Walk the Wire

Honestly, 3 stars is being generous but I'm rounding up from 2.5 or so. This book was all over the place. It sort of felt like the following happened : 1) author thinks of setting. 2) realizes he has different possible concepts for this setting. 3) Instead of choosing whichever concept workshopped best he wrote a crossover novel between 2 of his current series. The entire things feels like 2 unfinished books were forced to become one at gunpoint.
Crossovers aren't a deal breaker for me but they have to work (ex: Bosch & lincoln lawyer.) In this case, it just felt like too much was going on. It takes way too long to find out why this case has been assigned to the FBI, the body count is so high I lost track at one point, and the way “hints” are used is just strange. Also, the sheer number of conspiracies going on in a small town in North Dakota is just unbelievable. The core mystery Decker is trying to solve gets resolved in a way that pushed my ability so suspend disbelief and I say that as a person who reads fantasy novels. I know Liz has mortuary experience but I feel like she was written as criminal mastermind with no explanation how she got these skills. I know she made stupid mistakes but still. Also: the only gay people in the book are either A) dead. B) psychotic C) Dating/ married to man to hide their gayness. The older lesbian manipulating the younger hot woman and going on murder spree was...not great. It leaned on stereotypes the gay community is associated with. Dammit Baldacci.