Saving Faith (Signed)

Saving Faith (Signed) by Baldacci, David. Hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780684861647.

It sounds like a movie pitch: "The story is like Tom Clancy crossed with John Grisham set in the Washington D.C. political world." But David Baldaccis Saving Faith successfully fuses elements from both of these chart-busters in this political thriller spiced with techno-wizardry.The villain is a classic spy caricature: cold-war CIA super-patriot Robert Thornhill wants to reclaim the glory days of the Central Intelligence Agency--when money flowed like the Mississippi during a flood, and the FBI watched helplessly from the sidelines. Working from his secret underground bunker, he blackmails Danny Buchanan, one of the great Washington lobbyists, to front an enormous bribery scheme that will force Congress to bend to the CIAs whims. But Thornhills plan springs a leak: Buchanans assistant Faith Lockhart discovers her bosss dirty dealings, and she intends to expose the whole mess to Thornhills nemesis, the FBI. Thornhills associates attempt to assassinate Faith, but their bullet kills her FBI escort instead. Faith finds herself on the run with Lee Adams, a fit-and-trim PI who had been shadowing her at the behest of Buchanan. If all this sounds a bit confusing, it is at times. Baldacci works hard to keep the tension steadily rising, but it is sometimes difficult to remember why Faith and Lee cant just stop running and go for help. Nevertheless, they are very likable heroes, and Baldaccis depiction of the world of lobbyists and the internecine warfare of the FBI and CIA (complete with state-of-the-art spy gadgets and transmission-proof chambers) elevates the novel with details that can come only from careful research. --Patrick OKelley