Total Control is one of David Baldacci's earlier books, which was published in 1996. It starts with a plane that goes down unexpectedly, leading the FBI to suspect foul play. The plane was carrying Jason Archer, who worked for a firm named Triton Global. Now, Jason's wife, Sidney Archer, is left widowed with a young daughter whom she must raise by herself. The situation is already difficult for her, but it's soon going to become worse because of allegations of corporate espionage against Jason. The FBI agent in charge of the investigation is Lee Sawyer, and Sidney knows that she ought to tell him everything she knows but, afraid of being implicated in this conspiracy and separated from her daughter, she holds back certain things.
The truth is that Jason didn't actually get on that plane; he sent someone else in his place while he flew to Seattle. He shows up later selling company secrets to a competitor. Of course, Sidney doesn't know any of this and starts investigating things herself which eventually leads to her being suspected in a triple homicide.
This is a great plot which has something for everyone—there's a little bit of breaking and entering, an encrypted computer disk that must be cracked, some blackmail and, of course, murder. As usual, David Baldacci keeps the reader hooked from beginning to end with his fast-paced, action-packed plot that features a gutsy female protagonist and an upright, dependable FBI agent who is as determined as a bulldog to get to the bottom of things.
David Baldacci was born in Virginia and went to school at Virginia Commonwealth University where he studied Political Science. He went on to study law at the University of Virginia's School of Law and became a practicing lawyer for nine years in Washington D.C. His first book, Absolute Power, was published in 1996 and made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Eastwood himself and Gene Hackman. Since then, Baldacci has published twenty-five books, including two children's books. He was voted one of the 51 most beautiful people in the world in 1997 by People magazine. He is married with two teenage children and lives in Virginia.
“Always
thrilling…Baldacci keeps his plot twisting and turning like a rode through the
Rockies.”
—
News Journal (Columbia, Louisiana)