Dream Town: Aloysius Archer (Book 3)

The 3rd book in the Aloysius Archer Series, Dream Town carries forward the adventurous & lethally dangerous journey of PI Archer as he continues to strive towards making this world a better place, notwithstanding the threats to his own life, miraculously escaping death on more than one occasion.

The story picks up from where The Gambling Man ended, except that 3 years have passed since. And Archer is now on his way to LA to meet his friend and aspiring actress from the previous book – Liberty Callahan. And as he does so, he finds himself unwittingly a part of a complex and dangerous ploy with it’s roots running deep. The story thus makes it’s transition from the dark undertone of Bay Town from the previous book to a bright & glittering LA – the city of dreams.

It was revelling to see the old characters return! The familiar names – Liberty Callahan, Willie Dash and not to forget his ever so identifiable red Delahaye – they bring back faint recollections of their past adventures. David Baldacci writes a wonderful description of LA in the beginning of the book. The Rich LA – and the Dirty LA. The two sides to it – one bright and inviting, the other cruel and grinding. And how the two coexist. It made for a nice read.

What is probably most obviously noticeable about the book is the minute and untiringly vivid details of the setting, the attire and the scene that are so typical of Baldacci. Be it the description of the Ambassador Hotel or the get-up of the guests – it is a whole scene painted in front of you.

Talking of the actual plot, the build-up is quite interesting and hooks you onto it quite effortlessly. There turn up so many different sub stories and characters, but all bound by one central point – the mysterious disappearance of Eleanor Lamb. Absolutely enjoyed how you are kept guessing who really is behind it all. And what started as a writer gone missing, later becomes all of this – drugs, mafia, prostitution and politics.

With all the complex plots and happenings, as captain of the ship – Baldacci does a swell job in driving home the story to it’s culmination. What truly won my heart was the end of this story. It is touches like this that separate an outstanding read from a good one. Half a mark extra just for it. Emotions very rarely have place in an out-an-out thriller. But quite unexpectedly, this book ends on such an emotional note that had me – W.O.W! Maybe not the typical And they lived happily ever after, but certainly delivers a knockout punch.

The book also leaves the series perfectly poised for many more sequels to this gem of a character – Aloysius Archer. It sets itself up beautifully – waiting for the next case knocking on the doors.

Conclusion:

There is something so very likable & enjoyable about David Baldacci – his books are fun to read. Just the plots, the settings, the characters and the writing – one of my favorite go-to authors.

So is this a perfect book? Well, no – Baldacci books rarely are. Yet, they are probably the most likable with all their imperfection. To touch upon it, I think the sheer amount of characters, their individual back stories and the links to each other – it can be a bit hard to keep together. Which makes this a bit hard to read. But if you can take care of that, there is no reason to miss this one. I liked this more than Book 2 of the series, and I liked it more than The 6:20 Man. It’s sure shot recommended, get it on Amazon Dream Town.