Michelle Maxwell presents herself from page one of "Simple Genius" as a woman determined to live life dangerously and take what it offers, no matter the price. Michelle is a woman who is strong in character, and in body, but not so strong in spirit, as it becomes apparent early on in the book that her destructive ways may be linked to something she is fighting from her past. Sean, a man closer to Michelle than any other, knows her well, but not enough to stop Michelle from nearly destroying not only her future but herself in the process. Michelle finds herself after a particularly violent barroom brawl, at Reston, an institution where she has been placed "for her own good," categorized as "suicidal" in a program that Michelle hesitates to go along with. Horatio, a psychologist assigned to her case, tries to discover what drove her to violence but encounters much resistance from Michelle, slowing down not only her progress but frustrating Horatio as well. During her stay, she meets up and befriends a woman named Sandy who has problems of her own. Seeing an attendant by the name of Barry wandering the hallways of Reston late at night and getting a 'bad feeling" about him, causes Michelle to start investigating Barry and his true reason for being there, one which she believes is far different than that of "helping" the residents. As she continues her investigation, Sean is off on one of his own in a place called Babbage Town where a man named Monk was found murdered. Apparently Babbage town is some sort of "think tank" and the investigation is much more difficult than Sean originally thought. Upon his arrival, he is faced with intrigue, mystery and untold secrets, all of which he needs to uncover to get to the heart of the murder of Monk. As the book continues we find Michelle's strong nature and keen instinct to be just what was needed to uncover Barry's true identity and reason for being at Reston, as well as a secret Sandy has been hiding which has consumed her to the point of self-destruction. After accomplishing her goal of exposing Barry and helping Sandy, Michelle leaves Reston to join Sean at Babbage Town. While there, they meet and become close to Monks daughter Viggie, a beautiful yet odd child of incredible talents. Her math aptitude is beyond normal comprehension and her musical talent for composition and performance is far beyond the norm. In short this is one amazing child, but a child nonetheless with a secret that only Michelle can help uncover. Viggie holds the key to Monk's death and to secrets of what is going on in and around Babbage Town, knowledge someone wants to know as badly as Michelle and Sean want to protect Viggie. What happens next in the book can only be experienced to completely appreciate, but this reader will say that this book is never ending in excitement, intrigue and close encounters with dangerous individuals focused upon their own agendas to the point of destroying any and all who get in their way. An exciting and fast-paced book from start to finish, with many twists and turns along the way, "Simple Genius" is one of those books where the reader can truly lose oneself in the moment to the point of blocking out all other stimuli. David Baldacci has captured not only the reckless spirit of Michelle, the introspection of Horatio and the keen insight of Sean but he has also captured the innocence mixed with true genius of Viggie and how her brilliance plays into the storyline and finalizRead full review
Thanks for the speedy delivery of the book! The book was in very good shape and surprisingly was in large print - easier to read when traveling in the car! The book was very much enjoyed! I met the author recently and listen to how he developed the characters in this particular novel - it made the book just that much more enjoyable! THANKS!
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