LONG ROAD TO MERCY

David Baldacci introduces a new thriller series with two narrators, Brittany Pressley and Kyf Brewer. Pressley breathes life into Atlee Pine, a self-reliant FBI special agent based in a one-person office in Arizona. With crisp diction and a hint of distrust, Pressley captures the underlying bitterness Pine has carried since her twin sister was abducted as a child. Untangling a strange disappearance in the Grand Canyon, Pine forges a new reliance on her stalwart office assistant; Pressley does well at distinguishing between the two women in their many conversations. Brewer portrays the quick-thinking male protagonist with a slightly goofy tone that fails to match his heroic actions, making the soldier turned park ranger lack credibility. Nonetheless, the choice of two narrators helps to ground the multiple storylines. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2018]