Altee Pine is a very successful FBI agent with a traumatic personal history, which is why she regularly visits a notorious serial killer in prison hoping to find out where he buried her twin sister Mercy almost thirty years earlier. So far she has learned nothing and Atlee is getting more frustrated by the second. 

Knowing her latest trip was why, on her way home, her temper got the better of her, she decides to take her boss up on his suggestion that some time off might be of benefit!  Not having anywhere else to go Altee realises it is finally time to go back to her childhood home, and try to find out for herself what happened to Mercy and why she wasn't killed as well. To say things don't go as planned would be an enormous understatement and, as Atlee finds herself drawn into a local murder investigation, revelations from her past threaten to shatter everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.

This is an excellent book from David Baldacci; the second in this series, and another that doesn't disappoint. It starts with a bang, calms down a little, and then begins its inexorable climb to a powerful, exciting, tension filled ending. Apart from Altee and her admin assistant Carol Blum all the other main characters are new and vivid. Her old partner from the BAU was my favourite and selfishly I hope he reappears further down the line especially as it is clear Atlee still has things to sort out in both her private and professional life.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this author's work or read the first book. This is a great second instalment, bring on book three!

This is the second book in the series featuring agent Atlee Pine. She takes a vacation to her old hometown, and try to solve the mystery of her twin sister's disappearance 30 odd years ago. This sets the pace for a well written, fast and enjoyable read! Highly recommended!

This is the second book in the Atlee Pine series by author David Baldacci. FBI Agent Atlee Pine is the lead character in this new series that started with 'Long Road to Mercy'. In this book we are told more of the back story regarding Agent Pine's past. Thirty years ago when her sister Mercy was abducted and neither Mercy or the person who took her were ever found. Atlee herself was brutally assaulted and left for dead but now she is seeking the truth.

This is a thriller packed with suspense and wonderful characters that come to life on the pages. Looks to be yet another successful series.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Pan Macmillan for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliant thriller from this author. He never disappoints I was gripped from beginning to end. He’s fast becoming one of my favourite authors of this type.

Thanks for another great book from David Baldacci, I loved the first book in this series and am not hooked. FBI Agent Atlee Pine continues her search to find out the truth about the disappearance of her 6 year old twin sister. The book has plenty of twists and turns, but sucks you in from the first page and doesn't let go until the end of the book. This book sees Atlee return to her home town where she was living with her twin sister. Do your self a favour and read this book.
When reading a book that is so good, why do I keep reading a book that doesn't make me feel like this?

Something terrible happened to Agent Pine when she was a child. She has lived with it for many years but now returns to the town she grew up in to try to unravel the truth. Imaginative and well written story. David Baldacci at his best. I did not guess any part of this story, but enjoyed every page.

This is the second in the FBI agent Atlee Pine series by David Baldacci, and it's a cracker of a sequel that opens with Pine in the Valley of Death in Colorado at ADX Florence, the only American federal super max prison visiting the narcissistic, sociopath serial killer, Daniel James Tor. She is putting herself through the torture of seeing this monstrous man because she is convinced that he was responsible for the abduction of her twin sister, Mercy, when she was six years old. He plays mind games with her whilst revealing nothing of value, leaving her frustrated. On her way home to Shattered Rock, Arizona, where she is the sole FBI agent with her assistant, Carol Blum, she ends up intervening in a child abduction case that involves a car chase. She saves the child, Holly, from a terrible fate, but her actions in apprehending the perpetrator sees her losing control.

The consequences of this result in Pine and Blum leaving for Andersonville, Georgia, as Pine returns for the first time to the scene of Mercy's abduction, hoping to find out what happened all those years ago. Pine's memories are hazy, she remembers how the abductor chose to take her sister, whilst leaving Pine with life threatening injuries. She reflects on how these traumatic events led to her parents, Tim and Julia, leaving Georgia and how it tore their marriage apart, with Pine living with her mother, until Julia left her. Cyrus Tanner and his dog, Roscoe, now live in her dilapidated childhood home, as Pine interviews various town residents about what happened that night, including Lauren Graham, Jackson Lineberry, and Myron and Britta Pringle. As she probes into the past, she uncovers shocking surprises and secrets that have her questioning everything she ever knew about her family. At the same time, a string of murders occur which have Pine wondering whether they are coincidental or if they have been triggered because she has returned determined to get to the truth.

Baldacci can be relied on to provide a twisted thriller, packed with suspense and tension, giving us the latest thrilling installment in Atlee Pine's life, a woman who has never gotten over her twin sister's disappearance as a young child. Since then she has never been able to let anyone get close to her, or trust anyone easily. As an FBI agent, she has never been comfortable in an urban environment or working in a team, she is a loner, which is why being the sole agent at Shattered Rock suits her so well. In this hugely entertaining and compulsive read, we learn more about what has made Pine the woman she is today, as she investigates present day murders whilst becoming aware just how little she knows about her own past. This was a great read, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next in the series. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

David Baldacci has you gripped by end of first sentence
I loved his previous books about FBI Agent Atlee Pine and this was no exception it follows Lee going back to her childhood home where her twin sister Mercy had been kidnapped when they were 6 Lee wants to know the truth behind what she remembers as she almost died from a fractured skull
Are her memories correct or is she having false memories???
Meanwhile in the small town bodies are piling up and Lee is helping out with the local police to try to fathom out why and who is killing people
Will she learn more about her parents ? And her life from the towns inhabitants???

Another consistently brilliant thriller from Baldacci. More from Attlee Pine, an FBI special agent with a very unsettling history. Her six-year-old twin sister Mercy was taken when they were both in bed. Her father committed suicide in her teens and her mother walked out when she was at college - never to return. After over reacting in a work situation Pine returns to her hometown with her assistant Carol (adore her!) to try and find out really happened the night Mercy was taken. Why was Attlee spared? While in town they also investigate a serial killer. Are the murders woven into Pine's childhood? I adore this female lead and loved getting to know more about her. The twists and turns in this plot are at Baldacci's usually top notch standard. As usual a brilliantly read. Looking forward to the next in the series.

A really enjoyable fast paced book. The story draws you in from the start and is difficult to put down. The characters are believable as well as flawed. I will have to find the first book about Atlee Pine as I enjoyed this story so much.

I completely fell for Atlee Pine in the first novel to feature her so I was very very happy diving into A Minute To Midnight and boy did it deliver on every level.

We get right into her back story here and it is hugely compelling- at the same time another dark case of murder takes our heroine’s attention but could the two things be connected?

David Baldacci is definitely one of the best thriller writers on the modern stage, both plot and character superbly imagined and presented. This one was the very definition of a page turner and beautifully written with plenty of edgy drama and unexpected revelation. The finale is perfect, answering questions but setting us up nicely for act three of Atlee’s ongoing journey and it can’t come quickly enough for me.

An excellent read as ever. Thank you Mr Baldacci. I never have a moment’s fear of disappointment when opening a novel with that name on the front of it.

Highly Recommended.

My first encounter with FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine, a story involving her past, and the current crime. This leads her to discover some startling information regarding her past. Her and her team achieve a result on the current murders and she reaches some conclusion to her past. The reader can hopefully find a conclusion in the follow up to this story.

Firstly I'd say don't start to read this book unless you have a couple of days going spare, as it's very hard to stop reading! I was awake at 1am last night, and have read it in all my free time, including to its conclusion today) since I started it..

This is the second book about Atlee Pine, and not the last. As a thriller it is well written, indeed better than some of his other books which I enjoy but can work out what happened or which characters might be responsible for certain actions. In this book that was not the case, with lots of clever twists to the story-line.. Indeed the book ends up telling a different story to the one expected (cue book 3 in the series) which I found amusing, but also frustrating as I now feel I'm half-way through and won't know until at least next year what happens next!