Walter Nash seems to have it all. A beautiful wife, a talented daughter, and a prestigious position at Sybaritic Investments which allows him and his family to live an enviable lifestyle. Growing up, Walt’s life wasn’t idyllic. His mother died when he was 14 and he and his father, a Vietnam vet, haven’t spoken in years. So when Tiberius Nash dies, Walt attends the funeral with mixed feelings. Ty’s best friend and wartime buddy, Isaiah York, aka Shock, dresses Walt down in front of the entire congregation. Later, however, when Walt has a chance to speak to Shock, he discovers that his father truly loved him and made his friend promise to always be there for his son.
Walt will need that help sooner than he anticipates. FBI Special Agent Reed Morris books a meeting with Nash and gives him some unsettling news. Sybaritic Investments is being investigated for having connections to a Chinese crime organization whose goal is nothing short of taking down the U.S. Because of his position, Nash has inside knowledge that the FBI desperately needs. If Nash refuses to help? Then he might go down when the firm’s owners, Barton Temple and his son, Rhett, are arrested. Nash is warned not to tell anyone, not even his family, that he is working with the FBI. Nash soon discovers that the last three people who worked with the agency did not take that caution seriously. They are all dead.
Despite the risk, Nash knows he has no choice. But even though he’s kept his involvement quiet, the woman pulling all the strings, Victoria Steers, learns that he’s a liability. Her boss – we never learn his name – delivers an ultimatum. Get rid of Nash. Steers comes up with a plan that will tear Nash’s family apart, accuse him of unspeakable crimes, and send him on a run for his life.
With everyone turning against him, Nash has no choice but to reach out to the most unlikely ally, Shock. Ty once save Shock’s life when he was badly injured in Vietnam. Because the army doctor, described as a former member of the KKK, wouldn’t give the Black Shock blood from a white man, Ty held a gun to the doc’s head and became his friend’s donor. Shock may not know Walt as well, but he sees the same qualities in the son that he admired in the father. He will do whatever he can to help Walt hide, change, and ultimately bring down those who hurt the ones he loves.
David Baldacci is skilled at creating page turners. But as a true fan of his Will Robie and Amos Decker series, I have never encountered one of his thrillers that ends with the mother of all cliffhangers. Nash Falls does that. And it’s not a bad thing. We have so much to digest from everything that came before, we can certainly spend time doing that before the followup – Hope Rises – is released on April 14, 2026.
Nash Falls
David Baldacci
Bigstock photo: Copyright: Aleks Gjika Photography
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