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Simple Genius | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
Category: EBooks
List Price: $9.99
Buy New: $7.99
You Save: $2.00 (20%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  136 reviews
Sales Rank: 4978
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 420
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
ASIN: B000Q9J06K
Publication Date: April 24, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are back, and struggling in the emotional aftermath of the events that brought them to the brink in Hour Game. Dogged by personal demons, Maxwell is agrees to treatment in a psychiatric institution, after barely surviving a violent barroom brawl. And King, to right their partnership, accepts an offer to investigate a murder in a scientific think tank named Babbage Town. Feeling cured, Michelle joins him on the case, and they penetrate this secret enclave of geniuses working to surpass the capabilities of the most sophisticated microprocessor in the world. Suddenly, the pair find themselves in a race against time to expose those who would tip the entire global power structure...and destroy what's left of their lives.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 131 more reviews...
 Written for Middle Schoolers? October 1, 2008
I've read numerous Baldacci books and honestly wondered if he subcontracted Simple Genius to the author of the children's Encyclopedia Brown series.
This book, while moderately entertaining to read, unfortunately comes across as a one-dimensional juvenile reader genre, comparable to Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, or Encyclopedia Brown. Possibly a Janet Evanovich / Stephanie Plum episode.
At best, it is a fanciful shallow comic book tale polluted with trite dialog, an overabundance of tangential side plots, and character depth you'd normally have to watch Saturday morning cartoons to find.
Sean is our protagonist hero, in the role of Encyclopedia Brown. His partner and bodyguard, Michelle, plays the Sally Kimball role. There's trouble in Idaville, err, Babbagetown, which is across the river from a scary mysterious hideout run by, is it the CIA? The FBI? ? Bugs Meany and Wilford Wiggins?
It's hard to believe the author of Absolute Power also penned Simple Genius. Like a term-long science project that got started the night before the due date, Simple Genius comes across like a tired collection of cartoonish stereotypes, hokey plot devices, and thinly crafted juvenile dialog. Seriously, I half expected Mama Fratelli and The Goonies to show up and fight for the secret hidden treasure!
I liked Baldacci's other works, but I wouldn't recommend Simple Genius, unless you're looking for the print equivalent of the next "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" movie.
Just felt the need to save just one person from buying this tripe! September 21, 2008
The lead characters - Michelle and Sean - seemed real and appealing in previous Baldacci books. What an incredible letdown reading this one. I finished it ONLY because I was reading it aloud to my wife. Otherwise I would have taken it back to the bookstore and thrown it in the face of the buyer (well maybe not).
If you have to tell someone you've read ALL his books, then read this one. I can think of NO other reason. The characters balance the plot by being unreal and unbelievable. No one acts like a human.
A disgusting bit of work by an author that I had previously enjoyed. I'll never try him again. Disgusting effort. Sounds like he made it up of the contributions of a 6th grade summer class on writing novels.
Other than that, it's size and weight were similar to other books.
Oh, perhaps I should add that I didn't enjoy it?
 My First (and Last) Baldacci book. September 1, 2008
The story line and plot of this book had potential from the start. However, I found the writing to be trite, and the linking logic often simple and flawed. I read it through to the end because Baldacci was new to me, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Also I had spent some time at the Naval Weapons station and was curious what he had to say about the area.
How many times did my eyes fall upon the phrase.. "so and so quickly brought so and so upto speed on what happened".. yawn..
Other trite items.. The author would go into lengthy explanations of how the main characters prepared for the unexpected.. then.. the one thing they didn't think of happens.. "What now batman?".. well.. gee.. look a ladder!.. gimme a break! Once, twice.. but all of the time.. .. YAWN..
This book is not a page turner.. save your effort.. read something else you have been curious about!
Simple disappointment August 24, 2008
The quality of Baldacci's work has continued to decline. Although Simple Genius has a decent premise and moves forward at a nice pace, the writing is very pedestrian. I really find it hard to believe that the same guy who wrote some of the better thrillers in the 90's actually authored this. Very disappointing.
I don't think Baldacci wrote this one August 20, 2008
I've been a fan of Baldacci, although I must admit, I haven't read all of his books. In contrast with the others I've read, I wasn't even able to finish this one. That is rare for me, because I usually need to know how the story ends. Simple Genius reads as though it was ghost-written. It is full of cliched dialog and unbelievable events.
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