The action never lets up, throughout the whole story. You are drawn into the murky world of politics and the upper echelons of society, who use their money to cover up any wrong doings and not many do this better than David Baldacci. Hopefully there will be more cross over stories between Pine and Puller. A cracking 5 star read. This has to be one of my all time favourite books by David Baldacci and I have read them all. I would highly recommend this book.
I absolutely love this series about Atlee and can't wait for the next book in the series. (But PLEASE tell us what happened to her twin in the next one!)
Overall, the book was fast paced and I enjoyed reading about all the characters. Obviously, my favorites are Atlee and Carol.
I love Atlee Pine and how John Puller was brought into this book from one of the other series that this author writes, however I wish that there was more backstory on how Atlee and John know each other. Atlee inadvertently gets in the middle of a case that John is working on, while trying to track down a lead in her sister's disappearance. Atlee gets drawn into his case, seemingly at the price of her working on her own case. She does come back to it at the end of the book and but I wish that she would have found her sister in this book. The story did keep me glued to my seat to see what would happen next and is complex and well written, but I did not like how the book ended.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Daylight is the third book in the Atlee Pine series. In the previous novels, A Long Road to Mercy and A Minute to Midnight, we learn about FBI agent Atlee and her personal mission to find what happened to her twin sister, Mercy. Mercy was kidnapped when the girls were only six years old. Atlee is certain that she is alive and out there somewhere, Atlee just needs to discover who took her and to find Mercy.
In Daylight, Atlee manages to discover the identity of her sister’s kidnapper, uncovers some secrets behind her disappearance, and becomes closer than ever to finding Mercy.
During her investigation, Atlee accidentally gets entangled in a military investigation led by John Puller (A lead in another of David Baldacci’s series). The two combine forces in the fast paced, action packed, mystery thriller crossover.
I could not put this book down. Each book in this series gets better than the next. I cannot wait for the next novel in this series so that I can continue in this wild and dangerous search for Mercy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Daylight is the third book in this series but it can be read as standalone.
Atlee Pine is on a journey to find her missing twin, Mercy. Mercy was snatched by an unknown assailant decades ago. Atlee's dad committed suicide years later and her mum disappeared. Atlee learns her mum was a mole and was responsible for the arrest of a mob boss. This ended up in a bad way for the Pines as Mercy was snatched by someone related to the mob boss.
Atlee and John Puller meet by accident. When Pine tells him about her sister, he decides to help her out. Their joint investigation is marred by 'attempts to kill', murders and lies. Halfway through the story, Atlee stumbles upon a clue that takes her one step closer to finding Mercy.
The character development is impressive. Having said that, I am not a fan of crossovers and I would have liked the story better if the spotlight had been only on Atlee Pine. The twist halfway through kept me hooked onto the story till the end. Overall, this was an engrossing and thrilling read.
I read a lot of books...possibly even more book reviews. Over the last decade or so, it has seemed like a new David Baldacci book appears every month or so...and I pretty much have avoided all of them. Not sure why, but I needed something to read as I watched the world going crazy, and it felt like a nice escape into a book where the protagonists uncover ”...a breathtaking scheme that strikes at the very heart of global democracy” was just the ticket. No, seriously!
Baldacci writes several different series, each with its own particular protagonist. Atlee Pine is a young FBI Agent whose search for her sister Mercy is her personal obsession, and has been covered in the first two books in this series, Long Road to Mercy and A Minute to Midnight. In Daylight, #3 in this series, we have sort of a crossover, as Atlee finds her work leading to a clash with military investigator John Puller, a combat veteran (with his own Baldacci series) in a wild ride. (Maybe all the Baldacci books feature a “wild ride”?)
Atlee’s twin sister, Mercy, was abducted when they were six. Now, a few decades later, Atlee is being pressured to end her investigation into Mercy's disappearance, and (interesting timing) she finally learns the kidnapper was a man named Ito Vincenzo. Atlee’s home turf is the Southwest (specifically around the Grand Canyon) but she and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo's last known location in Trenton, New Jersey, where their work conflicts with John Puller’s case involving a drug ring on a military base, to and things take off from there -- for both Atlee and John.
They work together, discovering a connection between Vincenzo's family and a scheme that finally gives Atlee the truth about what really happened to Mercy. It’s a fun read, a good solid escapist thriller. I will likely read more Baldacci, particularly the Atlee Pine series. Four stars.
I try to read Baldacci when he has a new book come out. He always keeps his audience guessing. Attlee Pine is trying to find her twin sister who was kidnapped at a young age. It seems that everyone in high places are giving her the run around. And then she is on someone’s cross hairs. Everyone helping her is also in those cross hairs.
I enjoyed the book but not the ending. Hopefully Baldacci will come out next with the end of the mystery
3.5 ⭐
✏️ “It’s not my job that I won’t be able to do if I don’t find out what happened to my sister. It’s my life that I won’t be able to do.”
~ David Baldacci, Daylight
.
.
For many long years, Atlee Pine was tormented by uncertainty after her twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Now, just as Atlee is pressured to end her investigation into Mercy's disappearance, she finally gets her most promising breakthrough yet: the identity of her sister's kidnapper, Ito Vincenzo.
With time running out, Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo's last known location in Trenton, New Jersey -- and unknowingly stumble straight into John Puller's case, blowing his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation.
Stunningly, Pine and Puller's joint investigation uncovers a connection between Vincenzo's family and a breathtaking scheme that strikes at the very heart of global democracy. Peeling back the layers of deceit, lies and cover-ups, Atlee finally discovers the truth about what happened to Mercy. And that truth will shock Pine to her very core.
.
.
Daylight is the third instalment of the Atlee Pine series. We follow FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine who is on leave as she continues her search for her twin sister, Mercy, who was taken thirty years earlier. The author includes enough of the backstory, so the reader is able to understand what is happening in Atlee’s ongoing search for her sister. The book therefore could be read as a stand-alone novel. One of Atlee’s leads has her crossing paths with CID Chief Warrant Officer John Puller, a character with his own series by the author and his brother Robert Puller. There are references made to previous elements from some of these characters’ pasts that to really get in depth details of the overarching plot line, reading the other two books in the series (Long Road to Mercy and A Minute to Midnight) as well as the John Puller series would be recommended. However, thorough knowledge of the characters pasts was not necessary, nor did it detract from the current read’s plot.
Atlee and John soon find themselves investigating a suspected drug ring with far-reaching tendrils into the higher echelons of government which turns out to be more than they bargained for. This plot line is action packed from start to finish and keeps you turning the pages while the overarching story of Atlee searching for her sister is a slow burn mystery unfolding bit by bit. Both plot lines are very engaging on their own. One major critique of the novel has to do with the ending. After the action-packed case of the drug ring, the story returns to the search for Mercy and this seemed a bit of an anticlimactic end as this is a slower story. The ending seemed dragged out too much to set the stage for a next novel.
If you are looking for a fast-paced, action-packed and suspenseful read…this is it. Looking forward to the next book in the series to find out what happened to Mercy.
.
.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.
I am a big fan of David Baldacci and Daylight did not disappoint. I have especially enjoyed the Attlee Pine series. Here Pine continues to search for her missing sister Mercy who was abducted as a child. After determine the identity of her kidnapper, Ito Vincenzo, Tips take her to NJ where she collides with a drug ring investigation. Baldacci does a great job of having both departments of law enforcement work together. In the end and after many twists and turns Mercy’s true fate is discovered.
In this third addition to the Atlee Pine series by David Baldacci we find Atlee following up on a lead for her
missing twin sister that ends up intersecting with an investigation being done by Army Investigator John Puller. Action packed, fast paced read! Thank you NetGalley.
I received this book through "NetGalley".
This story begins with Atlee pursuing a lead in her search for her missing sister. Atlee and her assistant wind up going to New Jersey to question the grandson of the person who stole her sister. Once they arrived there and spooked the son Tony. Unbeknownst to Atlee, John Puller Army CID, also wanted to arrest Tony in a drug scheme. Tony escapes and the two start to work together in trying to find Tony.
As they begin their search and after following many clues they begin to run across another criminal activity. As they got more involved, they also became targets and Atlee eventually got abducted and John later got shot. After John got shot, John's brother Robert and Atlee's assistant Carol were captured. Atlee began her search for the two and ultimately located them. The captors had the two at gunpoint and threatened to kill both John and Carol. While Atlee was pondering the situation, John shot one of the captors as did Atlee.
To discover how this ultimately ended up, you must read this book. You won't be disappointed.
I had not read any of the previous Atlee Pine books. However, I felt right at home picking up the narrative and delving into this fascinating story.
I was hooked on the characters, the backstory of Atlee childhood (horrific!) and the current story of high powered politicians and drug dealers.
This book is another wonderfully written book by Mr, Baldacci and I can't wait to dive into more books in the series.
Thank you to Netalley and the publisher for letting me read the ARC for this review.
Daylight is the third novel featuring main character FBI agent Atlee Pine. Readers are finally given more background to the events that transpired in Atlee's childhood, as her search for the truth finally bears fruit. As Atlee and her faithful assistant, Carol Blum, try to put the pieces together, they stumble straight into one of John Puller's cases. After they team up, will the trio be able to put all of the puzzling facts together?
I do like it when authors write crossover books, especially when I have read the books featuring the other character. This assumption that readers are up to date, however, can backfire if it is not the case. Having only read the first John Puller novel, I would have liked more background to be given in Daylight. It has been quite a long time since I read the first novel and a refresher would have been nice. I like that the reader is given some answers to the mystery surrounding Mercy's disappearance, but I was less than thrilled that the author did not complete the story arc. I have grown tired of the plot and wish that all answers were revealed. For these reasons, I would recommend Daylight only to those who have read the aforementioned books and want to know more of Mercy and Atlee's story.
Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Daylight, courtesy of NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing. The choice to review this book was my own.
Atlee Pine is searching for answers in the abduction of her twin sister, thirty years earlier. Her sister, Mercy was taken, and Atlee was left, but assaulted and almost died. The events shattered her family and is one of the chief reasons she became an FBI agent. All three books have taken us a little closer to the truth of that night, but the focus of each story is divided into that ongoing mystery and a new mystery Atlee which is solved by the end.
I won’t spoil the series by detailing the progress in her search for answers about her sister and family, but I will say that it doesn’t fully resolve by the end of Daylight. Honestly, I was a little disappointed by that, but even so, Daylight was a captivating read! Murder and political corruption are at the center of this mystery, and this time in addition to her intrepid FBI assistant Carol Blum she has John Puller as a partner in tracking down these evil people. Lots of action and danger with them barely coming away with their lives had me on edge of my seat!
So far, there’s been no serious romance for Atlee, but I have hope (hopeless romantic here) that along with the truth, Atlee will find someone special. There was the possibility in the last book, but nothing concrete happened however something may come of it in the coming book (s?).
Atlee is my hero! She’s one badass having been an Olympic weightlifter and MMA competitor, she has the muscle and skill to take on the nastiest fights, and she has no problem fighting dirty when necessary! She’s a champion for victims and can’t stand to walk away when she should be focusing on her own investigation.
This series is best read in order.
I alternately listened and read the book, and the audio was fantastic! Brittany Pressley’s strong, calm voice made Atlee come alive, and I love that Kyf Brewer performed all the male parts. I listened at 1.3x normal speed.
I have only read the first book in this series, and after reading this one, I am going to make sure that I buy the second one and reread all three!
I know that many long-time readers didn't like this book(for many reasons), but I found it fascinating, action-packed, and one that I just couldn't put down. I have no problems with the continuing story of Atlee still looking for her sister. After all, I think that once she finds her sister, the series will have to end, don't you think so too?
Mr. Baldacci uses his usual tropes with this book, and I find it quite comforting that he does so. Some of the 'action' IS a tad far-fetched, but I found it easy to suspend my disbelief and keep reading.
I wholeheartedly recommend this series to any who likes a kick-butt heroine, no romance, and a LOT of action. This is also a book that forces you to use your brain to keep up with all the twists and turns.
*ARC was supplied by the publisher and the author. Thank-you.
In the latest Baldacci Atlee Pine book, Atlee has for years looked for her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Atlee, working on her own time, finally gets her most promising breakthrough: the identity of her sister's kidnapper, Ito Vincenzo. Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum travel to Vincenzo's last known location in Trenton, New Jersey and stumble straight into John Puller's case, blowing his arrest during a military installation drug ring investigation.
Pine and Puller's joint investigation uncovers a connection between Vincenzo's family and a huge scheme that is far beyond what they expected. Working to finally find her sister, Atlee finally discovers the truth about what happened to Mercy. David Baldacci 's Atlee Pine is one of my favorite characters.