Zero Day

By: David Baldacci

Narrated by: Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

From David Baldacci - the modern master of the thriller and number-one worldwide best-selling novelist - comes a new hero: a lone Army Special Agent taking on the toughest crimes facing the nation. And Zero Day is where it all begins....

John Puller is a combat veteran and the best military investigator in the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigative Division. His father was an Army fighting legend, and his brother is serving a life sentence for treason in a federal military prison. Puller has an indomitable spirit and an unstoppable drive to find the truth.

Now, Puller is called out on a case in a remote, rural area in West Virginia coal country, far from any military outpost. Someone has stumbled onto a brutal crime scene, a family slaughtered. The local homicide detective, a headstrong woman with personal demons of her own, joins forces with Puller in the investigation. As Puller digs through deception after deception, he realizes that absolutely nothing he's seen in this small town, and no one in it, are what they seem. Facing a potential conspiracy that reaches far beyond the hills of West Virginia, he is one man on the hunt for justice against an overwhelming force.

David Baldacci is one of the world's favorite storytellers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 110 million copies in print. He 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 www.DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at www.WishYouWellFoundation.org, and to look into its program to spread books across America at www.FeedingBodyandMind.com.

©2011 David Baldacci (P)2011 Hachette

page turner

I love his books and his characters. once the action gets going I can't turn it off. His characters are honorable and respectable. These stories provide a nice escape from reality.

And again....

I thoroughly enjoy David Baldacci !!!
Over time I'll be reading everything he writes. A quote sticks with me in a dedication to his wife saying, I wonder if there will only be one book !!!! Thank you for this one.

Great book.

good read and listening ' suspense and intrigue. will recommend it my friends. great author as always.

A great read

This was Fun, thoughtful, with well developed characters that you will love.

The story Descriptive and suspenseful. It also discusses key environmental and military issues of our time in details that we might not of known otherwise

Suspenseful story line.

Would you listen to Zero Day again? Why?

Good character development for future stories.

What did you like best about this story?

I found the interworking of the secret service to be of interest.

What about Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy ’s performance did you like?

McLarty and Cassidy performed well together.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Moves along at a good pace and the story kept my interest.

Any additional comments?

I've already purchased Hour Game which is the next book in the series.

Consistent satisfaction in all areas.

A well narrated book, with male & female readers. Believable, interesting, unique main character. You must like dark stories with dead bodies. Solid consistent story, his best yet.

Great book!

Listened to most of this on a 12 hr car trip and I couldn't have picked a better book to make the time fly by. Narration was great! Story was fast paced and interesting.

Really enjoy this book.

I have to say that I've thoroughly enjoyed this book. Puller is a crack investigator and is on an unusual case. He is investigating a murder of a military family, lined up on a couch and apparently video-taped. Neighbors are also murdered. This is an investigation, but has a good amount of action.

I think this is my favorite Baldacci book.

Ron and Orlagh save this Audible

Would you consider the audio edition of Zero Day to be better than the print version?

This question may be the crux of my whole review. It is just a little too complicated for listening. This story requires an understanding of the characters and their relationships to each other. Everyone in the book is a complicated and flawed individual and there are just too many of them to keep track of. The story takes place in small town rural America. The back story is one of the demise of the town and the coal mining industry. In previous generations coal and coal miners were revered as those that kept our lights on and our houses warm. But in today's society that is not the case. Coal and miners are thought of as institutional polluters who perpetuate the myth of "Clean Coal," while continuing to spew filth into our air. We learn much about these individuals and in the end, it really does not matter. During this extended character study Baldacci ALSO is introducing us to John Puller. Puller's backstory is terrific and it is clear that Baldacci wants to continue this character in more books. He has the same attitude to his job that Will Robie has in his books. The problem is that Puller's entourage of characters are all encumbered and can't really be woven into more plots. If I owned this in print rather than Audible, it would be a quick reference for future Puller books.

If you’ve listened to books by David Baldacci before, how does this one compare?

This is my third Baldacci book and I will read many more.

Have you listened to any of Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, and as I said in my title, they save the book. Ron and Orlagh have the rare capacity to make subtle changes to their voices to make totaally different characters. In "back and forth" dialog this makes all the difference. Their characters take on an individuality and thereby make the story come alive!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it took about 5 days of spare time listening. Much of the book needed to be gone over several times if I was listening while multitasking with another activity.

Any additional comments?

Despite a TOTALLY unreal experience in the last few moments of the book (for which I penalized the review by a full star,) this is an excellent listen and should not be missed.

A new hero

The introduction of of John Puller will provide more adventures in the David Baldacci style. I can't wait until he meets up with the members of the Camel Club.