Hard on the heels of Ian Rankin’s excellent The Complaints, I decided to have a go at an American “cop” novel. First Family had the added bonus (or so I thought) of being the first Baldacci I have read. I was at the beginning quite looking forward to the book, content that it Baldacci would live up to his much-hyped best-selling author image and come up with the goods.
Sadly this was not to be the case. Without giving too much away, First Family tells the story of a United States President who philanders too much. The ruthless First Lady has on occasion had to bail him out, not stopping even at arson and murder. His concern is his re-election, hers the same with the addition of her family, brought into sharp focus when a bitter old man whose daughter suffered at the hands of the President kidnaps the First Lady’s niece. That’s just about it, except to say the goodies win in the end.
It’s a bog standard thriller with no redeeming insights full of cardboard cut out characters. It also takes some time for the plot to become evident, which rather than creating suspense leaves the reader sometimes bewildered as to where the book is going. Oh, and there’s the obligatory violent finale, drenched in suspense, so beloved by this particular genre of American novels.
Suffice to say, I’m not rushing to pick up another Baldacci
