So there I was, debugging a pathfinding algorithm at 2 AM, desperately needing something to keep me from falling asleep on my keyboard. My thesis wasn't writing itself (it never does), and I figured a Baldacci thriller would be just the thing - fast-paced, high stakes, the kind of book that doesn't let you zone out. Seventeen hours later, I have... thoughts.
The 90s Called, They Want Their Tech Thriller Back
Look, I knew going in that Total Control was written in 1997. I was prepared for outdated technology. What I wasn't prepared for was how much I'd enjoy the time capsule aspect of it. Encrypted disks! Corporate espionage before everyone had smartphones! There's something almost charming about a thriller where the cutting-edge tech is stuff we'd now consider ancient history. It's like reading a D&D campaign set in a world where magic is just discovering fire.
Baldacci does what Baldacci does - he constructs this elaborate web of conspiracies, double-crosses, and shadowy corporate dealings. He pulls off similarly layered plotting in End Game, though that one benefits from more modern tech to work with. Sidney Archer's husband supposedly dies in a plane crash, but nothing is what it seems. (Shocker, I know.) The plot has everything: breaking and entering, blackmail, murder, FBI agents with trust issues. It's not Sanderson-level world-building, but for a thriller, the layers are satisfying enough. You keep peeling back the conspiracy like an onion, except this onion occasionally shoots at you.
The pacing, though? It's... uneven. Some sections absolutely fly by - I'd look up and realize I'd been listening for three hours without noticing. Other parts drag like a session where someone's explaining their homebrew magic system and you can tell they haven't playtested it. The book is 17 hours, and honestly, it could've been 13 and been tighter for it.
The Narrator Situation
Okay, here's where I have to be real with you. Jonathan Marosz is... fine? He reads clearly. His enunciation is solid. The production quality is clean - no weird background noise or volume issues that would make me rip out my earbuds.
But - and this is a significant but - he reads like a newsreader. Like he's delivering the evening news about corporate espionage rather than living inside a thriller. Steven Pacey this is not. Where Pacey would give you distinct voices, emotional beats, the whole theatrical experience, Marosz gives you... consistency. I had the opposite problem with Inferno - that narrator was so over-the-top theatrical it distracted from Dan Brown's already breathless prose. Which sounds like a compliment until you're 12 hours in and every character sounds roughly the same and the tension that should be building just... isn't.
I found myself speeding up the playback to 1.25x around the halfway mark. Not because the story was boring, but because the monotone delivery was making tense scenes feel flat. The faster pace actually helped - it added some urgency that the narration wasn't providing on its own.
Would My D&D Group Care?
Probably not - this isn't their genre. But for thriller fans? If you're looking for a solid conspiracy thriller with a plot that keeps you guessing, Total Control delivers. It's got that Baldacci DNA: competent protagonists, shadowy villains, stakes that keep escalating. The dated tech stuff is actually kind of fun if you approach it as a period piece.
The narration is the weak link. If you're someone who can tune out a narrator and just absorb the story, you'll be fine. If you're like me and the voice performance is half the experience, you might find yourself frustrated. I kept thinking about what this book could've been with a narrator who really leaned into the tension. Skip this one if flat narration is a dealbreaker for you, or if 17 hours of 90s tech jargon sounds more like a debuff than a feature.
Here's my honest take: this is a good airplane book. (Ironic, given the plot.) It's the kind of thriller that's perfect for long commutes or mindless tasks where you want to be entertained but don't need to be emotionally devastated. It's not going to change your life, but it'll make your drive to campus less boring.
Just maybe bump up that playback speed. Your future self will thank you.
