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| The Whole Truth | 
 enlarge | Author: David Baldacci
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $26.99
Buy Used: $2.97
You Save: $24.02 (89%)
New (68) Used (122) Collectible (11) from $2.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  103 reviews
Sales Rank: 942
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.5
ISBN: 0446195979
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780446195973
ASIN: 0446195979
Publication Date: April 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: EX-LIBRARY; used item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned for refund. Buy with confidence - your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Waste of a good talent May 9, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
David Baldacci is a good writer but THE WHOLE TRUTH is not a good book. Baldacci made his reputation with books like ABSOLUTE POWER and others set in the Washington D. C./Virginia area, with THE WHOLE TRUTH he leaves his comfort zone far behind and the book suffers as a result.
The basic premise has promise, an international arms dealer wants to start a war enabling him to sell more weapons and reestablish what he views as the natural world order. Unfortunately the arms dealer character is neither original nor convincing and his motives are rather silly as is his life, especially his nearly always nude wife who is referred to almost exclusively as Miss Hottie. Naturally he has a deadly assassin at his beck and call as well as a master manipulator of public opinion neither of which is believable or well developed.
The good guys are no better. The hero is a hulking master of..., well, we don't really know what he's a master of except getting hurt in one way or another all the while remaining stoic, thinking deep thoughts and showing up in the nick of time. Along for the ride is a two time Pulitzer prize winning journalist turned alcoholic now working the obituary beat for a New York newspaper who manages to instantly find her inner Nancy Drew when needed. Oh, and let's not forget the super secret international spy agency run by another cliche, the mysterious manipulator who alternately threatens and supports our stalwart hero depending on which best serves the silly plot at the time.
One of the great cliches of thriller novels is the underdeveloped stereotype characters such as the master assassin and the mysterious spy chief. They serve their purpose I suppose but good thriller writers can make these throw away characters entertaining, scary or at least amusing for the reader but far too often, especially when a writer has a number of books already in print, they begin to all but disappear until it's time for the hero to thwart their latest nefarious act or to just get hit on the head and pass out for awhile. Look at Jack Higgins. He was once gave us great books like THE EAGLE HAS LANDED but has now devolved into the lame Sean Dillon series where every book is exactly the same as the last one down to the number of pages. A writer like Mr. Baldacci has more to offer his readers then that kind of nonsense.
As you can probably deduce by now I did not like this book. I am a great fan of Mr. Baldacci's early work but he started losing me with his Camel Club books and I'm afraid THE WHOLE TRUTH may have ended my interest in his work. It's a shame really as Mr. Baldacci is a good writer, his prose style has an easy flow to it and his pacing is quite good but lately he has tended to go a bit too far with his plots and his characters have been increasingly unbelievable and uninteresting. With the Camel Club it seems as if he signed a deal to produce a certain number of books and that's exactly what he's doing regardless of their quality. Thrillers with silly plots are nothing new and they can be quite entertaining if the other elements of the story (characters, actions scenes, local color, sex, etc.) divert the reader's attention so that the plot failings don't get in the way of the fun (think Clive Cussler, his plots couldn't be much sillier but his books are always entertaining). THE WHOLE TRUTH has nothing to take the reader's mind off the $26.99 cover price.
I would say to Mr. Baldacci that although his books sell well it does not mean that they are actually good. My advice is to sit back, take a deep breath and read his own early novels to see what he can do and get back to what he does well before he becomes another Jack Higgins. The rest will take care of itself.
As for THE WHOLE TRUTH, skip it; don't even let yourself be tempted at an airport bookstand where the only choices are Danielle Steel's latest, something about vampires and something with Donald Trump on the cover. Well, okay, if it's a choice between Danielle Steel, vampires, Donald Trump and THE WHOLE TRUTH, give it a try, it's not really THAT bad....
 a waste of time and talent May 8, 2008
12 out of 16 found this review helpful
David Baldacci has been one of our most reliable authors, but The Whole Truth reads like something he dashed out in a wasted effort to cash in on his excellent reputation. It is a silly, cliche-driven and beyond-fiction tale that is boring and not worth our time. While the premise is interesting -- that the internet can be used to spread any news, whether true or not -- it is buried under a sad cast of unbelievable characters.
 Another Great Novel May 8, 2008
I thought I had read the best possible books with Baldacci's last 3 books but he haas topped them all with the Whole Truth. He builds the suspense to the boiling point and then in the middle of the book he breaks your heart with an execution. He then rebuilds the suspense to the ultimate ending. A truely great story told by a fantastic story teller. Well worth the time to read it.
Don In Florida
Evil Corporate Chieftain, Shadowy Police Agency, and Driven Hero in Conflict Because of a New Threat May 7, 2008
This thriller has a lot to commend it: An evil corporate chieftain worthy of Ian Fleming at his best, a sinister police agency that seems worse than crime in some ways, a hero who doesn't want to be one facing a fate like the gladiators slaves did in ancient Rome, a plot to manipulate world opinion, and dire consequences at stake. These elements don't often all make it into the same thriller. Overhanging the story is a profound sense of doom that makes the page-turning appeal higher.
Like the best thrillers, you'll also learn about behind-the-scenes technology that will fascinate you . . . in this case relating to how public opinion can be formed and manipulated. I was also pleased to see that David Baldacci provided lots of memorable locales for his assignations and events.
What's to complain about? The story is built up too big: It's beyond being as credible as a good thriller should be. The basic premise is that no one ever checks anything that shows up on the Internet. While that premise makes for good satire, it doesn't provide a sound-enough foundation for a thriller. In addition, Baldacci takes liberties with how things work in the arms industry: U.S. arms makers aren't free to peddle whatever they want to anyone else. There are significant restrictions on advanced military technology.
I do hope that this will be the start of a series. The leading characters could provide a good center of focus for many other thrillers. Bring them on, Mr. Baldacci!
Typical Baldacci May 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is one of Baldacci's better efforts. I read the whole book in one day because it was so interesting. He always gives us something to think about long after we have read his book.
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