Deliver us From Evil

Evan Waller is a monster. He has built a fortune from his willingness to buy and sell anything… and anyone. In search of new opportunities, Waller has just begun a new business venture: one that could lead to millions of deaths all over the globe.

On Waller’s trail is Shaw, the mysterious operative from The Whole Truth, who must prevent Waller from closing his latest deal. Shaw’s one chance to bring him down will come in the most unlikely of places: a serene, bucolic village in Provence.

But Waller’s depravity and ruthlessness go deeper than Shaw knows. And now, there is someone else pursuing Waller in Provence—Reggie Campion, an agent for a secret vigilante group headquartered in a musty old English estate—and she has an agenda of her own.

Hunting the same man, unaware of each other’s mission, Shaw and Reggie will be caught in a deadly duel of nerve and wits. Hitchcockian in its intimate buildup of suspense, and filled with the kind of breathtaking plot turns and remarkable characters that are David Baldacci’s hallmark, Deliver Us From Evil is the most gripping thriller of the year.

~ Synopsis from goodreads

I always like to alternate reading a classic with something light n easy, preferably a thriller, which is my genre of choice. So, selecting Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci after Hard Times was a no-brainer decision. Imagine my surprise when it took me far longer to finish the David Baldacci book than the Dickens.

I spent nearly 10 days trying to get beyond the excruciatingly slow start. It is only about 200 pages in, once Shaw and Reggie pool their strengths together, that the book picks up the pace and becomes more readable and enjoyable. Unfortunately, it never moves beyond the standard stock plot and I was able to guess the twists and turns of the plot much ahead of time.

In addition, there were some gruesome scenes of torture in one particular section that was stomach churning in the extreme. Really, really descriptive and detailed, and it stuck out like a sore thumb from the rest of the book. I didn’t even see the point of this chapter as it’s not even relevant to the main plot. All it does is confirm that the evil guy is very, very bad in a rather unimaginative and unpalatable way.

This book is the second in a series, and therefore, Shaw’s character is not very well drawn out. There are references to events and tragedies in his past without too much detail. Still, this book works fine as a standalone read (although reading the first book, The Whole Truth, might have helped me understand his actions towards the end of the book a bit more).

It is also obvious that David Baldacci is planning more books with Reggie and Shaw and I hope that he delivers a more coherent plot from the start.