Fathers House

Nothing shatters the illusion of reality in a thriller more quickly than a ludicrous and gratuitous detail. And in this improbable thriller, Baldwin strains credulity to the breaking point when he describes a character as having received advanced medical and legal degrees by the age of 11. In Duraleigh, N.C., a hyperpowerful criminal drug syndicate called Fathers Disciples is using Fathers House, a home for disadvantaged boys, to recruit members. Pitted against this group is Assistant District Attorney Ben Lovison, a young prosecutor with links to the house, whose wife is about to give birth to twins, and who is haunted by his past. Given how powerful the Fathers Disciples are%E2%80%94they have infiltrated "the DA's office, the police department, and most of city hall"%E2%80%94the odds are certainly against Lovison, but the tone of the book will leave few readers surprised at how it all plays out.