Total control by David Baldacci

"Total control" by David Baldacci. This book is published by Pan Macmillan in 2012 and has 624 pages.

Jason Archer is in mid level management of  Triton Global. Triton is in process of acquiring a technology company whose technology is second to none. His wife is external legal counsel of Triton. One day he boards a flight that meets with an accident. All dead. Arthur Liberman, head of Federal Reserve, is also on that flight. Lee Sawyer is assigned to the investigation. 

Why did Jason board that flight? Why did he lie to his wife? What did he steal? Why did Liberman keep a secret from the world? Was the plane sabotaged?

The story takes grip from the word go. The mystery of what Jason is up to. The mystery of what Liberman is up to. Sidney's sudden widow status. Air crash conspiracy. Financial markets. M&A deals. Author manages to keep the reader interested and guessing all through this. 

Two characters are central to the plot. Sydney, an intelligent lawyer who wants to become a full time mom. She is put in a situation not of her making. All odds are stacked against her. She stands to loose everything. But she is spirited and refuses to go down without a fight. FBI investigator Lee Sawyer is a decorated officer with an impeccable record of solving cases. He is married to his work and is thus divorced and estranged from his kids. He has the feel of his cases. Although all the evidence points in one direction his hunch points in another and he is not afraid of following his hunch. Basically he is a good human being. These two characters drive and balance the story. 

The mastermind behind the plot remains unknown but intelligent readers can start seeing him, first as a silhouette, that gets clearer as the story progresses. In the end that person comes out at guilty party, but there are others too. 

Narration is very good. New twists keep appearing at regular intervals, thickening the plot and keeping the reader on tenterhooks. It's a big book and it's a complicated plot. However, author keeps intriguing. He manages to keep the interest piqued. Credit to author. 

Story happens in 1995. It's the age of cutting edge technology involving Floppy disks and VCRs. Sounds obsolete today, but it was Hi Fi in those days.

This is one of the few standalone books of David Baldacci. I enjoyed it. Since there is no sequel, readers can read it without obligations. 

Why did I read this book? David Baldacci. 

What I didn't like? Umm!. 

What did I like? Plot and narration. 

A good book. Recommend reading.