Book Bound: Zero Day by David Baldacci

Zero Day

Author: David Baldacci

Now, I must confess that I am relatively new to David Baldacci, especially when compared to Jeffrey Archer and John Grisham, but I simply cannot draw a parallel since each of them is in a league of their own, and rightly so.

This is my second David Baldacci book, after Absolute Power which was one of his first books over 15 years ago.

David Baldacci, has struck gold with Zero Day and this is mostly because of Special Agent John Puller. John Puller is a war hero, a special agent with the Military CID and he is among the best at what he does.

In Zero Day, Agent Puller is sent into a struggling rural American coal town to investigate the mysterious murder of a Colonel with the DIA and his family. Agent Puller teams up with a local police Sergeant, Samantha Cole in his quest to get to the bottom of these murders.

As the investigation proceeds, more and more bodies start piling up, but the entire equation behind their deaths doesn’t. Agent Puller gets thrown into the investigation all alone, with the top brass keeping a close eye on the progress. John Puller keeps digging and nearly gets blown up on two occasions.

Agent Puller is the younger son of Army Legend, Lt. General John Puller Sr., now an old man with Alzheimer’s.  His older brother is serving a prison sentence for treason, the reasons of which were not explained. John Puller is portrayed as the perfect American soldier – Tall, Fit, Strong, Technically sound and knows how to follow orders. Puller’s exploits in Afghanistan have earned him several accolades, but he has still not come to terms with losing his 

entire team at war.

What caught my attention the most is Puller’s inept ability to assess situations, being prepared for the worst and the skill to read between the lines.  

His pairing with Sergeant Cole and the development of their dynamic was interesting but largely predictable. The involvement of her entire family created an added complexity, especially with her brother – in – law playing a pivotal role.

David Baldacci has wonderfully weaved in the hazards of surface mining and their impact on the environment. The inclusion of nuclear bombs and technology, while being at the center of the plot, somehow only serves the role of giving the story an explosive ending, where it could have done a lot more.

I will rate Zero Day a 3.5/5. Whenever the book lacks in certain areas, John Puller more than makes up for it. Baldacci has created a memorable character in Puller, a character who we should get to read more about. As far as I am concerned, the book has only just scratched the surface of John Puller.