First Family by David Baldacci

Judy chose the book and hosted the meeting.

This book was chosen by Judy because Baldacci is one of her favorite authors. It was a comfortable, fast, summer read. Carol M. observed that it would have been a great beach read if she had only been on a beach. David Baldacci has written nineteen books. All have become national and international bestsellers. He lives in Virginia with his wife Michelle and their two children.

Our discussion centered on the book’s characters. Each of us was given a character to assess which led to storyline discussions. Many of the people in the book were disliked, the charismatic president, Dan Cox, and his deceitful wife, Jane, Jane’s lying, cheating brother, Tuck and his sleazy girl, Cassandra. Sam Quarry was certainly one to be despised but, at times, we did have compassion for him. The children, Gabriel and Willa, were the bright spots. They were intelligent, logical and both brought out the best in Sam. Our heroes, Sean and Michelle were likable and good together. As always, some questions arose. Why did the author treat the mothers as he did? We felt it odd that Frank Maxwell took pictures of license plates to try to catch the murderer instead of be with his wife. Some even thought the whole sidebar storyline of Michelle's mother’s murder was unnecessary.

Overall the book was well-received. It was difficult to figure out and certainly kept one’s attention, and was written so it was not easy to put down. Many in the group had never read a Baldacci book and were anxious to read more. At the end of the meeting, we had a round robin get-to-know-you activity called “Tell us about” where we pulled a topic to talk about and answered with personal views or history. It was enlightening and many want to do it again.

Author's website: http://davidbaldacci.com/