If you like your Baldacci books served up with generous helpings of action, and not a few dead bodies to emphasise the evil that our lead character Agent Pine is confronting, you won’t be disappointed by A Minute to Midnight. The book cleverly links a cold case with a current - and fast developing - current case. The cold case is deeply personal for FBI Agent Pine and leads her to begin an off the books investigation of her own. This soon throws up evidence of a dangerous serial killer who has suddenly become active in the town where Pine’s investigation is focused. There are false trails aplenty, whilst the pace builds satisfactorily as the book heads towards its dramatic denouement. An enjoyable tale - recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have read a number from David Baldacci and this didn't disappoint. Gritty story telling with enough intrigue and I enjoyed the strong female characters throughout. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys his work.

The Atlee Pine series shoots forward at breakneck speed with this second volume. This is a character with great potential for an ongoing series and Baldacci does her justice with a great plot. Atlee is still trying to solve the mystery of what happened the night she was attacked and her then six year old twin sister, Mercy, was abducted. Atlee’s journey takes her back to the town of Andersonville, the scene of Mercy’s disappearance. With her trusty assistant, Carol, in tow, Atlee starts digging around and finds that trouble seems to follow her as dead bodies start popping up and the mystery of that terrible night deepens.

The Atlee Pine series is clearly in it for the long haul. The mystery of her sister’s abduction is more complex than the author let on in the first book. There’s a lot more characters in this book and each one has a different perspective or nugget of information about Atlee’s family. Atlee is your classic loner law enforcer character but Baldacci is starting to show a few chinks in her emotional armour. Carol makes a perfect foil for her. There’s some really nice interplay between the two characters and she serves as a great sounding board for Atlee.

The main plot is a murder mystery which is pretty original. Atlee plays nice with local law enforcement as they try to solve the crime, all the while keeping one eye on her own mystery. Baldacci is an expert writer who juggles both plots with ease. This is a really enjoyable and absorbing book and must have for regular Baldacci readers and thriller fans in general. There’s obviously so much more to come from this series and I can’t wait for the next volume. Do yourself a favour and catch up on this excellent series without delay.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

New heroine read others in different series. Baldacci again drew another great character out of the hat. Brilliant series can’t wait for more.

This is the second in the Atlee Pine series, however I had not read the first and you do not need to in order to understand and enjoy this book. We are introduced to our main character, Atlee Pine, an FBI agent, who we find out had a twin sister who was abducted from the family home at the age of five, leaving Atlee herself with a fractured skull. This event has played such a big part of her life, that she finds herself wanting to hunt down practically all child abductors and serial killers who cross her path. This leads her to behaving in a way with such a criminal that she is asked to take 'leave' and take time to sort through some of her issues. She does this, and so finds herself back in her old home town, Andersonville, with her colleague Blum. What begins as an initial 'unofficial' investigation into the taking of her sister, it is not long before the town finds themselves at the hands of what seems like a serial killer. A small town that has known no such activities, pulls in more help from the FBI and so Agent Pine finds herself not only trying to discover what happened to her sister and family, but also involved in cracking the case of the subsequent murders. The murders in turn help her to unravel various parts of history of the town and of her own past. The story is well told, although the dialogue is slightly unoriginal at times, with a few usual stock type characters seen in many of Baldacci's books before. Whilst you find yourself wanting to find out the past of Atlee Pine with her, and who is behind the murders, for me the book really didn't pick up real pace until the latter part of the story where some of the action really begins. Whilst I enjoyed this story and would be inclined to read the next book in the series of Atlee Pine (if there is one in the making), to see if she does find out more of her family's past, you need to get past the stock characters and the dialogue that can somewhat seem a little uncreative at times. My thanks goes out to netgalley and Pan MacmIlan for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Baldacci's latest book.

I feel so glad that PanMacmillan and Netgalley gave me the opportunity to read this book by David Baldacci. It is well written and totally engrossing. Like other reviewers I found myself waking up at 2am, reaching for my Kindle and reading throughout the night until I had finished the book. I was then disappointed because it was finished and I wanted more!
There are so many twists and turns and the characters are really believable. I felt respect for the way in which Atlee Pine continues to deal with the trauma experienced in her early life. Please David Baldacci hurry up and write another book.

'FBI Agent Atlee Pine's life was never the same after her twin sister Mercy was kidnapped--and likely killed--thirty years ago.
Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum head back to Atlee's rural hometown in Georgia to see what they can uncover about the traumatic night Mercy was taken and Pine was almost killed. But soon after Atlee begins her investigation, a local woman is found ritualistically murdered, her face covered with a wedding veil--and the first killing is quickly followed by a second bizarre murder'
I enjoyed book 1 in the Atlee Pine series but this one was so much better. I was gripped to it from the beginning Atlee is a strong character and gets the job done. I enjoyed her looking for her twin and what went with the search. I will be picking up the next book in the series as soon as it comes out.

Superb read, incredibly easy to just pick up where Baldacci left off in the first book. Lee is such a believable character and although she's a little maverick and goes rogue every once in a while - you definitely want her fighting on the side of good v evil!

Her relationship with Carol grows throughout this second adventure and her ability to play nice with others is noticable in A Minute to Midnight. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and can't wait for a third adventure.

Baldacci answers a number of questions we as readers have with this follow up book but somehow manages to finish off leaving the reader with even more questions! Please hurry up and write another book in this series! I want to know what happens next!

Really good thriller. I hope there are more to come in this series. David Baldacci never disappoints. He always knows how to write a brilliant story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This time it’s personal for female FBI Agent Atlee Pine. She is looking for her sister, Mercy, and/or her abductor. It is an ice-cold case having happened thirty years earlier when the girls were both six. But Atlee is determined even when there is only A Minute to Midnight.

Atlee’s daddy is dead and she has lost touch with her mom. To finally be relieved of her survivor guilt, she decides to investigate the scene of the crime. After reaching her hometown of Andersonville, Georgia, now a civil war tourist attraction, Atlee and her assistant Carol are drawn into another local case. A serial killer is stalking the young woman of the town and posing them after death as World War II-era brides. Did Atlee’s interest in the old case cause the new slate of murders? If so, how are the two cases connected?

I have yet to be disappointed by a book by David Baldacci—and this book is no exception. It is twisty, atmospheric, fast-paced, and surprising. To avoid spoilers, it is hard to say more. But take my word for it, if you enjoy gripping thrillers with great plots and unique characters, please pick up A Minute to Midnight. You won’t be sorry. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Minute to Midnight is the second book in the Atlee Pine series where the FBI agent takes some personal leave to deal with an issue from her past. She goes back to her home town to begin investigating the disappearance of her sister 30 years ago but gets immediately drawn into a serial killer investigation. There are a good few twists in this story which I didn't see coming and which make the book a great thriller - right up to the last page. During the investigation Atlee works with the local law enforcement but also meets a character from her past which creates another layer to the story.

This is the second book featuring Atlee Pine who is an agent for the FBI, she also has a very traumatic personal history, when she was 6 years old, her twin sister was kidnapped and she was very badly injured and left for dead.

Atlee goes to visit a serial killer who was operating in the area nearly 30 years when the kidnapping occurred, after her visit,as she is driving an amber alert is issued and Atlee spots the car in the mentioned, after following the car there is a tussle, and Atlee beats and injures the suspect. It is suggested she take some time off, and so she returns to where the kidnapping occurs.

Atlee goes with her able admin assistant Carol, back to where it all began, she starts asking questions, there are some people who still remember her parents and she starts picking their brains.

A really good solid story, good characters, book flowed.

I look forward to the next one, recommended

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book early. In the second outing for Atlee Pine the story ramps up and gathers speed to quite a spectacular ending leaving room for many more chapters to be written. This book takes Atlee back to her childhood home to try and solve a mystery from her past. The writing is much slicker than the first attempt to introduce this character and I think it bodes well for subsequent books. More please !

Atlee Pine has becoming one of my favorite FBI agents fast. In “A minute to Midnight” Atlee keeps investigating the disappearance of her sister Mercy. To get a better understanding of the crime she goes back to her hometown, the town Mercy and Atlee grew up in. To help her with the investigation Blume follows Pine. The town holds more questions than answers and when part of the truth comes out, everything Atlee thought she knew about her life, her family proves to be lies, or half trues at best. Can’t wait to find out what really happened that night when Mercy got missing, presumed dead. The next book can’t come fast enough.

A Minute to Midnight is the second book in the FBI Agent Atlee Pine series, and this time the crime she's investigating hits a little too close to home. Although it's certainly preferable to have read the preceding book before delving into this one it isn't essential as Atlee's history and plenty of background is given. Atlee returns to the town of Andersonville, Georgia, which holds traumatic memories for her as it is where, when she was only six years old, she was brutally attacked and left for dead by a ruthless criminal who abducted her twin sister Mercy who has never been seen again. In the hope of finding something that was missed at the crime scene three decades earlier, she returns to it but she isn't alone as there is a killer prowling the area. I always look forward to Baldacci's thrillers because he never fails to deliver a heart-pounding, high-octane story with all the thrills and twisty reveals to keep you feverishly turning those pages, and this book is no exception.

This is a masterclass in how to keep a reader enthralled and captivated throughout and our heroine/protagonist is a very likeable person. She gets things done and there's no messing around. She is definitely one of my favourite characters in the crime genre with her no-bull attitude and her untrusting nature reminded me of myself a little. Both investigations run concurrently and where a lesser author could make this rather befuddling there is no confusion of any kind and it is so easy to follow. It is one of those books that you race through eager to find out what will happen and reading it in anything but a single nail-biting sitting is nigh on impossible. Once again Baldacci has surpassed himself, and this series will no doubt appeal to ardent, long-term fans and those new to his novels too. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan for an eARC via NetGalley of David Baldacci’s ‘A Minute to Midnight’ in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second in his series featuring FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine. I enjoyed the first in the series, ‘Long Road to Mercy’, and so was delighted to be invited to read this in advance.

‘My sister was abducted from here nearly thirty years ago. The person who took her was never found. And neither was she. Her abductor nearly killed me. So I’m back here now trying to find the truth.’

Atlee has returned to the small town of Andersonville, Georgia where this tragedy occurred. Alongside this personal quest she is drawn into a complex local murder investigation.

This proved to be another totally addictive crime thriller from Baldacci that had some great twists and turns while advancing Atlee’s character. I can hardly wait for more!

I’m a big fan of David Baldacci, so was really pleased to be able to read an advanced copy of this book, thanks to netgalley and Pan Macmillan. Atlee Pine is an FBI agent who has a traumatic past. Her twin sister Mercy was kidnapped, and Atlee left for dead when they were 6 years old. Mercy has never been found, dead or alive.
Their story starts in The Long Road To Mercy, the previous book featuring Atlee Pine. and continues in this one. Having been involved in a case that really got to her, she is sent off, with her admin assistant Carol Blum, to Andersonville, her childhood home, to try to find more clues as to what happened and why. Once there, Atlee and Carol get drawn into another murder, while still trying to follow up on Mercy’s kidnap.
This is a very well plotted and written book, fast paced, with enough twists and turns to keep you reading. The ending is unexpected, and I can’t wait to read the next in this series.

This is the second book to feature FBI agent Attlee Pine and it's a cracker of a sequel. The opening chapter, set in a Colorado super maximum security prison, pulled me right in. This is a really twisted thriller filled with suspense, tension and great characterisation. David Baldacci never disappoints and I can't wait to read the next installment. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I had heard great things about David Baldacci but until now I hadn't tried one of his books. I can now see what all the fuss is about. This was a great read with some subtle weaving together of the two main stories. Right up until the last chapter I had no idea who the killer was so I was kept in suspense to say the least. The truth about Attlee's family was even more shocking and I sincerely hope we will get the next instalment of her story soon.
My only complaint is a very minor one. . Attlee's relationship with Carol began as a professional one but the two have become so close that Atlee confides all her fears and problems to the older woman, sitting in her room until late at night. Carol seems to view Atlee as one of her children and in these circumstances there is no way Atlee would allow her friend to address her as Agent Pine. On duty, in their professional capacity certainly but not in private.

Another outstanding title from Mr. Baldacci and his second book featuring Atlee Pine.
Highly recommended for all fans of David Baldacci and his Atlee Pine series.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for kindly providing me an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.