Memory Man - David Baldacci - Unimpressed!!!!!

This is the third book of David Baldacci that I have read. The other two books were from the Camel Club series. I fail to recall the names but I do know I Ioved them. When this book was released I wanted to read it. The book is a fast read, but there are some medical conditions that the protagonist suffers from which slows down the reading a bit. I at least found it a bit difficult to understand the condition completely. I knew what it was doing to him, but there were some aspects that were not clear.

This books introduces us to "Amos Decker". Like the Camel Club, this is going to be a series (I think).Though this is a book that I did not really like if this is going to be a series I hope the rest of it will be good and enjoyable. This is the story of Amos Decker (obviously). He is a big towering guy who was a very promising football player. Unfortunately an injury in the field puts a stop to his career even before it has a chance to take off. Because it is a head collision he is also left with a medical condition because of which he has a photographic memory (among the other things) which causes him to never forget anything (and yes, I mean that literally). He joins the police force and becomes a detective. A decade later, one fine day, we have him coming home to the dead bodies of his wife, brother-in-law and 11 year old daughter. He tries committing suicide but is stopped in time by the 911 officers who show up at his door. He loses his home, job and the will to live life. He sleeps in shelters,lives the life of a recluse and takes up small jobs as a private investigator to get by. 16 months later he gets to know that someone has surrendered at the police station and confessed to the murders of his family. Decker meets the guy but somehow in unconvinced by his claim. This proves to be right when he finds out that this particular person was in jail when the murders were committed. Add to this there is a shooting in a nearby school which brings the entire community to its knees. Since Decker is an ex-detective he is asked to join the investigation of the shooting as the police chief feels it would give him something to do with his time and also because he had a good reputation back in the day. During the course of investigation he gets to know that this shooting and the murders of his family have been committed by the same person. Thus begins the cat and mouse game which none of the other characters including the FBI is able to figure (Frankly I could not as well). The only person who understands the twisted logic of the killer and who is able to figure out the clues every time is.....wait for it.....yes, Amos Decker. 

Now the pros of the book. It's a well written book and the mystery managed to capture my attention( at least parts where I could figure out what was going on). The characters are all well etched in terms of who they are, their relevance to the story etc. Also the author has managed to tie up two unrelated incidents and come up with a plot. I liked Amos and I look forward to be with him when he solves other mysteries in the hopefully upcoming books. David managed to make me feel sorry for Amos (What kind of a name is that anyway- Why why why...was there nothing else) and that is quite good (I don't usually feel sorry for book characters and no I do not have anything like Amos(like the memory or the body fat)). 

Now there are things I did not like. Firstly the name, I am sure there were better ones. Secondly the description of Amos. A lot many times in the book he is referred to as the "big fat guy" (which translates to ugly for some). Now I get it that the author wanted to present him that way, but you can tell me once and I get it. The "big fat guy" keeps repeating throughout the book, almost 10 times. I get it ok, he is big and fat, so what? Why did he have to be big and fat and why the author had to repeat it so many times I do not understand. What was the intention? The character could have had the same issues even if he was devastatingly handsome no?? I mean getting hit on the head and losing your entire family to some psycho killer would drive anyone mad. So why David....WHY???. There are quite a few other phrases which get repeated this way, I mention the above because it kind of stuck. The reason for which Decker's family is targeted is so flimsy that I actually could not trust my eyes and mind for a whole minute (and trust me it is quite silly). Also Decker seems to be the only one who understands what is going on, somehow this felt like a convenient plot just because his so called unusual memory had to be justified. The whole of the FBI and the forensic team cannot figure out some clues, but Decker is able to.  All of the remaining characters just follow Decker's lead and go along with whatever they have been assigned to do in the story. If this is a recurring series I do hope the author makes it more interesting.

I was not too impressed with the story because I have read much better stories from Baldacci's stables. But then again it was not awful either. I would pick up the next book if this is a series, but I hope there are more characters who can figure out what is going on and the "hero" manages to lose his weight and become a little less awkward. I understand given his condition and all, but come on, I need good looking confident people at least in my fantasy world. Hopefully now that the base of the story has been laid the next one will be good.

Rating : 4 out of 5 stars (Simply because Baldacci can definitely do better)

Level: Easy. Provided you don't get bored or too hung up on the hyper (something) condition that the hero of the book has. If you do, it will get a bit boring.

I am now reading "The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy". This is a triology so lets see how it goes. I have heard amazing things about the book.