Book Talk: Baldacci, ‘To Die For’

“To Die For” (2024, 432 pages in hardcover edition) is the third novel in a new series by New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci. It began with “The 6:20 Man,” which was reviewed on January 24, 2024 in this column. In that thriller, the author introduced Travis Devine, a former Army Ranger who is fearless and, as we find out in the sequel, indestructible (not a spoiler).

In this most recent novel, Devine has been sent to the Pacific Northwest to work with the FBI in bringing Danny Glass, a criminal kingpin, to court in order to testify against an even bigger fish. In exchange, the three RICO (organized crime) charges against him will be dropped. However, Glass has a vulnerable spot, his love for his 12-year-old niece Betsy Odum.

Betsy’s parents have recently died, supposedly as the result of a drug overdose. But Betsy claims that her parents didn’t use drugs, and her claim is substantiated by two men who are equally devoted to the young girl who has no other family. When Devine attempts to see the bodies of Betsy’s parents, he finds that they had been cremated, by order of Glass, Betsy’s mother’s brother. And when he decides that he must question the doctor who performed the autopsy, she mysteriously dies.