Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Grand Central Publishing (2014), 576 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:In this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller, when two former Secret Service agents investigate a message from a soldier who was supposedly killed, they're determined to protect his son...even if they pay for it with their lives.It seems at first like a simple, tragic story. Tyler Wingo, a teenage boy, learns the awful news that his father, a soldier, was killed in action in Afghanistan. Then the extraordinary happens: Tyler receives a communication from his father...after his supposed death. Tyler hires Sean and Michelle to solve the mystery surrounding his father. But their investigation quickly leads to deeper, more troubling questions. Could Tyler's father really still be alive? What was his true mission? Could Tyler be the next target? Sean and Michelle soon realize that they've stumbled on to something bigger and more treacherous than anyone could have imagined. And as their hunt for the truth leads them relentlessly to the highest levels of power and to uncovering the most clandestine of secrets, Sean and Michelle are determined to help and protect Tyler�??though they may pay for it with their liv… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member sunnydrk
I was excited to see another David Baldacci book was out as I truly enjoy his novels. King and Maxwell continues the story of Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, ex-Secret Service agents, now PIs. As usual, they get involved in a case that has them trying to clear someone's name, while staying alive.
Show More
While primarily an action book, Mr. Baldacci manages to weave in personality traits that bring the characters off the pages. He also does a good job of continuing to sprinkle in just enough to make us see the relationships that made these characters who they are today. Show Less
LibraryThing member GingerCrinkle
As with other Baldacci books, this is fast paced and more than a little preposterous. But, it's definitely a page-turner. Slightly disappointed that after 6 books in the series, there wasn't more development between King and Maxwell. But perhaps the "will they / won't they" is what keeps readers
Show More
interested. Overall, more of the same from DB. Show Less
LibraryThing member glichman
Sam Wingo had a mission. Drive a truck across Afghanistan and deliver its forty-eight hundred pounds of cargo. But, as one might expect, it's easier said than done. When he arrives at his destination, the recipient wasn't who he expected. Instead, a group of men identifying themselves as CIA
Meanwhile, in Northern Virginia, private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell nearly run over Tyler, a teenager running in the road during a rainstorm. The boy was distraught, running from home after learning of the death of his father, a soldier in Afghanistan: Sam Wingo. But when he receives an email from his father, after the time of his supposed death, he suspects there is more to the story, and hires King and Maxwell to look into it.
Tyler's suspicions are correct, and the more King and Maxwell look into the death of Sam Wingo the Army warns them off the case, followed by the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI. But what starts as Michelle's desire to help Tyler, and by extension help heal her own emotional wounds, turns into Sean's desire to solve a case that has the makings of an international incident that could disrupt an entire region and involve the United States President in a potentially unrecoverable scandal.
King and Maxwell is the sixth book in a series by David Baldacci featuring the two Private Investigators, both disgraced former Secret Service Agents. Baldacci has been a favorite of mine since I read Last Man Standing over a decade ago, and he did not disappointed with King and Maxwell. I enjoy the relationship of the two protagonists. Sean is older, more experienced and diplomatic, with a career full of contacts throughout Washington; Michelle is youthful, full of energy, bold, sometimes rash, and extremely physically fit. But they work well together, each generally using their strengths towards the mission. There is an obvious mutual attraction between Sean and Michelle, and although it hardly dominates, I look forward to their relationship progressing in future books.
The ghosts that haunt Sean and Michelle clearly motivate them throughout the book, but I can see it being difficult for those not familiar with the characters to understand why. Baldacci mentioned that Michelle had been inured while they were working on a high profile case, how each had saved the other's life many times, and that they left the Secret Service after personal and professional failures. However, even minor details of those events were not explained for readers new to the series or whose memory of the previous books is a lacking. It might have been more helpful and less intrusive to dedicate a paragraph or two to a summary of Sean's and Michelle's past so readers could appreciate the history of the relationship. The smaller but seemingly constant reminders throughout the book were effective at demonstrating their dedication, but failed to explain its origin.
In King and Maxwell, the antagonist is haunted by the death of his parents, which he blamed on a government scandal decades earlier. When he learned of an opportunity to avenge those deaths, he took it. Although I don't know if it was Baldacci's intent, the story could be a warning about the far reaching implications of the actions of those in power. Decisions made on a large scale, considering only the bigger picture, have consequences on individuals, too. Recklessly making decisions with without consideration of those viewed as inconsequential, especially if those decisions are more about preserving political power at the expense of others, could create problems that are far reaching and unpredictable.
King and Maxwell accomplished what many thrillers have difficulty with: a fast paced story that is well told combined with strong, consistent, well developed, dynamic characters.
Show More
operatives told him the plans had changed, and he's to deliver his cargo to them. Despite his orders to destroy it, along with himself and anyone else in the blast radius, Wingo decides he'd like to play it out and live to fight another day. But when he contacts his superior to explain the missing cargo and that he's alive, he's suspected of double crossing the government and stealing the truck's contents. Meanwhile, in Northern Virginia, private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell nearly run over Tyler, a teenager running in the road during a rainstorm. The boy was distraught, running from home after learning of the death of his father, a soldier in Afghanistan: Sam Wingo. But when he receives an email from his father, after the time of his supposed death, he suspects there is more to the story, and hires King and Maxwell to look into it.
Tyler's suspicions are correct, and the more King and Maxwell look into the death of Sam Wingo the Army warns them off the case, followed by the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI. But what starts as Michelle's desire to help Tyler, and by extension help heal her own emotional wounds, turns into Sean's desire to solve a case that has the makings of an international incident that could disrupt an entire region and involve the United States President in a potentially unrecoverable scandal.
King and Maxwell is the sixth book in a series by David Baldacci featuring the two Private Investigators, both disgraced former Secret Service Agents. Baldacci has been a favorite of mine since I read Last Man Standing over a decade ago, and he did not disappointed with King and Maxwell. I enjoy the relationship of the two protagonists. Sean is older, more experienced and diplomatic, with a career full of contacts throughout Washington; Michelle is youthful, full of energy, bold, sometimes rash, and extremely physically fit. But they work well together, each generally using their strengths towards the mission. There is an obvious mutual attraction between Sean and Michelle, and although it hardly dominates, I look forward to their relationship progressing in future books.
The ghosts that haunt Sean and Michelle clearly motivate them throughout the book, but I can see it being difficult for those not familiar with the characters to understand why. Baldacci mentioned that Michelle had been inured while they were working on a high profile case, how each had saved the other's life many times, and that they left the Secret Service after personal and professional failures. However, even minor details of those events were not explained for readers new to the series or whose memory of the previous books is a lacking. It might have been more helpful and less intrusive to dedicate a paragraph or two to a summary of Sean's and Michelle's past so readers could appreciate the history of the relationship. The smaller but seemingly constant reminders throughout the book were effective at demonstrating their dedication, but failed to explain its origin.
In King and Maxwell, the antagonist is haunted by the death of his parents, which he blamed on a government scandal decades earlier. When he learned of an opportunity to avenge those deaths, he took it. Although I don't know if it was Baldacci's intent, the story could be a warning about the far reaching implications of the actions of those in power. Decisions made on a large scale, considering only the bigger picture, have consequences on individuals, too. Recklessly making decisions with without consideration of those viewed as inconsequential, especially if those decisions are more about preserving political power at the expense of others, could create problems that are far reaching and unpredictable.
King and Maxwell accomplished what many thrillers have difficulty with: a fast paced story that is well told combined with strong, consistent, well developed, dynamic characters.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rufusraider
King and Maxwell is another excellent novel by David Baldacci. This is another novel about Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, two former Secret Service agents who now operate a private detective agency.
The story starts off with an Army sergeant delivering a truck loaded with a large package somewhere
King and Maxwell come across the son as he is fleeing his home after being told about his dad dying. He hires them to find out more about his dad and what happened. This is the start of a very well told story of getting the son back together with his dad and stopping a revenge killing. The story is very fast paced, with plenty of twists and turns. The surprises keep coming right up the final chapters.
The story starts off with an Army sergeant delivering a truck loaded with a large package somewhere
Show More
in Afghanistan. He arrives at the delivery point but is met by some people claiming to be from the CIA , not the expected recipients. He escapes with his life using a deadman switch to keep from destroying the delivery. He then starts his escape from Afghanistan. His 16 year old son and his second wife are told he has been killed on a mission.King and Maxwell come across the son as he is fleeing his home after being told about his dad dying. He hires them to find out more about his dad and what happened. This is the start of a very well told story of getting the son back together with his dad and stopping a revenge killing. The story is very fast paced, with plenty of twists and turns. The surprises keep coming right up the final chapters.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mikedraper
King and Maxwell help a teenage boy who refuses to believe when army officials tell the boy his father was killed in Afghanistan.
We learn that the boy's father was to deliver one billion euros to a destination but something went wrong and someone else took the money, then the boy's father was
King and Maxwell do a good job in getting to the bottom of this even after they were warned off the case by the army and a man from homeland security.
The story got off to a slow start but then picked up. I thought the characters were good but somewhat stereotypical.
We learn that the boy's father was to deliver one billion euros to a destination but something went wrong and someone else took the money, then the boy's father was
Show More
accused of stealing it.King and Maxwell do a good job in getting to the bottom of this even after they were warned off the case by the army and a man from homeland security.
The story got off to a slow start but then picked up. I thought the characters were good but somewhat stereotypical.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Judiex
Tyler Wingo’s father Sam, who resigned the Army after nineteen years of service, was reported killed in action a year later while on special assignment as an Army reservist in Afghanistan trying to deliver a 4800 pound package. His son, sixteen-year-old Tyler, doesn’t believe the Army’s
The plot leads us through a long-standing grudge, military corruption, an elaborate cover-up with international importance, and an effort to commit an electronic-based crime previously unattempted. There are a lot of twists trying to determine who to trust and who not to trust as well as King and Maxwell’s attempts to gain cooperation from some high placed government officials including the President.
Sean meets up with Dana, his ex-wife who is now married to a two-star general, and the team works with computer genius, Edgar.
David Baldacci has his usual heavy-handed assaults and lots of deaths but without much gore. There are a few inconsistencies: A person trying to stay hidden would not sit in a room without locking the door. More than four people can fit into a four-seated car. There are also more repetitions than necessary, especially regarding the motive of the villain and Michelle’s previous injury.
Baldacci fans, whether from his books or the tv series, will feel at home reading KING AND MAXWELL. Others may want to see what they’ve been missing.
Show More
stories. Believing his father is still alive, he hires private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, former Secret Service agents, to help him learn the truth.The plot leads us through a long-standing grudge, military corruption, an elaborate cover-up with international importance, and an effort to commit an electronic-based crime previously unattempted. There are a lot of twists trying to determine who to trust and who not to trust as well as King and Maxwell’s attempts to gain cooperation from some high placed government officials including the President.
Sean meets up with Dana, his ex-wife who is now married to a two-star general, and the team works with computer genius, Edgar.
David Baldacci has his usual heavy-handed assaults and lots of deaths but without much gore. There are a few inconsistencies: A person trying to stay hidden would not sit in a room without locking the door. More than four people can fit into a four-seated car. There are also more repetitions than necessary, especially regarding the motive of the villain and Michelle’s previous injury.
Baldacci fans, whether from his books or the tv series, will feel at home reading KING AND MAXWELL. Others may want to see what they’ve been missing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member delphimo
The Maxwell and King series is very interesting, and disturbs me when reading about what the government really does. Again, I feel that the main character(s) are a little unrealistic in their abilities. The language flows well, and the story line remains constant. The people seem too trusting,
Show More
especially the children. Baldacci inserts many facts and data into the story that seem overwhelming, at times. This is not a story for individuals who like a fast read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sable677
I had read and enjoyed a book in this series before, and having really enjoyed the King and Maxwell TV show last summer, I definitely wanted to check out this book. Baldacci delivers a fast paced, thrilling tale that keeps the reader on their toes from the very beginning. I really enjoyed the
Received a copy of King and Maxwell through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Show More
book's short chapters which remind me of James Patterson's books because it kept the action really moving. Sean and Michelle are still facing the ramifications of their last case which had Michelle nearly dying when they get pulled into a case because of a young teenage boy they both grow to care about. A simple case of trying to find out how a boy's father died turns into so much more when the "dead" father contacts his son. I really enjoyed how Baldacci pulled in his secondary characters like Edgar, Tyler, Kathy, Sam, and even Sean's ex-wife and made the reader care about what happened to them as well. The book is full of many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing, and I think both old and new fans will really enjoy it. Baldacci really knows how to deliver top notch thrills, and I look forward to reading more books in this series.Received a copy of King and Maxwell through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member caseycycling
I am a fan of Baldacci's Camel Club series, and have enjoyed the previous books from the King and Maxwell series. My enjoyment did not extend to the self titled King and Maxwell book. The story was bland at best, and I found that midway through instead of being excited and wanting to know the
The plot seemed interesting; a solider on a top secret mission in the middle east is reported dead to his family, but he sends an email to his son after he is reported KIA. This part of the story had potential to be interesting/thrilling (it ultimately was not). My problem is with the antagonist. For a good mystery novel you need a good bad guy or girl to drive the action, and this book comes up severely lacking in that department. The whole back story of the antagonist is weak, his plan/plot is weak, his ultimate goal once revealed is silly, and the list just continues.
In previous books King and Maxwell have proven to be interesting characters, and I would recommended any of these as a good read. If you want a good mystery/thriller from Baldacci read any of his books from the Camel Club series. Just stay away from King and Maxwell...
Show More
outcome I really did not care. If this was the first Baldacci book I had read it would probably be my last.The plot seemed interesting; a solider on a top secret mission in the middle east is reported dead to his family, but he sends an email to his son after he is reported KIA. This part of the story had potential to be interesting/thrilling (it ultimately was not). My problem is with the antagonist. For a good mystery novel you need a good bad guy or girl to drive the action, and this book comes up severely lacking in that department. The whole back story of the antagonist is weak, his plan/plot is weak, his ultimate goal once revealed is silly, and the list just continues.
In previous books King and Maxwell have proven to be interesting characters, and I would recommended any of these as a good read. If you want a good mystery/thriller from Baldacci read any of his books from the Camel Club series. Just stay away from King and Maxwell...
Show Less
LibraryThing member LivelyLady
King and Maxwell, two former Secret Service agents, are now private investigators. Their lives are changed after they find a teen running through the street at night with an antique pistol. The story is action packed til the last chapter. Good escape reading!
LibraryThing member labdaddy4
Another fast paced - easy to read book by the author. I very much like the characters and their relationship and find it interesting to see the evolution over the course of 6 novels with them as the primary characters. The character "Edgar" is great and I hope his role in this series continues to
Show More
expand. The premise of a cyber-based revenge plot was interesting in the way in incorporated the latest technology. Show Less
LibraryThing member nilbett
Excellent reading! First time I have read David Baldacci. A good team and a good well written story.
LibraryThing member JudithDCollins
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell (ex-secret service agents) which are now PIs. They find themselves representing a young teenage boy to help find his father. (Tyler believes he is still alive even though the military says different). Maxwell is drawn to Tyler are approached by a teenage boy and King
Show More
is not so sure. Of course, as usual this is a high profile case surrounded by danger and secrets and nothing is simple as always leads to a wider conspiracy. Full of twists and turns with much action, danger and suspense. The audio version was engrossing as Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy never disappoints. Show Less
LibraryThing member seasidereader
It's a silly but fun thriller with absurd tech premises.
LibraryThing member Kathy89
King and Maxwell see a teenage boy running in the street in the rain with a gun – this begins their case. His father is military and has been killed in action. Stories start spreading that he stole a million Euros from the government and when into hiding. The son, Tyler, doesn’t believe it and
Show More
hires Sean and Michelle to prove he was set-up and to find him. They run into all kinds of government bureaucracy and cover-ups. Sean even goes to ex-wife to ask her to help. Show Less
LibraryThing member sandra.k.heinzman
Not my favorite Baldacci, but still a good thriller. I listened to the audio version and I don't know if it was the narrators or the dialog itself that seemed a bit off to me. It almost seemed juvenile at times, and not the usual Baldacci. But the story engaged me and left me anxious to hear what
Show More
was going to happen each time I had to stop until the next time (I only listen to/from work, in the car). I recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member sandra.k.heinzman
Not my favorite Baldacci, but still a good thriller. I listened to the audio version and I don't know if it was the narrators or the dialog itself that seemed a bit off to me. It almost seemed juvenile at times, and not the usual Baldacci. But the story engaged me and left me anxious to hear what
Show More
was going to happen each time I had to stop until the next time (I only listen to/from work, in the car). I recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member sandra.k.heinzman
Not my favorite Baldacci, but still a good thriller. I listened to the audio version and I don't know if it was the narrators or the dialog itself that seemed a bit off to me. It almost seemed juvenile at times, and not the usual Baldacci. But the story engaged me and left me anxious to hear what
Show More
was going to happen each time I had to stop until the next time (I only listen to/from work, in the car). I recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member sandra.k.heinzman
Not my favorite Baldacci, but still a good thriller. I listened to the audio version and I don't know if it was the narrators or the dialog itself that seemed a bit off to me. It almost seemed juvenile at times, and not the usual Baldacci. But the story engaged me and left me anxious to hear what
Show More
was going to happen each time I had to stop until the next time (I only listen to/from work, in the car). I recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member sandra.k.heinzman
Not my favorite Baldacci, but still a good thriller. I listened to the audio version and I don't know if it was the narrators or the dialog itself that seemed a bit off to me. It almost seemed juvenile at times, and not the usual Baldacci. But the story engaged me and left me anxious to hear what
Show More
was going to happen each time I had to stop until the next time (I only listen to/from work, in the car). I recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member buffalogr
This was my favorite book in the series. The story was great and the sound effects enhanced narration brought it all to life. The plot was intertwined with national actors, including POTUS...he was a good guy. The characters were pretty well fleshed out and the reader knows all of them pretty well
Show More
by the end of the book. What seems well researched, may well be made up, but I couldn't tell that from personal experience. Baldacci seems to increase the tension with writing style, sometimes frustrating if the listen is interrupted. My last book in the series, adios K&M. Show Less
LibraryThing member lamour
Michelle Maxwell and Sean King are private eyes in Washington, DC. One night they find a teenage boy named Tyler Wingo running in the rain with a gun in his hand. They stop to help him and find he has just learned that his father has been killed in Afghanistan. However, shortly after he receives an
Soon the two PI's are up to their necks in intrigue and military type individuals try to kill them. Is the father a traitor or has he been set up to lose over four tons of Euros?
Some of the story is just a bit far fetched but it is a fast and entertaining read.
Show More
email from his father that he is alive but on the run. Soon the two PI's are up to their necks in intrigue and military type individuals try to kill them. Is the father a traitor or has he been set up to lose over four tons of Euros?
Some of the story is just a bit far fetched but it is a fast and entertaining read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member AnnieMod
Michelle Maxwell is still recovering from her injuries from the last case although she claims she is fully recovered. She and Sean King are driving in a pretty severe storm when they almost hit a teenager. The boy is distracted because he was just told that his father died in Afghanistan and our
And then things go really weird - Tyler gets an email that cannot exist, King and Maxwell are warned to stay away in no uncertain terms and we see the father alive and well in Afghanistan - with everyone trying to find him. And the chase to discover the truth is on - even Edgar shows up a few times. And everything start pointing towards another huge conspiracy - while Tyler is trying to prove that his father is not a traitor, the father tries to stay alive and Maxwell and King try to stay alive and free.
I've missed the pair of detectives and the novel was as full of suspense as the rest in the series. But by now they have so many helpers and they get lucky so much that you know nothing will happen to them. Nothing changing their life/dead status anyway. Which makes the novels a bit less exciting - not that the other characters do not get in enough problems though.
Show More
favorite pair of private detectives decides to escort the boy home and to confiscate his gun just in case - the gun he had been waving around when they almost ran him with their car. And then things go really weird - Tyler gets an email that cannot exist, King and Maxwell are warned to stay away in no uncertain terms and we see the father alive and well in Afghanistan - with everyone trying to find him. And the chase to discover the truth is on - even Edgar shows up a few times. And everything start pointing towards another huge conspiracy - while Tyler is trying to prove that his father is not a traitor, the father tries to stay alive and Maxwell and King try to stay alive and free.
I've missed the pair of detectives and the novel was as full of suspense as the rest in the series. But by now they have so many helpers and they get lucky so much that you know nothing will happen to them. Nothing changing their life/dead status anyway. Which makes the novels a bit less exciting - not that the other characters do not get in enough problems though.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Carol420
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are driving through a storm when they nearly hit a teenage boy wandering the highway in the dark. The army had just told him that his father has been killed in Afghanistan. When they take him home it is clear that Tyler is on his own as there is no love lost with his
Tyler doesn't believe that his father is dead and hires King and Maxwell to find out more about his father's death. He tells them he is concerned because he has been told by the Army that there will be no casket as his father's remains are not recognizable. What Tyler doesn't tell them is that he has received a carefully worded email with a coded message from his father - sent after his death.
This is well written, fast paced, and filled with some interesting twists. The banter between King and Maxwell is witty and clever. I will admit that I am a bit prejudice when it come to this series as it is one of my favorites, but David Baldacci has delivered another "can't put it down" novel.
Show More
stepmother.Tyler doesn't believe that his father is dead and hires King and Maxwell to find out more about his father's death. He tells them he is concerned because he has been told by the Army that there will be no casket as his father's remains are not recognizable. What Tyler doesn't tell them is that he has received a carefully worded email with a coded message from his father - sent after his death.
This is well written, fast paced, and filled with some interesting twists. The banter between King and Maxwell is witty and clever. I will admit that I am a bit prejudice when it come to this series as it is one of my favorites, but David Baldacci has delivered another "can't put it down" novel.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jimgysin
Once you get past the major random coincidence that gets the ball rolling in this one, you’re in for a typically fun Baldacci outing. At the same time, the motivation of the Big Bad Guy is shaky, and his method and target of revenge is just plain silly as he makes things as complicated and
Show More
expensive for himself as humanly possible, it would seem. Why can’t evil geniuses ever keep things simple? Show Less
Awards
Virginia Literary Awards (Winner — 2014)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013-11-05
Physical description
7.45 inches
ISBN
9781455521296