The Last Mile

Baldacci, David. The Last Mile. New York: Grand Central. 2016. Print.

First Sentences:

MARS, MELVIN.

In here, anywhere, anytime, they called out your name backward, and he would instantly respond when he heard his.

Even on the toilet. Like being in the military, only he'd never joined. He'd been brought here very much against his will.

Description:

Melvin Mars, convicted of murdering his parents, has been sitting in his cell on death row for 20 years. Now he waits for the guards finally to come to take him to be executed. But when they arrive, instead of dragging him away, they tell him he has been given a last-minute pardon. Another prisoner has just confessed to the murder and because that man knows details only the killer could know, he must be guilty. Mars is released. 

Now enters one of my favorite detectives, Amos Decker. In David Baldacci's novel The Last Mile, Decker is an unemployed, overweight, former police detective. Due to a career-ending brain injury on the football field, Decker now has a mind that remembers every detail of all his spoken and visual experiences - forever. He can pull up any item from any time in the past simply by "flipping" through his mind like a book and looking at the pages. This means he also is forced to remember some actions that he would prefer to forget.

Got your attention yet?

In this second novel, Decker reluctantly joins a select FBI special team tasked to solve cold cases. Decker is drawn to the Melvin Mars case due to similarities with his own life. Mars and Decker both were football players, both were accused of murdering their families, both were freed at the last minute by unlikely confessions. The parallels are too tempting to Decker to ignore.

The investigating team begins to explore what really happened in this puzzling case. They learn that Mars' parents have no recorded past, that several people lied for unknown reasons during Mars' trial, and that he was set up to go to jail for this crime. Oddly, it seems now that someone wants Mars out of jail rather than executed. 

When a member of the task force is kidnapped, it is clear something bigger and more sinister is still at work. And once Decker becomes interested in the case, he must see it through to the end, no matter who is found to be guilty...even if it proves to be Mars himself.

Crisp writing, fascinating characters, realistic dialogue, and a twisty-turny plot all make this a highly-recommended book for anyone who loves procedural mysteries. Unpredictable to the very end. I loved it and can't wait for the next Amos Decker book.

Happy reading. 


Fred

(For more recommendations: www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com)
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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Baldacchi, David. Memory Man

Amos Decker, former cop, finds his wife and daughter murdered in his home. He still has his unique brain, one which remembers everything in complete detail forever, so uses it to pursue the murderer himself apart from the police investigation. Riveting in writing, character and story, all the elements of a great read. (previously reviewed here)