Zero Day

This was a great introduction to a new main character. He turned up in the last Amos Decker story I read so I decided to find out more about him by reading his story. Looking forward to reading more. Liked his cat's name!

Solid thriller, not a bad candidate for my ongoing quest to find a Reacher replacement (Parker still my #1 in that regard).

However, they say imitation is a form of flattery, but I can totally understand why Lee Child is pissed at Baldacci.

Sure, create a new character - make him an Army policeman, maybe he's big and clever - but calling him John, making him also like coffee, and favour the headbutt in confrontations, and be a crack sniper, and have an ‘internal clock', and have a military father and brother, and calling him ‘Puller'... It moves beyond similar to an almost replica.

Puller isn't a drifter and seems to actually have a house and possessions - his focus is also more scientific (forensic training) and technical (he loves the guns) - but these unique traits seem to be overwhelmed by everything that's copied.

It also serves to point out more that Puller isn't Reacher, and made me miss Child's sparse, blunt style (which initially I found hilarious but now find quite nicely echoes Reacher's own methodical and no nonsense attitude) even more.

I guess I'll be waiting a while longer then (or at least until September when the new Reacher is out)...

One of those middle of the road, neither really great or really awful stories but most likely one I won't remember much about in a couple of months. Suspense/thriller tends to be my go to genre and this book sits firmly in that category. Puller is cut from the same cloth as Jack Reacher - both are some form of military law enforcement (one current, one former), both have/had older brothers, both had military fathers, etc. If Puller were a gangly 6'6”, I'd probably wonder if they were twins separated at birth. That's not a bad thing. I like Reacher and I liked Puller. It's just something to be aware of. One main difference: whereas Reacher regularly only carries his toothbrush and wallet, apparently Puller and Mary Poppins shop at the same luggage/bag store. For the amount of stuff Puller pulled out of his rucksack, it has to be manufactured by the same magicians who created Mary's carpet bag.

As for the plot, there wasn't anything that stood out or any big twist that completely blindsided me. Again it was pretty much typical, middle of the road story telling. There were some taut, suspenseful moments that helped move the end along. Though honestly, knowing this is book 1 in a series meant I never worried about Puller's continued existence. Everyone else I was pretty much 50/50 on whether they'd survive though I was a little sad about Sam Cole. I liked her.

I'm not against reading another in the Puller series, but it's not at the top of my list either. This book wouldn't be one I'd recommend to someone looking at reading their first Baldacci story. (I much prefer Robie or King and Maxwell). But it's decent enough if you're looking for something you don't mind if you forget.