Simple Genius review

Have you ever wondered what its like to be a private investigator, knowing top secret information that can be the difference between you solving a murder case or becoming a murder case yourself? In the world of Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, this is a normal occurrence. Sean and Michelle are partner PIs (private investigators) that have near-death experiences regularly. This time, they're called to investigate the murder of Monk Turing, a brilliant mathematician for the genius establishment of Babbage Town. David Baldacci's Simple Genius teased my brain and kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing until the very end.

Sean and Michelle, the two main characters, have been through a lot together. They've gone through near-death experiences and shared top secret information together. One has always been there to back the other up in tight situations. But when Michelle walks into a bar and gets in a fight with a guy twice her size, things start to change. Sean worries deeply about Michelle's well being. After hours of contemplation and a phone call to an old friend, Sean decides to put Michelle in a mental rehabilitation institution. Michelle goes willingly, but after spending time there, begins to notice strange activities going on, with her own healing process to deal with on top of that. Meanwhile, Sean gets a new case to investigate a murder in the small, isolated village of Babbage Town. After a quick overview of the case Sean notices one important detail--the murder took place on CIA property. Because the murder was on government soil, the FBI would be involved. This proves rather troublesome for Sean. When Michelle is "cured" and meets Sean in Babbage Town, she discovers just how strange this case really is.

Aside from Sean and Michelle, there are other important characters in the story. Viggie Turing was Monk Turing's daughter. The problem with Viggie is that she always speaks in code. She's a prodigy when it comes to numbers, but when it comes to dealing with real life problems, she shuts down and does not let anyone inside her mind. She is very important to the story when it comes to solving the case because she has vital information needed. Then there's Horatio Barnes. Horatio is Sean's friend who is a psychologist. He tries to cure Michelle at the rehab, but she leaves before he can finish. So he is put on the case by Sean. He then tries to cure Michelle in Babbage Town while trying to help the case by talking with Viggie. From the CIA, there's Ian Whitfield and his "wife" Valerie Messaline. Ian is the supposed leader of Camp Peary, the CIA camp where the murder took place. Len Rivest is the head of Babbage Town. He was murdered while Sean was in Babbage Town investigating Monk Turing's murder. His murder added more suspicion and confusion to the case. Lastly, there's Champ Pollion. From the beginning of the story, he doesn't seem like a very prominent character. But do not underestimate Mr. Pollion, because he has a very important part in the story.

David Baldacci's Simple Genius is a mesmerizing and entertaining story with an interesting plot, many eccentric characters, and a surprising ending. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery book.

407 pages