Guest Review: True Blue

Summary: Mason "Mace" Perry was a firebrand cop on the D.C. police force until she was kidnapped and framed for a crime. She lost everything-her badge, her career, her freedom-and spent two years in prison. Now she's back on the outside and focused on one mission: to be a cop once more. Her only shot to be a true blue again is to solve a major case on her own, and prove she has the right to wear the uniform. But even with her police chief sister on her side, she has to work in the shadows: A vindictive U.S. attorney is looking for any reason to send Mace back behind bars. Then Roy Kingman enters her life. Roy is a young lawyer who aided the poor until he took a high-paying job at a law firm in Washington. Mace and Roy meet after he discovers the dead body of a female partner at the firm. As they investigate the death, they start uncovering surprising secrets from both the private and public world of the nation's capital. Soon, what began as a fairly routine homicide takes a terrifying and unexpected turn-into something complex, diabolical, and possibly lethal. -- Grand Central Publishing

Booking Pap Pap and I are both fans of David Baldacci -- I think I've read almost every book he's ever written. When I found out that he had a new book coming out called TRUE BLUE, I jumped at the chance to read it. Of course, Booking Pap Pap definitely wanted to read it too. Being the generous daughter that I am, I passed TRUE BLUE on to him so he could read it first! Here are his impressions:

In TRUE BLUE, David Baldacci introduces the reader to sisters Beth and Mace Perry. Beth is the Washington D.C. chief of police and her sister Mace is an ex-DC cop just released from serving two years in prison on a false charge. Beth is determined to win her way back on to the police force and feels the only way she can do this is to solve a high profile case on her own. Complicating her plan is a U.S. attorney who has a dislike for both sisters and would like nothing better than to send Mace back to jail. When police chief sister Beth allows Mace to join her at a crime scene at a D.C. law firm where one of the female partners has been murdered, Mace quietly decides this is the case that can help her win back her police uniform.

Mace joins forces with Roy Kingdom, a young lawyer who discovered the dead body at the law firm. Mace and Roy soon discover that this is no ordinary crime as the investigation takes them from the streets of Washington D.C. to the highest levels of the U.S. government where black ops impedes and threatens the investigation. In attempting to solve the case Mace walks a fine line while utilizing her connections on the police force and the street, protecting her sister from the consequences of involvement with Mace and trying to avoid a return to prison.

Baldacci’s character development is terrific and I had no problem in separating the “good guys” from the bad ones. To me Mace, Beth and Roy are very likable characters and as I read along found myself wondering if they could overcome the almost insurmountable odds against success. The author does a great job of bringing characters and situations from Mace’s and Roy’s pasts to further develop the story lines. As is typical with suspense thrillers some of the situations the main characters survive are a little hard to believe; however they do add to the story’s suspense.

Baldacci’s books are generally fast reads and hard to put down. TRUE BLUE is no exception. It’s a good suspense thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book and to Booking Pap Pap for his insightful review: