Walk the Wire is the sixth book in the excellent Amos Decker series and was first published in 2020 by David Baldacci. This series is going from strength to strength with every new book. Hal Parker is hunting down a wolf in the hills around London, North Dakota and he is following the droplets of blood from a wounded wolf. Instead, he makes an unexpected discovery when he finds the body of a woman which has already been autopsied. When the prints are run through the system it gets the attention of the FBI. Decker and Jamison are tasked with investigating the matter in London, North Dakota but they have been left in the dark as to the reason who Irene Crammer was. The local police department is shocked to find their investigation has come to the attention of the FBI. London, North Dakota happens to be the fracking centre of the USA and has large deposits of gas and oil. Two men are getting very rich from the boom time, Huge Dawson and Stuart McClellan neither gets on especially as one owns the town and the other the fracking business. Decker and Jamison are aware that there is more going on than meets the eye especially at the very secretive air force station. When Decker is shot little does he know that he has a guardian angel in the form of Will Robie who has been following Decker. Robie is from another federal agency who ends up feeding Decker with information and in the end Robie and his partner Jessica Reel save the lives of Decker and Jamison’s lives. In return Decker finds the ticking time bomb which raises the chances of finding whoever is behind the events in London, North Dakota. This is a fantastic thriller.

As always, a supremely satisfying read, featuring some of the authors best loved characters. As always there is enough detailed plotting to keep the most avid reader intrigued and desperate for answers. This book is topical, timely and relevant today. I have read numerous of this authors books and have never been disappointed, this time is not different. A definite 5 star read. Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

David Baldacci has many positive qualities in his profession of writer of novels. Possibly the most outstanding of these is his ability to create a wide variety of characters for his books and make them come alive. He has the knack to hold onto the various natures assigned and keep them reacting in the unique manner such types would always exhibit. "Walk the Wire" brings together two different sets of the characters created. The first group involves Amos Decker and his partner Alex Jamison. Decker is a huge bear of a man; tall and weighing close to 300 pounds. He began a career as a pro football player but was injured in a practice. Physically knocked into a coma he finally came to and found that he had somehow gained a photographic memory as well as distorted views of various colors. He uses his unusual skills to advantage in his job as an FBI agent. The other set of characters are Will Robie and Jessica Reel. They both are professional assassins employed by the U.S. government and very skillful in their work. One of the novels featuring Will and Jessica had them meet when each was in receipt of an order to kill the other. Great way to start a relationship right. Amos and Alex are sent to the town of London, North Dakota to investigate a murder. London is at the center of the oil drilling industry known as fracking and due to the boom this industry has created is very much in the wild character of Alaskan towns during the gold rush of the 19th century. A young woman was killed and than literally autopsied and left in an open field with her entrails outside the body. It appeared that whoever did the job knew how to do an autopsy. While horrible in it's aspect Amos wonders why two FBI agents were assigned to look into the killing when it should have really fallen into the jurisdiction of the local police. Trust Baldacci to supply some fascinating answers. He incorporates the arrival of Robie and Reel with the existence of an air force base watching for missiles launched by enemies of the U.S., the private preserve of a cult, and two wealthy individuals fighting for more and more property in the boom town. More murders with a slew of suspects and the other factors mentioned create the typical David Baldacci book one fine all nighter. and of course a five star novel.

Amos Decker an FBI agent with a perfect memory and his partner Alex Jamison are sent to solve a murder in London, North Dakota. This town has been through many changes but presently is a thriving fracking town. The agents are called to help the local detective solve the murder of Irene Cramer. Irene had not long loved in London and appeared to be a prostitute by night but a beloved teacher for a local religious sect by day. Most unusually her body seems to have been autopsied before being dumped in an alley. This is the beginning of some very odd happenings in this close knit town. With the town almost completely owned by two quite ruthless business men. Although this is the 6th Decker novel, I read this as a stand alone. David Baldacci is a fabulous writer who keeps you hooked from start to finish and every time you think you have a handle on the story, you turn the page and realise you’re completely wrong. I will definitely be going back to read all the previous novels.

A hunter stumbles upon an already-autopsied body. A former FBI detective is on the case with his partner and goes to a town called London (not the English London). It's an unsophisticated, rough town, seeming to exist and survive because of fracking. 'It's like the Gold Rush of 1849, only on steroids.' Our hero further adds '...the ordinary rules of civilisation don't necessarily apply up here.' And so begins an investigation into the sordid goings on inside a town that attracts a whole host of unsavoury sorts. Plus a secret military base. Must not forget that. Baldacci creates a complex case with plenty of potential suspects as the investigation takes on many issues, fracking being one of them. The victim has a mysterious past, which no doubt explains why an out-of-town detective team is called in as opposed to the local police force. Her identity, where and why why she died are far-reaching questions that make it virtually impossible for the reader to guess the outcome. The plot is made clearer by the uncluttered and adjective-free narrative, so it is easy to follow. There are a few outdated tropes such as the strong, cold, lantern-jawed men and every woman being measured by her level of attractiveness, but generally the characters are quite well drawn. A clever technique is that he includes a couple of characters from his other books (and series) so adding that extra depth and hook. The dialogue is direct and plentiful; action and pace just right. A great addition to the series of detective books. This story is much more than a simple whodunnit demonstrating the skill of the author, which in turn is reflected in David Baldacci's successful career.