David Baldacci is one author who has continuously been able to put out good novels on a regular basis. It is no surprise to note that he is one of the most followed author's of this generation in the thriller genre. He never seems to disappoint his loyal fan following with the books. One thing that makes David Baldacci unique is his ability to base novels on multiple characters for various series. Unlike other authors, Baldacci has managed to create multiple series of books on characters. Some of the famous ones are the Will Robbie series, and of course the Amos Decker series.
Amos Decker series is relatively new since the first book came out in the year of 2015. 'Memory Man' became a huge success within no time, and that set the tide for the next few books. Due to its huge success and fan following, Baldacci has since written four more novels based on the character with the latest once being 'Redemption', which was released earlier this year. So which one is the best book by David Baldacci in the series? In this post, we will take a look at each of the five novels and rank them.
Before I begin to elaborate, let me mention the five books in the order of their release dates.
Enter: Agent Harper-Brown from DIA. The DIA is also interested in the case and tries to solve it urgently almost as if it's a national security issue. Decker is forced to team up with the agent to solve this crime.
Surprisingly dull for a long time until Baldacci turns the heat on. Considering the quality of the first two books, this seemed to be a bit disappointing.
Amos Decker and Alex Jamison takes a vacation and comes to stay at Alex's sister's house at Baronville. Despite being forced to come here, Decker decides to take a break right until he finds two victims in the house next door.
Murders seem to be happening frequently and Decker decides to team up with the local police much to the annoyance of Alex. Decker is intrigued by the history of the town and the Baron family on which the entire town is named after. It seems to be just another case up until Alex's brother in law dies in an apparent accident at the workplace. Decker is suspicious of all the murders and is convinced something is going on around town.
As I said earlier, this is quite clearlt\y, an amazing work by David Baldacci. The whole book is thrilling until the end and manages to surprise the readers a lot of times. Do go for it, if you are waiting to read a satisfying thriller.
Before I begin to elaborate, let me mention the five books in the order of their release dates.
Memory Man
Memory Man is where the story starts for a small-town police detective named Amos Decker. We are introduced to the character by being a part of his two life-changing moments. The first one was on the football field where he almost died due to a collision. The incident not only killed his dream of going pro but also resulted in him developing hyperthymesia and synesthesia disorders. He can never forget anything that he sees and a part of his brain identifies colours to certain scenes. Nearly twenty years later, he is a police detective going home to meet his wife and child, only to find them brutally murdered. This second incident completely throws off him, and he is soon on the streets without any reason to live.
A year later, out of the blue, a man comes up and turns himself in by confessing to the murders. At the same time, something terrorising happens at the local school, and Decker is asked by the police to assist them in their search for the perpetrators. How Decker manages to compose himself and solves the mystery forms the rest of the book.
It is a classic David Baldacci book by all means. Even though I had read some of his earlier works, this really was intense. A great start to the series of Amos Decker and one of the Baldacci's best works until then. The story was set up in a gripping manner until the end. Baldacci manages to hold the threads of each character in a classic way.
The Last Mile
The second in the Amos Decker series. Baldacci introduces us to another important character in the series Melvin Mars with this novel. Melvin Mars is a convict arrested for murdering his own parents and was all set to get executed up until another man came forward confessing. Meanwhile, Amos Decker takes an interest in the case and is hell-bent on solving the crime since it has certain similarities to his own life.
Decker along with this team which includes Alex Jamison, whom we had been introduced to, in the previous novel decides to take on the case of Melvin Mars. As they delve deeper into the case, they understand that this is something bigger than what they had imagined. And once a member of the team is kidnapped, the alarm bells go off. Decker is convinced Mars is innocent and how he proceeds to prove it forms the rest of the book.
Another solid entry into the Amos Decker series from David Baldacci. Although I wouldn't consider as it as one of his finest, definitely worth a read. And another important aspect of the novel is the friendship between Amos Decker and Melvin Mars, which is quite unexpected.
The Fix
It became too close to comfort when Amos Decker witnessed a murder right in front of the FBI Headquarters. As one would expect considering that we are now quite familiar with the character, Decker jumps right into the case. The only problem is that there seems to be no logical explanation for the murder since no one is able to find any connection between the murderer and the victim.Enter: Agent Harper-Brown from DIA. The DIA is also interested in the case and tries to solve it urgently almost as if it's a national security issue. Decker is forced to team up with the agent to solve this crime.
Surprisingly dull for a long time until Baldacci turns the heat on. Considering the quality of the first two books, this seemed to be a bit disappointing.
The Fallen
It is the fourth novel in the Amos Decker series. I am ashamed to admit that it is one of my favourites in the series and I fully consider it as one of David Baldacci's best works right up with Memory Man.Amos Decker and Alex Jamison takes a vacation and comes to stay at Alex's sister's house at Baronville. Despite being forced to come here, Decker decides to take a break right until he finds two victims in the house next door.
Murders seem to be happening frequently and Decker decides to team up with the local police much to the annoyance of Alex. Decker is intrigued by the history of the town and the Baron family on which the entire town is named after. It seems to be just another case up until Alex's brother in law dies in an apparent accident at the workplace. Decker is suspicious of all the murders and is convinced something is going on around town.
As I said earlier, this is quite clearlt\y, an amazing work by David Baldacci. The whole book is thrilling until the end and manages to surprise the readers a lot of times. Do go for it, if you are waiting to read a satisfying thriller.
Redemption
The latest in the series of Amos Decker. The book was released earlier this year to much fanfare and has managed to satisfy the huge expectations of the readers.
Amos Decker and Alex Jamison take a trip back to Burlington, Ohio where it all started. Much to the surprise of Decker, he is met by a convict Meryl Hawkins, whom he had put to bars in his very first case as a detective. He tells Decker that he made a mistake in the case and that he is innocent. This episode makes Decker revisit the past and much to his surprise finds some issues with the case that he seemed to have overlooked. Along with his old partner, Lancaster and his friend Melvin Mars, he takes a trip down memory lane to uncover the real truth behind the case.
Although it seemed to be exciting, Baldacci decides to take the formulaic route, which is a buzzkill.
To sum it all up, Amos Decker is one amazing series by David Baldacci and has some of his best works. One of my issues with the series and with the author, in general, is that he plays it safe and takes the formulaic route in most of his novels. The ones in which he decides to take a risk, the result is enthralling. Finally, my ranking of the series would be,
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