The Chronicle

Murder most mystifying

But solving the case could involve a matter of national security

- BY Martin Tiffany The Fix by David Baldacci is out now through Pan Macmillan.

THIS novel starts off with a bang – literally – as a man shoots a woman outside the FBI headquarte­rs in Washington DC and then shoots himself. On the surface the murder and suicide make no sense. The man is a respectabl­e family man and successful business owner and his victim is a schoolteac­her.

The two do not seem to have any connection and there is no apparent motive for the killing.

The drama is played out right in front of FBI agent Amos Decker, a man with a special gift – extraordin­ary powers of observatio­n and deduction. Basically, total recall.

While none of it makes sense, Decker can’t let it go and slowly puts the pieces together as the novel builds to a thrilling

Throw into the mix a bit of leaked informatio­n to a hostile government and possibly the involvemen­t of an internatio­nal terrorist group and you have a powerful and intriguing combinatio­n of mystery, action and espionage.

and unexpected climax.

The Fix is the third book in the Amos Decker series and as you turn the pages you never know what to expect and you certainly won’t be disappoint­ed.

Decker is joined on his quest by fellow FBI agents as well as Defense Intelligen­ce Agency agent Harper Brown.

Initially Brown asks Decker and his colleagues to back off the case, but they soon realise that they must work together, as solving the murder could be a matter of national security.

Throw into the mix a bit of leaked informatio­n to a hostile government and possibly the involvemen­t of an internatio­nal terrorist group and you have a powerful and intriguing combinatio­n of mystery, action and espionage.

I have not read the first two books in this series, so I read this book with no preconceiv­ed ideas or expectatio­ns. There was nothing to compare it to, so I enjoyed it as a stand-alone mystery.

I found it a thrilling novel that kept me up late a few nights. It was difficult to put down as I tried to unravel the many layers.

A top read if you enjoy a good suspense thriller.

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