Simple Genius (A book review by Joey Rao) (Book 3 of King and Maxwell)

                                                       Author: David Baldacci 

                                                

Characters: There are 2 main characters in this book, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell. There are a number of side characters too: Horatio Barnes, Veggie Turing, Ian Whitfield, Alicia Chadwick, Valerie Messaline, Champ Pollion, Merkle Hayes, Michael Ventris and Len Rivest.

Plot: Sean King, financially hard-pressed and trying to help his professional and platonic partner Michelle Maxwell, is forced to seek an assignment from his ex-girlfriend Joan Dillinger, a fellow ex-Secret Service agent who runs her own private investigation agency.

Joan gives him a case based at a laboratory, investigating the murder of a scientist, Monk Turing. During his investigations, he stumbles upon Camp Peary, the CIA training facility which leads him to a more complicated investigation, on which he works together with Michelle, who has attempted suicide after a psychological breakdown. He encounters Turing's autistic daughter, Viggie Turing, who is also extraordinarily talented, but is willing to trust only Michelle, and hates Horatio, the psychologist who is treating both her and Michelle.

Eventually, Sean and Michelle solve the case, but not before being tortured by their enemies. Sean gains a treasure, but generously shares it with others even though he is in financial difficulties.

Your opinion: I absolutely loved this book. So far, it is definitely my favourite King & Maxwell thriller. It’s fast-paced, full of action and with some really heartfelt moments. The plot is very interesting, but it may be a tad too convoluted, sometimes it’s a bit hard to keep up. That is really my only complaint with this book.

My favourite part was right in the middle of the book, where Sean and Michelle are chasing down new leads, but they’re coming up empty and then it’s back to square one. I find that dynamic very fun to read, and that part kept me gripped.

There were definitely some funny bits between Sean and Michelle, but mostly, this is not a funny book. Sure, there is some humour sprinkled in between, but this is mainly a serious book. There weren’t many scary bits, but right at the end, when Sean and Michelle were getting tortured in the CIA chambers, was pretty frightening.

Recommend?: Yes, I would definitely recommend this book to people above the age of 15. I would not recommend it to younger kids, as it has a tiny bit of adult content in between. Overall, it’s a brilliant book, but definitely recommend people to read the first two King & Maxwell books, as you may not fully understand this book if you haven’t. 5/5 stars for me!