Memory Man (Memory Man Series, 1)
Memory Man (Memory Man Series, 1) book cover

Memory Man (Memory Man Series, 1)

Paperback – September 15, 2015

Price
$7.98
Format
Paperback
Pages
432
Publisher
Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1455559817
Dimensions
5.2 x 1.5 x 7.95 inches
Weight
12 ounces

Description

"David Baldacci has written another thriller that will have readers engaged from the first page....Baldacci is a master storyteller...MEMORY MAN works because Amos Decker is an amazing character. Reading how Decker journeys from hitting rock bottom to finding ultimate redemption is nothing short of rewarding." ― Associated Press "Perennial bestseller Baldacci unveils an offbeat hero with an unusual skill set and tragic past who takes on the evil mastermind behind a devastating school shooting..[Decker] proves a quirky, original antihero with a definite method to his madness...Readers will want to see Decker back on the printed page again and again." ― Kirkus Reviews "It's big, bold and almost impossible to put down...Decker is one of the most unusual detectives any novelist has dreamed up...I called this novel a master class on the bestseller because of its fast-moving narrative, the originality of its hero and its irresistible plot....Highly entertaining."― Washington Post "[A] strong first in a new thriller series from bestseller Baldacci....Baldacci supplies a multitude of clever touches as his wounded bear of a detective takes on a most ingenious enemy." ― Publishers Weekly "Compelling...David Baldacci has definitely hit a home run with Memory Man ."― Crimespree Magazine "Baldacci weaves a suspenseful story right up to the climactic face-off between these complex and compelling characters. Highly recommended for all thriller fans who love elusive, taunting criminals and the slightly bent but always determined detectives who pursue them." ― Library Journal (Starred Review) "Baldacci makes it feel fresh." ― Booklist "Baldacci's novels always have an emotional component...But MEMORY MAN stands out among his thrillers for its deeply felt - and earned - sense of catharsis and healing...Baldacci's last few books have been among his best, and it's a pleasure to see him produce emotionally and dramatically intense work at the height of his maturity as a novelist."― Richmond Times-Dispatch DAVID BALDACCI is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world's favorite storytellers. His books are published in over forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.

Features & Highlights

  • This "impossible to put down" #1
  • New York Times
  • bestseller introduces Amos Decker, a gifted police detective with a perfect memory who must solve a mystery he wishes he could forget: his family's murder (
  • Washington Post
  • ).
  • Amos Decker's life changed forever--twice.The first time was on the gridiron. A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington ever to play in the NFL. But his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field forever, and left him with an improbable side effect--he can forget nothing.The second time was at home nearly two decades later. Now a police detective, Decker returned from a stakeout one evening and entered a nightmare--his wife, young daughter, and brother-in-law had been murdered.His family destroyed, their killer's identity as mysterious as the motive behind the crime, and unable to forget a single detail from that horrible night, Decker finds his world collapsing around him. He leaves the police force, loses his home, and winds up on the street, taking piecemeal jobs as a private investigator when he can.But over a year later, a man turns himself in to the police and confesses to the murders. At the same time a horrific event nearly brings Burlington to its knees, and Decker is called back in to help with this investigation. Decker also seizes his chance to learn what really happened to his family that night. To uncover the stunning truth, he must use his remarkable gifts and confront the burdens that go along with them. He must endure the memories he would much rather forget. And he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
  • Memory Man
  • will stay with you long after the turn of the final page.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(29.4K)
★★★★
25%
(24.5K)
★★★
15%
(14.7K)
★★
7%
(6.8K)
23%
(22.5K)

Most Helpful Reviews

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First And Last Decker

This is the first Decker book I've read, and will be the last. The author repeated information so frequently I felt I was being hit over the head. I get that this is the first book in a series, and the author is defining his characters, but he should trust his readers to get it the first time! Lots of extraneous information. I only kept reading due to the number of positive reviews, because it HAD to get better. But it didn't. The writing was amateurish, and the ending....Enough said. The bottom line is that the editing should have taken care of most of these issues, but it didn't. When writers reach a certain level of success, the editing disappears. With some strong editorial guidance, this might have been a successful novel. If you're a Baldacci fan, this might be one for you to read. But if you're a thriller fan, who enjoys pacing, tension, suspense, and surprises, don't bother.
29 people found this helpful
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Absurd plot, dumb, dumb, dumb, major time waster

It's difficult to find the words to convey effectively how really bad this book is. The writing is OK and the story is engaging, most of the way through. It creates suspense, causing me to push my way through it in a few days. What ruined it for me were plot twists that became so contrived and implausible, a villain who was of absurdly supernatural abilities to the tune of the comic book genre and a climax that went so far off the rails as to become a bad satire of itself, that I feel truly cheated into the time I gave away on a story as cheesy as this. Think "talking killer" and add "talking intended murder target", multiply the worst of that plot device by a few thousand and you have some idea how outrageously stupid, implausible and contrived is this plot. It ought to be a crime to write AND publish a crime novel this dopey and silly. I would love to be a wealthy and celebrated best-selling author. If the only way to do it, however, was to produce a book as trashy as this, I'd prefer to stay poor and obscure than to embarrass myself having the world think this is the work I do. I wish I could get the hours back I put into dumb-numbing my brain with this garbage.

My advice: Memory Man? Forget it! :-P
11 people found this helpful
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Not worth reading unless you enjoy morbidly disturbing stories

I am still taken back by this book; I find it hard to believe that this was the work of Mr. Baldacci. It was really a morbid story. While I found the concept interesting based on the main character's mental condition, the story itself was very disturbing. As the story unraveled it was so far-fetched it was almost to the point of ridiculous. I have read almost all of Baldacci's books and think he is a gifted author, but if he continues along these lines I won't be reading anymore of his work. I was glad when I got to the end of this book. In my opinion it wasn't worth the time it took to read it.
11 people found this helpful
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David Baldacci's Memory Man is a must read!

Memory Man is one of the best that David Baldacci has written to date. If this book does not keep your interest, no book will! Amos Decker comes home to find his family murdered. Who would do such a thing and why? Go through this mystery with Becker and learn the secrets that even has him dumbfounded! You won't be sorry your purchased this great novel. Only one other novel that I read nearly sixty years ago held my interest as much as this! Rated for eighteen and up. Strong language and sexual content. DP. Castro Valley, CA.
5 people found this helpful
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Ridiculous, silly and contrived

I am a David Baldacci fan, but this book was really bad. In fact, I was a bit more than half way through it and I stopped reading. I stopped and asked myself why I was continuing to read a book where I didn't like the main character or supporting characters, the plot was absolutely ridiculous and silly and the dialogue was thin and contrived. This book was definitely beneath Mr. Baldacci. I hope he isn't falling into the James Patterson pattern where he is just putting out a book on a regular basis regardless of the quality.
3 people found this helpful
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Don't bother with this book

I've read many of Baldacci's novels and enjoyed them all until this one. It sucked! I couldn't hold my interest at all.
3 people found this helpful
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Fast paced, promising central character, an unconvincing plot

Like many others have suggested, the plot has some serious credibility issues. When you are building up the aura of a cunning and super capable negative character, the motive and justification for their acts cannot be so unconvincing. Some of the targets that the negative character chooses to strike that Amos tries to keep pace with in his investigations, the connections are very contrived. Too often, the author uses the abilities and misgivings of a ...... to justify the far fetched retaliations. And rookie mistakes like a female reporter tagging along as an investigator at the drop of a dime.

I am still impressed with Baldacci's ability to keep the story fast paced and lay out the thoughts and mental processes of Amos's character in an efficient manner. It is a waste that he did not leverage Amos for a more convincing story line. I hope he will do so for other stories in this series. Would still recommend, if you can ignore the gaps and just appreciate the complexity or simplicity of the new Hero, that the author should be credited for.
2 people found this helpful
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All Memory Man books in the Series

All of the Memory Man series books are great! Each book is hard to put down, so exciting with lots of plot twists. David Baldacci is a great mystery writer!
1 people found this helpful
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Great series very entertaining.

entertaining
1 people found this helpful
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Could not put it down!

There have been only three books I truly could not put down. The first was "Runaway Jury". The second was "I Heard You Paint Houses". The third book I couldn't put down was "Memory Man.
Great story, well-developed characters, and this book holds the reader's interest to the very last page.
I would recommend this to any mystery reader, and to anyone who would like to try an excellent mystery book.
1 people found this helpful