The Whole Truth by David Baldacci Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Whole Truth
Book Review: Warning to Fellow Readers
Summary: 1 Stars
I normally read 2 to 3 books a month, accumulated for the past 45 years. This is the first time I have ever submitted written comments on a book. This is not a review, however I feel it is my duty to write a warning to fellow readers not to waste your time or money on this novel.
The action scenes in "The Whole Truth" might appeal to a sub adolescent comic book reader, but they are are so ridiculously contrived and implausible that they are insulting to the average reader. They get worse with each chapter, right through to the end. I believe in writer's license for entertainment sake, but this book takes it to a childish level, repeatedly.
The plot is very weak in believability and the organizations and characters in the story have little or no foundation, and the dialog is downright silly. I cannot believe this book was actually published.
I enjoyed Baldacci's first novel "Absolute Power", but the following Camel Club series became very repetitive, so it has been all downhill, now seemingly arriving at the bottom.
Book Review: Awesome Read
Summary: 5 Stars
Loved this book. It's been a long time since I've read Baldacci as I was getting a bit tired of his latest novels. I truly enjoyed this.Book Review: Baldacci's new hero, A. Shaw, shines
Summary: 4 Stars
It looks like David Baldacci may be trying to create a new James Bond-type hero. Shaw is a secret agent who has nerves of steel to take on terrorists single-handedly.
Shaw is a man of action, but he wants out and he wants to settle down with the woman he loves. That is, until she is killed.
Now he's on a mission to find the person responsible. The mastermind is Nicolas Creel, a philanthropist, but also a man who believes the world is better off believing nuclear holocaust is only a button push away.
As a defense contractor Creel benefits from the weapons build up so he not against creating public opinion where it serves his needs. However, it isn't necessarily the truth.
The Whole Truth has some great plot twists and it reads quickly (with the help of short chapters). While it's a great thriller, the central question of the book is intriguing: Just how easily can public opinion be manipulated and to what ends?
Book Review: Can Baldacci deliver The Whole Truth
Summary: 4 Stars
Ron McLarty delivers the narration while David Baldacci delivers The Whole Truth about a crooked defense executive with one thing on his mind, war. From the opening moments when Nicholas Creel utters the line "Dick, I need a war" to the explosive conclusion, McLarty and Baldacci deliver one of the most exciting thrillers since Baldacci's own The Camel Club. Dick Pender is a Perception Manager, able to fabricate stories and scenarios for any situation or scheme that he is hired for. When the head of a major defense company (Creel) hires him to create a war, Pender goes to work planting false stories about Russia, deemed "The Red Menace". Through the creative use of e-mail scamming, and some planned murders along the way, he creates a world-wide paranoia that has everyone on the brink of war. Creel's defense company, Ares who does business with the US, Russia, and China stands to benefit the most as a result. Unfortunately for purists, this scenario is unbelievable as the United States government has ITAR (International Trade & Arms Regulations) which closely controls the sales of Defense weapons internationally. But it is a novel after all, and that's part of the fun. The other fun is how Baldacci and McLarty unveil two of the most unconventional hero's and heroines in years. Shaw, a reluctant hero thrust into the scene by government types to keep himself out of prison, and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist by the name of Katie James who is an alcoholic and seems to show up at all the wrong times. These are not characters with the same interest-level as an Oliver Stone from the Camel Club series, yet over time they could grow on you if Baldacci chose to create a series. In summary - The Whole Truth is not on par with the Camel Club series, but it's enjoyable and fun to listen to none the less.
Book Review: Great Book
Summary: 5 Stars
I really liked this book. When I first saw the title of the book I thought it might be the next book in the Camel Club series (which I LOVE). At first I was a bit disappointed when I realized it was not part of the Camel Club series but my disappointment was short lived. If you like an action packed book with a hero that has all the human frailties yet still seems indestructible, this book is for you. It is also very thought provoking and you really start to wonder just how much truth there really is in this book. Baldacci has a winner here. Other than not having a clue as to what a "hack saw" is, Baldacci made an outstanding effort at the detail that went into the story. I hope we get to see lots more of the lead character (Shaw) in future books.