It gets a 4 because it mostly kept me entertained while I listened to it. I've read other David Baldacci books and usually enjoy them. I've read other Amos Decker series books as well.

I'm still pondering how long shadows ties in to the story. Is it that our pasts cast long shadows onto our current life? Is it that our relationships (friends, spouses, family) cast long shadows that affect us?

Amos Decker remains but most other characters we're used to seeing are marginalized in this book. Decker gets a new FBI partner (since his previous one moved to New York). Decker's handler (and cheerleader with the bureau) retires. Decker's friend and landlord gets married and moves away.

Decker's brain is changing (for better or worse we're not told yet). On top of that, Decker's former police partner and friend commits suicide.

The case Decker and his new partner are assigned involves the murder of a federal judge and her bodyguard in Florida. But, as usual, things are not what they seem on the surface. I did not reason out the culprit(s), but that tends to be my norm, so if you are someone who usually can, your experience may be different.

I do plan to read more entries in the series. ( )

Complicated double plot mystery/FBI investigation. ( )

(2022) A new character - FBI Agent-Amos Decker. Due to a traumatic head, he has the ability to remember everything, which can be a blessing and a curse. Assigned a new partner, Freddie White (who is black - really?), they are assigned to a double homicide case in Florida that involves the knife slashing of a female Federal judge and the shooting death of her ?supposed? body guard. Turns out, he was the judge's lover. They solve the crimes in the end-the body guard had information that linked a former Senator to the death of a prostitute was committed to bury the crime by that Senator. The judge was murdered by her ex-husband. OK story but predictable and a little too misogynous for this #MeToo times we are living in. Guess Baldacci has not really grown up from his previous legal thrillers. KIRKUS: A thriller with bloody murders and plenty of suspects and featuring an unlikely partnership between two FBI investigators.FBI consultant Amos Decker has a lot on his mind. The huge fellow once played for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL until he received a catastrophic brain injury, leaving him with synesthesia; he sees death as electric blue. More pertinent to the plot, he also has hyperthymesia, or spontaneous and highly accurate recall. On the one hand, his memories can be horrible. He'd once come home to find his wife and daughter murdered, dead in pools of blood. Later, he listens helplessly on the telephone while his ex-partner shoots herself in the mouth. On the other hand, his memory helps him solve every case he's given. Now he's sent to Florida with a brand-new partner, Special Agent Frederica White, to investigate the murder of a federal judge. Both partners are pissed at their last-minute pairing, and they immediately see themselves as a bad fit. White is a diminutive Black single mother of two who has a double black belt in karate ?because I hate getting my ass kicked.? (The author doesn't mention Decker's race, but since he's being contrasted with his new partner in every way, perhaps readers are expected to see him as White. Clarity would be nice.) Their case is strange: Judge Julia Cummins was stabbed 10 times and her face covered with a mask, while her bodyguard was shot to death. Decker and White puzzle over the ?very contrarian crime scene? where two murders seem to have been committed by two different people in the same place. The plot gets complex, with suspects galore. But the interpersonal dynamic between Decker and White is just as interesting as the solution to the murders, which doesn't come easily. At first, they'd like to be done with each other and go their separate ways. But as they work together, their mutual respect rises and�alas�the tension between them fades almost completely. The pair will make a great series duo, especially if a bit of that initial tension between them returns. And Baldacci shouldn't give Decker a pass on his tortured memories, because readers enjoy suffering heroes. It's not enough that his near-perfect recall helps him in his job.Fascinating main characters and a clever plot add up to an exciting read.Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022ISBN: 978-1-5387-1982-4Page Count: 448Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

This was a great one - Amos is one of my favorite characters, and Freddie White really grew on me. ( )

Memory Man Series. Loved it. ( )