A Review of David Baldacci's Book "Simple Genius"

When my wife and I lived in California, we enrolled in the Sierra Club’s Basic Mountaineering Course. In one session we went to the mountains and into the snow. We learned to Glissade (Which means to slide) . We would slide down the packed ice and snow on our stomachs, on our backs, head first and feet first. The object of the lesson was to teach us that in case we fell on the ice and snow how to stop ourselves using our feet, our hands elbows and our ice axe. When we were sliding down the mountain we discovered that it was thrilling, exciting and exhilarating. That’s how I feel when reading some books. We also took hikes along the beach in the soft sand. I liked that too but it took a lot more effort. That’s the way I feel about some of Mr. Baldacci’s books. I like them but the reading takes effort.

I found that Simple Genius is an easier read than other of My Baldacci’s books.  Simple Genius did not overwhelm me with a dizzying cast of characters, and I was able to keep track of them and the plot as I read.

Sean King, a partner in an Investigation services company, is in financial straits since he refused to take a substantial   fee from his client and former lover Joan Dillenger. for his last job.  Maxine Maxwell, his partner dealing with personal demons, in a foul mood , goes to a bar gets drunk and picks a fight with the biggest bruiser in the saloon. This time, however, she has picked someone who is a match for her and is severely beaten. To keep her out of jail, Sean pressures her into admitting herself to inpatient therapy with another colleague, Horatio Barnes.

Meanwhile, Joan Dillenger has persuaded Sean to take on what she believes to be a simple well paying investigation into the death of a math genius named Monk Turing. He is a descendent of Alan Turing of WWII Bletchley Park, Code Breaker fame and works for a mysterious Think Tank named Babbage Park.

The supposedly simple investigation escalates into a huge mystery involving:  the CIA, the FBI, some clandestine private entrepreneurs, Middle Eastern warlords and illegal drug traffic. There are several murders and Sean is attacked and shot at. Maxine signs herself out of therapy to try and protect King.  She befriends an autistic teenager who is a mathematics savant and who turns out to hold he key to the whole mystery surrounding Camp Peary, a CIA installation, Babbage Town, secret midnight flights, and planes carrying passengers in Middle Eastern dress and large plastic covered bundles .

King ad Maxwell marshal a number of resources: Maxine’s therapist, former lovers, current adversaries, and government agencies to get to the bottom of the  plot and solve the mystery of the death of Monk Turing.

This is an intriguing plot inspired by real world concerns and made plausible by Mr. Baldacci’s ability to create interesting characters and assemble a complicated plot. The combination keeps the reader turning pages in order to find the answers.

I found some of the situations and some activities of agencies and private groups to be wildly speculative but we suspend our disbelief and allow Mr. Baldacci his poetic license for our enjoyment

A review of JamesPatterson's Book "Private"

Reading a James Patterson book is like pointing your skis downhill on an expert slope, pushing off and flying down the mountain out of control unable to stop and loving it.

In Private, Jack Morgan is the owner of “Private Investigations” a multinational firm whose clients include the wealthiest, the most influential and the most powerful and perhaps the most dangerous. He and his firm have discovered and possess secrets that might make huge corporations and even some countries collapse. Jack is suddenly pulled from escorting a Hollywood A-list actress on the red carpet of a big premier to be informed that a friend, former lover and wife of a longtime buddy has been murdered.

He is allowed to aid Los Angeles Police on the case and as a result becomes embroiled with childhood abduction and murder and an NFL scandal. In addition, Morgan is haunted by a stalker who phones him regularly. His firm is also awash with former lovers having affairs with other members of the firm and public officials.  Jack is in a serious relationship with his personal assistant and a long time family feud with his twin brother continues, On top of this entire mess Jack anguishes nightly over an incident that happened in Afghanistan while he was a Marine helicopter pilot.

Morgan and his crew use a 5 year old murder case and the 5 year old testimony of an 11 year old girl to solve a series of current childhood abduction and murder cases. Morgan’s Uncle Fred calls on family loyalty to get Jack to investigate some unusual scores and referee calls in the NFL. The NFL investigation gets connected to his friend’s murder and his poking around riles some Las Vegas mobsters. This almost gets Jack killed before he is rescued by his former copilot and colleague Dick Del Rio.

The action is fast paced and the characters are interesting and engaging. I wish however the men were not so damned handsome and fatally attractive to women. Give us normal guys a break Mr. Patterson. Patterson and his co-author Maxine Paetro resolve the situations in a plausible manner and one of Jack’s colleagues puts a period on the solution of the murder of Jack’s friend and former lover.

I’m a fan of Mr. Patterson’s short paragraphs. I believe his awards and accolades are well deserved. Private is another winner in James Patterson’ long line of successful books.

Federal Crime Fighters; The FBI

The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is only one of several federal organizations that fight crime in the US. Its job is confined by law to the United States but it does have "legal attaches" at US embassies in foreign countries. The FBI is part of the US Department of Justice who's leader is the US Attorney General. It has 33,652 employees , 13,249 of whom are sworn agents and has an annual budget of $7.9 billion.

The mission of the FBI is to protect the United States against terrrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States and to provide leadershipand criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal and international partners and agencies.

The motto of the FBI is "Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity".

The priorities of the FBI are:
1. Protect the United States from terrorist attacks.
2. Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage.
3. Protect the United States against cyber-based attack and high technology crimes.
4. Combat public corruption at all levels.
5. Protect Civil Rights.
6. Combat transnational/national criminal organizations and enterprises.
7. Combat major white collar crime.
8. Combat significant violent crime.
9. Support federal, local and international partners.
10. Upgrade technology for successful performance of the FBI's mission.

The FBI operates 56 field offices in major US cities and maintains 400 resident agents in smaller cities as well as 50 "legal attaches" in US embassies.

To become an FBI agnet an applicant must be between the ages of 23 and 37(There arre some exceptiions), be a citizen of the US, have a clean record and a four year bachelor's degree.  In addition, potential agents must qualify for a TS (Top Secret) security clearance and be able to pass a physical fitness test. Successful applicants must complete a 21 week training course at the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia.

Update on the Case of the 36 Stabbing by Scissors

Muskogee, Oklahoma: First degree murder charges have been filed Tuesday, Nov. 12 against Aaron Michael Laconsello who is accused of stabbing Dakota Lane, 4, with a pair of scissors 36 times. Laconsello was arrested 1 1/2 hours after the attack and is being held in the Muskogee County Jail without bail. He is in isolation and on suicide watch. Investigators have not been able to establish a motive for the attack. Muskogee officials have not been able to find any connection between the Lane family and Laconsello. Laconsello had been living on the same streeet as the Lanes and investigators seem to think it is a "random stranger" murder, a horrible tragic incident. Records indicate that Laconsello had been convicted of trespassing and public intoxication near Northeastern State University in Tahlequah and was chargedi
Cherokee County, on the day of the attack with driver inattention, driving without a license and driving without insurance.

Jarrel Wade, Tulsa World, Nov 12, 2010

How Do Honest, Trustworthy People Become Theives and Embezzelers

Usually the person who would normally never think of doing anything dishonest is placed in a disparate financial situation: an illness, aged parent, disabled spouse, a troubled child. That , combined with an innocent mistake or accident sets the crime in motion.

Let's say an office manager who is responsible for taking payments and making deposits is overwhelmed one day by incidents in the work place and innocently forgets to include cash in the daily deposits. The cash sets in the desk drawer for the weekend or some days and no one has noticed or made comments. The office manager discovers the cash and thinks about corrrecting the mistake but also thinks about all that cash that no one has noticed. After a few more days of no commnets the office manager takes the cash to pay off a bullying  debt collector or a medical bill vowing to replace the money. But, as life would have it, the financial situations worsens and soon the office manager is skimming cash on a regular basis. It goes on for months perhaps years and thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars are missing until an auditor discovers the descrepencies.

Catoosa Embezzlement Scandal

Former municipal court clerk Phyllis Matthews was named in a special state audit report. The report alleged that more than $48,000 in City Court funds were embezzled over a 40 month period. Auditors reported that a cash-check replacement scheme was carried out by voiding traffic citations and then inserting the checks and money orders into deposits and removing the corresponding amount of cash. In 24 cases, the citations had been voided by the court clerks computer system and the receipts issued by Matthews. Matthews was a 17 year employee of the court and a trusted employee. The mayor also indicated that he thought that there was in place a system of couble checks to avoid a scheme like this one. The auditiors pointed out however, that it is hard to detect unless you're actually looking for it. The cash drawers always balanced at the end of the day but the scheme of substituting and voiding checks was missed. The municipality is working to install and electronic system that would prevent  a person from touching, deleting or voiding a ticket. No criminal charges have been file against Ms. Matthews but the City of Catoosa has filed a civil suit against her in connection with the embesslement scheme.

Appalling Violence Among Teenagers

College Park, Georgia:

On Sunday, November 1, 2010, Bobby Tillman, a smiling and seemingly happy 18 year old was attacked and killed at a home party. Investigators say that he was stomped, kicked, and punched to death. Tillman apparently became a target after a fight broke out at  the party in the Atlanta susburb of Douglasville. Four men are being held and have been charged with the boy's death.

Yale Michigan: Seventeen Year Old Girl Accused of Stabbing Parents.

Two inturders wearing Halloween masks entered the home of Paul and Sara Skinner through a bedroom window, Thursday Nov. 11, 2010. They killed the husband and seriously wounded the wife. A factor in the attack may have been the parents disapproval of a relationship between their 17 year old adopted daughter and a boy friend.  The daughter and two males ages 18 and 19 are in custody while the investigation continues.