The book: Memory Man by David Baldacci

Published: 2015

Genre: Crime thriller

The bake: Unforgettable chocolate brownies

What’s the story?

This novel introduces one of my favorite Baldacci characters – former police detective Amos Decker. A traumatic brain injury on the football field left Decker with the remarkable ability to never forget anything (hyperthymesia). He also has synesthesia which means he sees his memories highlighted in certain colors. Like, when he replays the moment he found his family murdered, everything is tinged in horrible electric blue.

His career as a police detective came to an abrupt halt on that horrible day, and this novel starts 16 months after the death of his wife and daughter. Decker has lost everything and is trying to scrape together a living as a private detective while still dreaming of bringing his family’s killer to justice. He is out of shape and out of touch with the world, when his former partner in the police, Mary Lancaster, tracks him down to tell him that someone has confessed to the murders of his family. At the same time, a tragedy hits Decker’s hometown when teenagers are gunned down at the local high school.

Decker becomes involved in the investigation and also seizes the chance to finally find out what happened to his wife and daughter. Strangely, Decker discovers a link between the school shooting and the murders which ruined his life. The novel also introduces Alex Jamison, a female journalist, who will continue to feature in subsequent Decker novels.

Why read it?

I am a big fan of Baldacci, and I love how he creates such relatable characters. You really feel for Decker, especially in the opening pages when he recalls the murder of his family. It’s interesting that he has both hyperthymesia and synesthesia, and reading the novel, I kept wondering how it would feel to have these “abilities”. If you plan to read the subsequent novels, you must start with Memory Man because it introduces Decker, his abilities as well as the events which shaped him as a person. The novel starts off with a bang and never slows down. I found it hard to put the book down, I just had to find out if he will finally discover who murdered his family, and why those teenagers were murdered at the school.

Crime thrillers are not usually the first books I reach for (I prefer historical fiction), but Baldacci’s books had me hooked right from the get-go. I’ve read most of his books featuring his characters Decker, John Puller, Atlee Pine, and Will Robie. The only other crime writer whose books I’ve devoured in this way is PD James. If you’ve never read a Baldacci novel, I recommend starting with Memory Man – it gives a good introduction to his style and the type of characters he favors.

Pair it with: Unforgettable chocolate brownies

This food and book pairing was inspired by Decker’s inability to forget anything. These brownies are so good, once you taste them, you will never forget their chocolatey yumminess! Another reason I chose to pair these chocolate brownies with Memory Man, is that you may feel the need for something sweet while reading the book. Some sections (especially the opening pages) are quite hard to read. I find nibbling on a sweet snack helps to get past those pages! 🙂

This recipe is part of a flip file of recipes I got for my kitchen tea 14 years ago. It was given to me by one of my sisters, and it’s remained one of our shared favorites over the years. You can use any chocolate bars of your choice – I think something like a Bar-One will also be delicious. And, make sure you use good quality chocolate in the batter (not baking chocolate). The brownies must have a slight wobble when it comes out of the oven. You don’t want to overbake it – the centers must be moist, even when cooled. Store these brownies in the fridge for up to five days.