Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of *All In* before publication. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I really enjoyed *All In*. It feels much bigger in scale than a straightforward crime thriller, and I liked the way David Baldacci combines murder, intelligence work, politics and international conspiracy without losing the central investigation.
The story begins when war correspondent Theresa Lee is shot on a Manhattan street and the man she was supposed to meet, intelligence analyst Bill Walker, disappears. Travis Devine is brought in to work out what happened, and very quickly it becomes clear that both of them were connected to something far more dangerous than an ordinary killing.
What I liked most was the international element. Devine’s investigation takes him from New York to Australia and into the orbit of the extremely powerful Woolwine family. From there, the story expands into intelligence operations, organised crime, political influence and the manipulation of information itself.
I also really liked Devine as a lead. He is capable and experienced, but the story still gives him enough uncertainty that the investigation never feels too easy. His partnership with Sydney detective Anais Jones works well too, and I enjoyed the contrast between their different backgrounds and approaches.
There is a lot happening in this book, and at times the number of organisations, motives and competing interests requires some concentration. But for the most part, Baldacci keeps the different threads moving and gradually brings them together in a way that feels satisfying rather than chaotic.
The conspiracy becomes quite large and dramatic, but I was invested enough in the characters and the central mystery that it worked for me. I especially liked the theme running through the book that information can be just as powerful and dangerous as any physical weapon.
Overall, *All In* was fast-paced, intelligent and very entertaining. I loved the international setting, the intelligence angle and the scale of the conspiracy, and I thought the story balanced action with enough investigation to keep me engaged throughout. A very strong addition to the Travis Devine series.