This is my first John Puller book and it won't be my last. Puller has a Jack Reacher/Grant Fletcher sort of vibe going on and in Zero Day his army skills are put to the test. High octane, pulsing and fast- paced this is a good read. With a complicated plot that takes us into the darkest world of the US armed forces and the various departments dedicated to keeping the country safe Zero Day is a book with substance which includes a nuanced lead character with depth and character and a genuine moral code. I'm now keen to follow the rest of the series.

This is another page turning novel from David Baldacci. The plot is a slow burning expose of a terrible national oversight which leads one step at a time to a potential disaster for a local community and the American authorities. The key characters are sharp and believable and as always there is heroism and heartache. A good read in the best style of this author.

An interesting enough story. There's a big mystery behind some small town murders, and the story winds around pointing the finger in all sorts of areas. I used to avidly read David Baldacci books and having not read one for a while, I'm not sure I'd rush to read another one.

I love David Baldacci, but this isn't one of his best. It is pretty standard fare, with a hero (John Puller) who is an ex-soldier, dedicated to serving his country, and now working as a CID investigator. Called to Drake county, West Virginia, to investigate the murder of a high-ranking Colonel at the Defense Intelligence Agency and his family, Drake teams up with local officer in charge of the case Samantha Cole and together they uncover a plot that threatens to strike at the very heart of American democracy. Puller is very Reacher-like, strong, competent and likeable. Sam Cole is a typical woman-police-officer-in-a-novel, hard bitten but with a heart of gold. The plot is nothing out of the ordinary. All in all, this is a book written by a talented author which shows his competence but not much more. It all feels a bit "thriller by numbers". Hence 3 stars.

This was the first David Baldacci book that I've read, and I promptly bought another one on the strength of it! Very much along the lines of Lee Child, with a similar protagonist, pace and action. Since I've read all Lee Child's books, this has opened up a rich new vein of holiday reading! If you have similar tastes to me, you won't be disappointed.

Unbelievable hero, ridiculous plot, rushed ending. 3* is generous.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy which was given in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 1st book in the John Puller series, and this was a good start to what turns out to be a great series. John Puller is a ‘Jack Reacher’ type character. He’s a war hero and a great military investigator for the Army’s C.I.D. Sent to investigate the deaths of an Army Colonel and his family, Puller discovers more to the people of the town than initially meet the eye. A high action, fast paced book which I have come to love from this author.

Good old david baldacci another great book.. nuce to read another of his.

Another entertaining book by Baldacci though the plot does stretch the imagination. Puller, the main character is also an unrealistic super-hero character. Suspend disbelief and you can enjoy an action packed tale with a few twists. A military man and his family are murdered in the small coal mining town of Drake. Puller, a military investigator is sent in to assist the local police. Despite a mounting body count and the discovery of a decommissioned government site, Puller does not receive any further government assistance. He and Sam, the local cop have to save the town and possibly the state alone.

Alas it was archived before I got chance to read it.

I have re-discovered David Baldacci. I was sucked in and taken for a thrilling ride with this book...and I loved every single minute of it. Can't wait to read more.

Page-turner, starring a Jack Reacher type hero - can't wait for more!

This is a cracking good story which rolls along at a fair old pace. It opens with the discovery of four bodies, one of whom has connections with the US Army. Enter John Puller, think Jack Reacher, a member of the US Army Criminal Investigative Division. He has been tasked with investigating what are clearly four murders. He forms a partnership with a local cop, Sam Cole.

This a standard thriller fare. The tough investigator who is super fit and could probably kill you with his little finger. The feisty female cop, Sam and a range of stereotypical baddies in the good ol’ boy tradition. Chuck in some army secrets, a bit of nuclear fuel, and away you go. A good read for a wet weekend in Margate.
My one complaint and what spoiled the book for me was the over use of acronyms. It drove me scatty: CID; SAC; DIA; GSR; BOLO; EMT; ATM. I gave up trying to remember what they all stood for.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

the precision Puller, the Army professional assigned a mysterious case in Drake, brings to the task means that things really move along - emotions are evinced with specificity that makes it all the more powerful. Puller is a hero, son of a monstrous hero and brother to an erring bad-boy, soldier who yet saves the day. the locals are described brilliantly and there's a terrific local cop working with Puller who is deft and satisfyingly professional and good partner for this military man with his suppressed emotions. vague feelings of contrivance since she is sister of the man who seems the biggest evil man in town - but that's dissipated soon enough. Baldacci has also picked up on a major dilemma abt the coal fields in West Virginia - unhealthy and on their way out, yet local people utterly depend on the industry. Realistic and gritty, I stayed up late two nights running to finish reading. top notch.

A fast paced through lower. I love the new hero. An ex army man with a military family, except his brother who is serving a life sentence in jail. He is called to a small town to help the very under resourced local police to solve the dreadful murder of a family and a police man, who was left guarding the house. With the help of the local chef he goes about this task, which gets very complicated. Keep me reading until very late in the night. If you like a good thrilled this is for you.

A real treat to receive this David Baldacci book to review. Although familiar with some of his work I had not read any of the Agent John Puller series and it was a pleasure to get to know this character that Baldacci has rightly made so popular. If you haven't met John Puller think a rather more thoughtful version of Lee Child's Jack Reacher but still on active duty with the US Army military police. Capable of a similar level of explosive and effective lethal violence, but inclined to pay at least a little more heed to the law, John Puller is cast as a true American hero - speaking softly but carrying not so much a big stick a a veritable arsenal of personal combat weapons and tactics which he deploys to remarkable effect.

The plot was well constructed, if relying a little too much on the conspiracy/paranoia over past government cover-ups that infect rather too many thrillers. It was all very credible and carried suspense throughout the developing tension as an indeterminate but potentially devastating deadline approached, although the final unpeeling of the underlying threat that Puller was meant to counter stretched credulity a little more than was entirely comfortable. Nonetheless a cracking good read that was difficult to put down.

This is my first read of the John Puller series and I was not disappointed. I have read Jack Reacher novels but this was not quite in the same league. Overall I enjoyed the book and found it fast moving if a little confusing at times (not being american and au fait with all the initials for the government departments!) I also found the plot unbelievable in places....again a case of the hero survives whatever happens.

First Baldacci book I've read in a while and I was intrigued after hearing a lot of heresay about the closeness to a certain Lee Child character when it came to John Puller, and I can kind of see some truth in that. That having been said, it means that if you're a Reacher fan, you'll probably like Puller also if you can look at him in a light other than a Reacher clone. It was a little to cliché at times for me, and not up to some previous ones by the same author. Won't put me off reading future releases by him, but not his best work.

Good holiday read.

I read some comments about Puller being too heroic. I didn’t see the credence in that though, considering he had to enlist the help of his brother, and he didn’t get the girl.

I feel for Sam though, was that really necessary? Surely she deserved a good ending.
Well I suppose that’s one of the aspects that make the story more tangible.

Anyway, good enjoyable read.
Thanks NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy.