“The Escape” by David Baldacci – Brotherly Affairs

David Baldacci has long ago established himself as a master of thriller literature, and needless to say, he has further cemented that title for himself with his latest book detailing the exploits U.S. Army special agent John Puller, titled The Escape.

To put it as briefly as possible, Puller is brought in once again to lend a hand in a matter of national security: he must find and bring in his own older brother, Robert, who recently escaped from the most secure prison on the planet. Of course, Robert wasn't there because he got lost on the way to the supermarket; he was convicted on charges of treason, amongst other crimes against the country.

As John inches his way closer and closer to his brother he makes many interesting acquaintances and discoveries, all of which only seem to muddle the picture even further, ultimately casting huge shadows of doubt on where true alliances lie, how guilty Robert truly was, and whether or not he will be found in time, at least before those who want him dead do.

To begin with, in terms of entertainment Baldacci delivers a tour-de-force once again, as virtually every single book review of his will agree. He puts on display his masterful writing in all of its glory, weaving together a plot that moves along seamlessly all while dragging you through innumerable twists and turns while still remaining believable and easy to follow.

The characters themselves only serve to make the whole thing feel that much more cohesive, with all the important ones being portrayed in rather realistic and often relatable ways.

Surprisingly, with all the action happening seemingly at once Baldacci still finds the time to develop his characters enough to make them matter to the reader. John Puller himself is especially charming in the sense that he does have capabilities far above the average person, but he is certainly without flaws.

He feels much more human than virtually any kind of infallible hero you could have put in his place. The hunt for the brother is certainly something to behold, being a non-stop rollercoaster of spy games and betrayal... and even though there are a few predictable moments, on the whole it doesn't lack surprises.

Don't let that description above fool you into believing that there is nothing to be found for the thinking man in the this book though. Some rather thought-provoking themes are developed and interesting questions asked.

Most of them revolve around the balance between the need for national security measures and the need for maintaining constitutional rights, such as whether or not the potential for a major crime by a single person is worth constraining the liberties of many in order to be potentially prevented.

I also found it quite interesting how the existence of these underground and shadowy military/governmental agencies is depicted, at least in my perspective, as a necessary cure which at the same time, in the long run, bring about the disease they are meant to stop.

To conclude, The Escape is yet another marvelous effort by a grandmaster of thrillers, and will certainly cater to anyone who is seeking something that will drag them through one page of entertainment after the next all while leaving bits and pieces of food for the actual thinking parts of the brain.

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David Baldacci Personal site Certainly one of the more famous authors of the 21st century, David Baldacci was always gearing himself to become a prominent writer, beginning his work at a very young age as a child. He gifted the readers with countless classics and bestsellers such as The Innocent and Absolute Power.