The Last Mile by David Baldacci
Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: April 19, 2016
Trade Paperback Release: September 13, 2016
Date Read: August 27, 2016
Source: Publisher
★★★★☆
Following Memory Man, #1 NYT bestselling author David Baldacci returns with his next thriller featuring detective Amos Decker–now in trade paperback!
In his #1 New York Times bestseller Memory Man, David Baldacci introduced the extraordinary detective Amos Decker-the man who can forget nothing. Now, Decker returns in a spectacular new thriller . . .
THE LAST MILE
Convicted murderer Melvin Mars is counting down the last hours before his execution–for the violent killing of his parents twenty years earlier–when he’s granted an unexpected reprieve. Another man has confessed to the crime.
Amos Decker, newly hired on an FBI special task force, takes an interest in Mars’s case after discovering the striking similarities to his own life: Both men were talented football players with promising careers cut short by tragedy. Both men’s families were brutally murdered. And in both cases, another suspect came forward, years after the killing, to confess to the crime. A suspect who may or may not have been telling the truth.
The confession has the potential to make Melvin Mars–guilty or not–a free man. Who wants Mars out of prison? And why now?
But when a member of Decker’s team disappears, it becomes clear that something much larger–and more sinister–than just one convicted criminal’s life hangs in the balance. Decker will need all of his extraordinary brainpower to stop an innocent man from being executed.
I am loving this series! When I first got my hands on this book, I decided to take a look at it which is quite normal for me. I usually thumb through a new book taking note of the number of pages, font size and other basic attributes. My eyes landed on the first page of this book and I didn’t come up fro air until I had read 100 pages. I hadn’t planned to read this book quite yet but I simply couldn’t put it down.
Both the story and characters in this book were wonderfully done. Amos Decker is a very interesting character. He remembers everything…literally. At first, this sounds like it would be a fantastic trait to have but when you start to thing about it, there are things that are best forgotten. This book also featured Melvin Mars, a man on death row for the murder of his parents. While Melvin has always claimed his innocence, he starts being taken seriously when another made confesses to the crime.
Amos feels compelled to find the truth regarding the crimes that have kept Melvin in jail for the past 20 years. Things get complicated as they trace the past to try to find the truth. Melvin works with the team to try to get to the truth since he has been released from jail. At times, things become very dangerous as they get closer to the answers that they are looking for.
The way this story was laid out really kept me guessing. I was never quite sure exactly how everything would come together but I had faith that Amos would find the right piece of evidence to solve the case. The twists and turns in this book really kept me guessing and the book ended up in areas that I would have never dreamed.
I would highly recommend this books to mystery fans. Amos Decker is a unique detective and love what his special abilities add to the story. This is the second book in the series but could be read a stand alone with little difficultly. I can’t wait to see what case Amos will be asked to solve next!
I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing for the purpose of providing an honest review.
About the AuthorDavid Baldacci is a global, #1 bestselling author. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, and have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America.
Sounds like a very well done mystery. I haven't read anything by him but you got me curious about this series!
This one had a really nice flow and the parts of the book set on death row at the beginning really pulled me into the story.
Oh boy, when a book grabs you and doesn't let go like that then I sit up and take notice. I was already interested in the series, but now I'm eager. Nice review, Carole!
Isn't it great when you connect with a book right away. This was a great mystery!
Oh gosh. Yeah I don't think I'd want to remember everything. I've not read Baldacci but I've always been curious. That's great to see these are good reads 🙂
It is so well done, Anna! Highly recommended!