2019 will, indeed, be another two-book year for mega-bestselling author David Baldacci, who is set to release his second Atlee Pine novel, A Minute to Midnight, on November 19th.
With three long-running New York Times bestselling series still going strong—John Puller, Amos Decker, and Will Robie—David Baldacci introduced readers to Atlee Pine in 2018, a character unlike anyone else he’s written before.
Pine, an FBI agent stationed in Shattered Rock, Arizona near the Grand Canyon National Park, originally grew up in Andersonville, Georgia, where tragedy struck when she was just a young girl. Her childhood, in fact, was defined by one horrific moment when her twin sister, Mercy, was kidnapped in the summer of 1989 and never found.
Survivor’s guilt and a deep desire for answers ultimately led to Atlee joining the FBI, and when readers meet her in Long Road to Mercy, she’s still a damaged character in search of her sister all these years later.
Instead, she finds herself going toe-to-toe with one of the most dangerous serial killers alive, while also investigating the disappearance of a tourist who was last seen riding a mule in the Grand Canyon. Things eventually spiral out of control in a way that Baldacci’s fans have come to expect, leading to a heart-thumping conclusion that, without mentioning any spoilers, leaves plenty threads open heading into book two—and you can read all the juicy plot details below.
FBI Agent Atlee Pine returns to her Georgia hometown to reopen the investigation of her twin sister’s abduction, only to encounter a serial killer beginning a reign of terror, in this page-turning thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci.
Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum head back to Atlee’s rural hometown in Georgia to see what they can uncover about the traumatic night Mercy was taken and Pine was almost killed. But soon after Atlee begins her investigation, a local woman is found ritualistically murdered, her face covered with a wedding veil–and the first killing is quickly followed by a second bizarre murder.
Atlee is determined to continue her search for answers, but now she must also set her sights on finding a potential serial killer before another victim is claimed. But in a small town full of secrets–some of which could answer the questions that have plagued Atlee her entire life–digging deeper into the past could be more dangerous than she realizes . . .
Fans looking to hold themselves over until this fall can check out Baldacci’s other 2019 thriller, One Good Deed, the first book in a new series set in 1949, which just came out back in July before debuting on the ‘Times list. That book stars war veteran Aloysius Archer, who after being released from prison for a crime he didn’t commit, quickly finds himself in all kinds of trouble as he struggles to reacclimate to life on the outside. Think Jack Reacher, but set seventy years ago.
A Minute to Midnight, the next Atlee Pine thriller from David Baldacci, is now available for pre-order here or anywhere else books are sold.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and pens a monthly thriller column for CrimeReads. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.