This is the second book in Baldacci's Reacher-like series featuring John Puller, a military cop. The Forgotten picks up from where
Zero Day left off, but it's not necessary to have read that book previously. Whilst the events from that book are referred to occasionally, there are no spoilers given.
When the book opens, Puller is contemplating returning to work after a brief vacation taken to recover from the events of Zero Day, when his father receives a worrying letter from Puller's Aunt Betsy, who lives in Paradise, Florida. She alludes to something dodgy going on and "mysterious happenings at night". Puller goes down to Florida to visit his aunt, but when he gets there he discovers that she has recently deceased, having drowned in her backyard in what the police have decided was an accident. Given the letter she just wrote, Puller is not convinced it was an accident and starts to investigate further. Almost immediately it becomes apparent that there is more than meets the eye to the entire affair.
At the same time, there is a mysterious man who has literally washed up in town. He has arrived on a mission, but we don't know what that mission is or whether he is going to turn out to be a villain or a hero. He is Puller's match in every way.
The first half of the book develops slowly but maintains the intrigue as Puller pursues his investigations. In the second half things start to come together and the action builds. There are several twists along the way.
It's impossible to avoid the comparison to Lee Child's books because the lead character and overall formula are so similar. If you enjoy Child's books, you're pretty sure to like this too. It's not as good as Child at his best - it doesn't hold your attention as well and Puller is not as charismatic as Reacher. But it's as good or better than several of the recent Reacher installments. I find Baldacci pretty hit and miss as a writer, but this one works.
