Background

Published in 2019, Redemption is the fifth and final book in the Memory Man series by David Baldacci. Amos Decker is the memory man due to a head injury he sustained in his first and only play in the NFL. Not only was his personality changed but he now has a perfect memory which he uses for the Ohio police and later the FBI.

Decker comes back to his hometown to visit the graves of his wife and daughter. His very first homicide conviction walks up to Decker in the cemetery and proclaims his innocence. The man is killed the next day and makes Decker doubt what had happened. His second look at the evidence leads him to more than he bargained for.

My Thoughts

Not a bad ending. I’m glad to see there is some evolution in the character but this is likely a good place to leave it. Amos Decker almost seems to have super powers in this book. He is burned, shot, blown up, battered, and still has his perfect memory which blows the case wide open. It was a little much at times.

However, it was still a fun read.

Recommendation

A must read to finish out the series.

Background

Published in 1988, “E” is for Evidence is the fifth installment of Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series. The protagonist is Kinsey Millhone. A no nonsense private investigator who solves crimes while only occasionally bending the rules.

Kinsey begins by doing a simple insurance claim on a warehouse fire but quickly becomes framed as a co-conspirator. She doesn’t know who she can trust as the framers seem to know every step she takes.

My Thoughts

This book was a little more personal than the rest. We see Kinsey make a friend out of a rival/enemy and even meet her second husband. We, as readers, are able to see why she has been so guarded and why she hasn’t been in a hurry to have men in her life.

Recommendation

A good read. There are some themes which aren’t for children.

Background

Published in 1987, “D” is for Deadbeat is the fourth installment of Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series. The protagonist is Kinsey Millhone. A no nonsense private investigator who solves crimes while only occasionally bending the rules.

This book starts with Kinsey trying to collect on a bad check she was written. The man writing the check ended up dead and you wouldn’t believe who killed him…

My Thoughts

A pretty good read all and all. I liked how there were just some things that the protagonist just couldn’t fix. Life is like that sometimes and it is good to see a written work struggle with those issues.

Recommendation

A good read but not for the kids.

Background

Published in 1986, “C” is for Corpse is the third installment of Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series. The protagonist is Kinsey Millhone. A no nonsense private investigator who solves crimes while only occasionally bending the rules.

The story starts with Kinsey being hired to investigate a young man being run off the road. She takes the case and afterwards finds out he has a ton of money. Kinsey has to hob nob with high society while she tries to track down who would want to do him harm. Just as she thinks she is getting a handle on the case, her employer dies. Should she continue to work for a dead man to get to the truth?

My Thoughts

Another good novel by Sue Grafton. As always, I enjoyed the 80s references and was saddened that drugs were such an issue even back then. Of course, it was all about cocaine, marijuana Valium and Quaaludes. There were some fun twists and turns in the story and I really didn’t see a lot of it coming.

Recommendation

A good book but I wouldn’t recommend it for the under teenage crowd.

Background

Published in 2018, The Fallen is the fourth book in the Memory Man series by David Baldacci. Amos Decker is the memory man due to a head injury he sustained in his first and only play in the NFL. Not only was his personality changed but he now has a perfect memory which he uses for the Ohio police and later the FBI.

Decker and his partner go to Baronville, a run down town which is only starting to make a comeback. Baronville was named for the owner of the mine who worked his employees mercilessly and grew amazingly wealthy. Now his great grandson is the last of the Baron line who lives in poverty in the ruins of his family’s broken mansion. However, the first Baron may have hid all of his wealth and some people will stop at nothing to get it.

My Thoughts

The Fallen was a book that took me along a journey that I didn’t see coming. The author does a great job of not tipping his hand as the story unfolds and everything comes into place.

The convention of Decker’s perfect memory comes in very handy as a plot device. He seems to be an ever flowing fount of wisdom and knowledge through which anything can be explained. I didn’t feel like it was overused but it was rather convenient this time around.

Recommendation

A good read.

Background

Published in 1985, “B” is for Burglar is the second installment of Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series. The protagonist is Kinsey Millhone. A no nonsense private investigator who solves crimes while only occasionally bending the rules.

This mystery starts as a case of a missing person but quickly spins into money, intrigue and murder.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed reading this book not only because of the story line but because of the mid 1980’s references. Having largely grown up in the 80s, there are a number of words and situations that kick off a bout of nastalga.

Recommendation

A good read but it contains some language and adult situations.