Introducing a remarkable new character from #1 New York Times bestselling writer David Baldacci: Atlee Pine, an FBI agent with special skills assigned to the remote wilds of the southwestern United States who must confront a new threat . . . and an old nightmare.Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by its toe.It’s seared into Atlee Pine’s memory: the kidnapper’s chilling rhyme as he chose … chilling rhyme as he chose between six-year-old Atlee and her twin sister, Mercy. Mercy was taken. Atlee was spared.
She never saw Mercy again.
Three decades after that terrifying night, Atlee Pine works for the FBI. She’s the lone agent assigned to the Shattered Rock, Arizona resident agency, which is responsible for protecting the Grand Canyon.
So when one of the Grand Canyon’s mules is found stabbed to death at the bottom of the canyon-and its rider missing-Pine is called in to investigate. It soon seems clear the lost tourist had something more clandestine than sightseeing in mind. But just as Pine begins to put together clues pointing to a terrifying plot, she’s abruptly called off the case.
If she disobeys direct orders by continuing to search for the missing man, it will mean the end of her career. But unless Pine keeps working the case and discovers the truth, it could spell the very end of democracy in America as we know it…
“Love it!” –Lisa Gardner“Atlee Pine is unforgettable.” –James Patterson
“David Baldacci’s best yet.” –Lisa Scottoline
“Heart-poundingly suspenseful.” –Scott Turow
“A stunning debut.” –Douglas Preston
“A perfect blend of action, secrets, and conspiracies.” –Steve Berry
“Baldacci is at the top of his game.” –Kathy Reichs
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LONG ROAD TO MERCY is one of David Baldacci’s best-and that’s saying something. FBI agent Atlee Pine is unforgettable. She’s an original.
David Baldacci is one of the all-time best thriller authors. LONG ROAD TO MERCY is all action and attitude, and makes no apologies. Love it!
David Baldacci new mystery, Long Road to Mercy, introduces a long-legged badass of a female FBI agent who likes to work alone–as the remaining half of a pair of twins, she has difficulty bonding with anyone. The book is a mystery within a mystery, my favorite kind, and set in a National Park. Interestingly, Baldacci, for all his experience, doesn’t write in Deep POV and that surprised me–“she thought, she said, she wondered, she saw” and other distancing descriptions held me away from the story’s immediacy and made Atlee Pine more difficult for me to engage with.
Still, Long Road to Mercy is an entertaining read and Pine, a heroine to root for.
FBI Agent Atlee Pine is a heroine I’ll never forget. I hope David Baldacci’s hard at work on Agent Pine’s next adventure, because I can’t wait to dive into it.
David Baldacci’s best yet. He keeps the pages flying and the plot twisting in this ingenious and riveting thriller. Best of all, he introduces a compelling new heroine in FBI Agent Atlee Pine. I can’t wait to see what she does next. Baldacci delivers, every time!
A multi-layered protagonist; a plot as deep and twisty as the setting. In Long Road to Mercy, Baldacci is at the top of his game.
David Baldacci is a name synonymous with excellence-a consummate storyteller who turns the conventional into unconventional. LONG ROAD TO MERCY strikes all the right chords: a perfect blend of action, secrets, and conspiracies — all combined with Baldacci’s trademark sizzle.
Like potato chips you can’t just have one, you have to read all his books!
An epic thriller-fast moving, beautifully imagined, and vividly set in the Grand Canyon and its environs. From the opening chapter to the final twist, this novel will absolutely transfix you. A stunning debut to what promises to be a great series. Agent Pine is a character for the ages.
Atlee Pine is a lone FBI special agent stationed in a remote location with her secretarial assistant Carol.
After a mule is found dead in the Grand Canyon, Atlee follows a trail to uncover the fate of the mule’s missing rider. The pace escalates to dizzying levels as she and Carol become embroiled in a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels in American politics.
This was my first book by David Baldacci. It is perfect action movie material.
According to internationally bestselling author David Baldacci, when you’ve written as many books as he has—ten series, or a total of thirty books, and counting; and another twelve stand-alone novels—there is one way to keep his writing razor-sharp: to start from Square One and creating a new protagonist, a new series, in essence, a new world.
With his latest novel, LONG ROAD TO MERCY, Baldacci has done just that. His new protagonist, female FBI agent Atlee Pine, must cover a desolate Far West outpost on her own. And although its size is intimidating—it includes Grand Canyon National Park—Atlee is strongly motivated to succeed. She sees it as a way to avenge the tragic death of her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted by a serial killer when the girls were only six years old.
Baldacci thrives in creating new, complex characters and weaving real-time geopolitical incidents into a heart-pounding plot. He’s succeeded admirably here.
Listen to my AUTHOR PROVOCATEUR podcast, where David and I talked about his process:
https://authorprovocateur.podbean.com/e/david-baldacci-long-road-to-mercy/
In Long Road to Mercy, the chief protagonist is Atlee Pine, a female FBI agent assigned to the agency responsible for protecting the Grand Canyon. I felt the book started out a little slow and provided a lot of information on Atlee Pine that I found unnecessary to the storyline. Thant said, About halfway through the story really clicked and I was hooked. All in all a very enjoyable read.
Baldacci does an excellent job introducing a new series with character Atlee Pine. She’s a tough-as-nails FBI agent with the bruises from the job that give her authenticity. This is a taunt story that uses the beauty and desolate background of the Grand Canyon to tell the story.
Long Road to Mercy is David Baldacci at his best, introducing an engrossing new heroine, FBI Agent Atlee Pine. Alternately chilling, poignant, and always heart-poundingly suspenseful.
My first David Baldacci (and FBI) read and I loved it! Atlee Pine is a wonderfully complicated heroine with an intriguing past. I enjoyed how lots of modern political issues are woven into the story.
LONG ROAD TO MERCY by David Baldacci is one heck of an addictive page-turner. The plot twists. Then it thickens. Atlee Pine is one of the best female protagonists I’ve read about in a long time. She’s a kickass FBI agent who knows how to get the job Done—with a capital D. And I loved her sidekick, Carol Blum. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, treat yourself to this excellent read. You’ll be glad you did!
What a blast-off for Baldacci’s most memorable protagonist yet — Atlee Pine is a heroine for our times, a fighter for justice we’d all be glad to have on our side. LONG ROAD TO MERCY is a spectacular series debut. I can’t wait to see what’s next for her.
If you’re wondering why David Baldacci is considered the best, look no further than Long Road to Mercy. In FBI Agent Atlee Pine, he has envisioned a new kind of heroine, forged in the fire of trauma and driven by a rare kind of strength. It should come as no shock that a thriller writer for the ages has created a character for the ages!
I loved this new series by David Baldacci. Atlee Pine is a strong character and the author pulls you into the story from page 1 and doesn’t let you go…even through the last page!
Can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
Meet Atlee Pine. She’s an FBI special agent assigned to a tiny office in Arizona by her own choice. Atlee is physically imposing at 5’11” and already has a great track record of taking down bad guys. She’s been shaped by one singular event…the abduction of her six-year old twin sister from their bedroom and her own vicious assault. Recently, she was able to finally recall the details and believes the man who committed the crime is in a Colorado maximum security prison. Meanwhile, she’s called to Grand Canyon National Park where the mutilated remains of a mule was discovered and its rider missing. What seems like merely a curious incident is just the opening for something much more explosive.
Oh, I like Atlee Pine. Baldacci is known for creating unusual and enigmatic characters and she definitely tops that list. To say she’s a badass would be the ultimate understatement. Her pursuit of this case led her into some extremely dicey and dangerous situations that revealed a lot about Atlee, how she thinks, reacts and reasons. The case bordered on being outrageous until connections were made to real life events that gave me serious pause and it became nightmarishly plausible. You’ll need to read it yourself to judge. It was exciting, complex and laden with twists and tension.
While the story begins with Atlee visiting the man she believes hurt her and abducted her sister, it shifts to the case and remains there. That was important background as that event defines who she is and how she came to be an agent. It’s what drives her. I decided long ago to listen to Baldacci’s books because they’re so well produced and it continues with this book. Narrator Brittany Pressley grabbed hold of this character from page one and became Atlee. She was awesome and helped me form a physical image of the woman and agent. I’m familiar with Kyf Brewer and am a fan as he also narrates the Amos Decker series. I really enjoyed everything about this story and it surpassed my expectations.