This is my first read of a Baldacci book. I was taken in by the Atlee Pine character. She is an FBI agent running a single agent office in Arizona. In the first chapter we get the back story that tells us why Pine is so tough. Atlee and her twin sister Mercy, age 6, were awakened in the night by a strange man who decided to take Mercy. She was never seen again.

As an agent, Atlee intends to find her sister.

Meanwhile, she is called to the bottom of the Grand Canyon to investigate the death of a mule. Yes, it is a matter for the FBI. Killing an animal in a National Park is a federal crime. Needless to say, the mule was only the beginning, but you will have to read a number of chapters to get to what is really going on. Long before that, Atlee receives a call from the Deputy Director in DC who warns her, ‘watch your back.’ The mule ceases to be important to her investigation.

This story is not a FBI procedural. In fact, Pine has to go off grid to find out what is really going on.

It is a good read by a man who has written over sixty books, three already in the Pine series.

Mike Lawrence