Split Second
by David Baldacci
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Book Summary Information
Author: David BaldacciEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-09-01
ISBN: 0446614459
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Vision
Book Reviews of Split Second
Book Review: Quite good except for the extremely poor solution
Summary: 2 Stars
PLOT: Once Sean King was one of the best agents in the Secret Service. But one day his attention was diverted for only a split second and a presidential candidate was killed right next to him. So Sean had to leave the Service. 8 years later Secret Service agent Michelle Maxwell lets a presidential candidate out of her sight and in that short moment the candidate disappears. Two completely different incidents, no common denominator, no link between the two agents. And yet their destinies are interdependent. They need each other and they need to solve the riddle. One to save her future, one to dispel the demons of his past...
The premise of the book is really great and promised long time of continuous reading. Also the two main characters are really great and well developed - as a reader you just must love them. And of course there are several twists and turns in the book that will make you wonder about the link between the two incidents. I stayed up long hours to get closer to the answer. 'Who' and especially 'Why' were the main questions I asked myself again and again. But I could not solve the riddle. Maybe because new characters were introduced repeatedly and there are lots of dead ends during the agent's investigation?
The introduction of a third ex Secret Service agent as another main character is unexpected and also a bit strange because I never got rid of the feeling that the motive and the behavior of that person did not fit in. And Sean's connection with that agent is really strange after all what happened. On the other hand the story would not work without that character.
OK every book has flaws.
For once you wonder why the perpetrator is always so well informed and at the right spot at the right time right from the start. Furthermore it seems very strange that he is able to set up Sean and Michelle so easily all the time - doing things he should not be able to. You also wonder why that person does not stop the two agents early in their investigation.
Second, you wonder why Sean and Michelle split for each night when already somebody attempted to kill them. Shouldn't they watch each other's back a lot closer?
Third, after a while you do not need to be a genius to figure out what distracted Sean during his duty 8 years earlier. But you wonder why nobody else saw what he saw [or why it was not captured on film etc.] and why he never mentioned it to anybody. (The explanation for it later on is kind of lame.)
Nevertheless most of the flaws mentioned are minor and do not really spoil the fun of reading.
Unfortunately towards the end of the book something really strange happened. Something that I have never experienced before. The first three quarters of the book I had difficulties to put it down because it was so thrilling. The closer I came to the ending though, I had a strange urge to slow down reading. It might be because both tension and pace slow down in the end. Or the fear that the ending with all its conclusions and explanations would not be satisfying. Regrettably the fear was justified.
The ending is really disappointing and could even be called ridiculous or plain stupid.
Somebody plans for years and creates this clever plot - all for that?! That is really lame. Nobody with a motive like that would go through all the difficulties to create such a scenario. Or you need a better and stronger motive to do so. Sorry Mr. Baldacci but I am not buying it!
Looking back at the other two Baldacci books I read ("Last Man Standing" + "The Simple Truth") I have a hunch that there might be a general problem with his books: The start is brilliant, the tension is high, you cannot put the book aside but at the end you are not happy with the solution. From those 3 books "Split Second" is the weakest one because the ending is really, really extremely bad/stupid/ridiculous/unbelievable/poor/lame and it ruins the whole story. Therefore 2 stars only.
Summary of Split Second
This explosive novel and instant New York Times bestseller is the tale of two disgraced Secret Service agents racing against time to find the common thread that connects a series of assassinations and abductions. "A fast-paced thriller."--The Denver Post.Literature & Fiction Books
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