I’ve read much better by Baldacci and was disappointed that I had a hard time getting into this novel. Admittedly, some stories are difficult that way, trying to understand the plot and the introduction of new characters. In this case, I found way too much fluff and back story, to the point that I had to skim ahead through the first quarter of the book.
Granted, some history and back story go to character development, but I don’t believe we need to know how a certain character behaved in grade school if it has nothing to do with the overall plot. Having said that, I found the characters in Saving Faith likeable. And having said that, personally, I found some of their actions and dialogue a bit sappy and unlikely in the real world.
Maybe I’m being a bit critical but that is what reviews are all about. Baldacci acknowledges certain professionals who aided him in his research and the writing of this book. If that’s the case then I have to wonder if perhaps they were holding back or what world they are living in. I see the book was written in 1999 and I know for a fact the world was not such a gentile place back then.
The book does get better in the second half, but with the exception of one nice twist, it was very predictable.