The Whole Truth by David Baldacci Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Whole Truth
Book Review: A James Bond look alike
Summary: 4 Stars
Another reviewer suggested that this book is akin to a James Bond story and, yes, I agree, but it's such a fast, good read that it's fun. Set the scene with a multi billionaire on his own luxury yacht, down in the bowels of which is his private submarine in which he may come and go unseen. The central character is named Shaw and is a secret operative for a government agency, fighting crime. When Shaw becomes engaged to marry a brilliant and beautiful woman who works for a Hong Kong based company which employs only exceptionally clever people to act as a think tank for world problems, he tries to leave his very dangerous occupation to lead a normal life with her. His employer refuses to allow him to leave until he has carried out another mission to prevent the possibility of WW3. Multi billionaire, Nicholas Creel, head of the armament company, Ares Corporation, is planning to create suspicion between China and Russia, in order to sell massive amounts of arms and to keep the world in a state of Cold War. Yes, it's quite a Bond story but one which I found to be a good, exciting read with danger, murder, spectacular fights, beautiful girls and hunky heroes!Book Review: A Partially Good Book
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed "The Whole Truth" despite its many shortcomings. The villain is your typical flat James Bond movie bad guy who has unlimited resources and wants to shape the world into something he believes will be more stable and lucrative.
To make this world a reality he creates an internet hoax dubbed The Red Menace that brings the activities of Russia and China into question and he watches the media hoard whip everyone into a frenzy.
The best element of "The Whole Truth" is the protagonist, Shaw, who is essentially a human weapon being used by a covert U.S. agency to do the dirty work that needs to be done internationally. Shaw has fallen in love and wants to get out of the special ops business. Of course Shaw ends up battling the people behind The Red Menace.
Though this novel was good enough that it reminded me a little of "The Bourne Identity" I can't wholeheartedly recommend "The Whole Truth" because of the giant leaps of intuition, the fortunate coincidences, and so many situations that strain credibility. If the reader has problems with that kind of schlock then "The Whole Truth" should probably be skipped.
Book Review: A Powerful Global Adventure!
Summary: 5 Stars
Nicholas Creel wants to control the world and if all goes according to plan, he just might. Creel owns the world's largest defense contractor, Ares Corporation, and he will do anything to protect the future of his company. Creel hires perception manager Dick Pender to pull off the largest media, political, and international conflict scam imaginable. With careful manipulation of internet blogs, news feeds, and viral online videos, Pender sets in motion a series of events that will end with two of the world's superpowers on the brink of all out war. As both sides respond in acquiring more firepower, Creel moves in to make the sale ensuring long-term stability for his company.
Meanwhile, a man named Shaw finds himself smack in the middle of Creel's deadly game when he loses a loved one in the crossfire of this fabricated global conflict. Fueled by rage, Shaw embarks on a quest for truth using his black-ops training to hunt down those responsible. Along the way, he befriends American reporter Katie James who helps him realize that all is not as it seems. Together they will uncover a shocking truth with staggering global implications.
David Baldacci graces us with a powerful global adventure that is as frightening as it is compelling. The story unfolds at a brisk pace as Baldacci weaves a multitude of characters and locations together giving us all sides of this brilliant tale. The action is relentless and the suspense steadily builds in intensity as we are reminded of a very possible reality that is alarming to say the least. Baldacci reveals just how easy it is to manipulate the media and the internet to cause the public to believe a lie. I really hope Baldacci is way off on this one, but something tells me he's not. What a fantastic story! What an unsettling truth! This is another intriguing offering from Baldacci that cannot be missed.
Book Review: A Wild, Wonderful Book Ride
Summary: 5 Stars
This is what a thriller should be!
Enjoyment plus education--"The Whole Truth" brings you into the military arms world and the interesting new field of perception management (making "truth" for a wealthy client by manipulating the media, especially via the Internet).
In his recent bestseller (TWT), Baldacci serves a literary feast of:
1) fast-paced action around the Globe;
2) sharp, clever sentences like "Those experiences gave him armor for skin.";
3) Revenge served hot when the lover of Shaw (an elite anti-terrorist operator of the US Govt) is killed as collateral damage by the CEO of Ares Corporation, the maker of high-dollar military arms---Shaw begins his personal mission to collect the ultimate revenge. All the security a billionaire can afford cannot protect the CEO from the death sentence Shaw has given him.
Baldacci deserves five stars for TWT & I give it to him!
Book Review: A little too close to "the whole truth" for comfort
Summary: 5 Stars
Now that we all know how the White House "perception managed" us right into the Iraq War, Baldacci's story seems almost too plausible, too realistic, as if he's stolen his plot from newspaper clippings and recent history. Exchange "Ares" for "Haliburton," and it's not even fiction any longer.
I've never read Baldacci before, and I am pleasantly surprised by this book. His "hero" in this novel (A Shaw -- that "A" is not an initial, btw; the orphan had only his surname, so named himself "a Shaw") reminds me of one of my other favorite anti-heroes, Jack Reacher. Shaw's a bit more likable and, unlike Reacher, is actually able to make a connection with another human being; but they are both physically imposing, taciturn, intelligent men, both saving the world single-handedly, one-bad-guy-diverted, one-war-averted at a time. A note about Baldacci's characters in general: I'm listening to the audio version of this book on my commute. Perhaps the reader makes the characters come alive; unlike other reviewers, I find the main characters to be complicated and thoughtful. Even Nicholas Creel has his merits (he spends $80MM on a children's cancer hospital) and Katie, the alcoholic, intrepid, Pulitzer-prize-winning investigative reporter, is all too human as she sits facing a bottle of gin, a glass half-full of tonic and ice, and the dead Afghan child who haunts her.
I read a lot (which doesn't make me less picky) and this book had me hooked by the 2nd chapter. Hope A Shaw returns.