The Whole Truth

James Bond meets Jason Bourne

In, The Whole Truth, Nicolas Creel, an international arms dealer slash world philanthropist, creates conflicts to fuel the demand for his products: weapons of mass destruction. When Creel targets Russia with a smear campaign, things start to get ugly. On the flip side of the coin, to keep out of prison, Baldacci's hero, Shaw, a man with a shady past and a reluctant future, does the bidding of a multinational intelligence agency. When Shaw's fiancé is murdered by Creel's henchmen Shaw vows to get even. Likeable yet recycled characters that lacked consistency and a familiar plot - megalomaniac wanting to control the world - almost ruined this story for me. In addition, portions of the book are stricken with the Talking Head Syndrome with information filtering through the point of view of no perceivable character, coming only from the author. In spite of all of this, I found myself wanting to continue reading the book to see how it all turned out. And in the end that's what it's all about... I think. -- Bob Avey, author of Twisted Perception, and Beneath a Buried House

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Disappointing

Stale themes and cliche characters. Baldacci's other books are much better.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Military Industrial Complex Thriller

Baldacci must have researched Dwight D. Eisenhower's farwell to the nation when he cautioned the country to "beware of the military industrial complex". The author takes Eisenhower's concerns to the extreme and weaves a page turning thriller that probably even the former president couldn't conceive.

If you enjoyed the the author's story's about the Camel Club you are certain to be intrigued with his new character Shaw. A great read which I truly enjoyed. Thanks David Baldacci.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

The Whole Truth truly relevent with todays headlines

The Whole Truth by David Baldacci was a thrill a minute. But the really scary thing is, it leave you with the thought of is everything in the news propaganda. Are we that influenced by those who can twist the truth to their version. A wonderful read that is really thought provoking. I love Baldacci's writing style.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

extremely thought provoking

I have read all of David Baldacci's work and I always enjoy them. This book really intrigued me from the start. All new characters and a book setting that is not in America. The first line that comes to mind is 'Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.' As I finished the book, I found myself thinking more and more about the premise and I have continued to think about it for days. Quoting one more line, As Stan Moore has written, "Just because truth has been omitted, does not mean that truth is not true. Just because reality has not been perceived, does not mean that it is not real." I think David just keeps getting better and I applaud him for bringing new concepts to his readers.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

You can't beat the first 90% of the book

I have been looking for a new series to read and this might be it. Shaw is the type of character that I have been looking for. A new age James Bond meets John Clark (Jack Ryan Series). Nicholas Creel is a character with a great master plan. Does his good out weigh his bad? The build up was great. I never heard of the PM industry, but they seem very powerfull. The end . eh. Baldacci seemed like he had to end the story abruptly. I wouldn't mind if an arthor would not force an ending just to make sure it was a happy ending. It is a great book that some people may truly love. Me, it isn't a Clancy book, but I will read the next edition of the Shaw series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Read

Well worth the time

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome Book on Tape!

I enjoy espionage and this one tops the charts!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fast-paced and a great new character...

Shaw has a huge problem. A good problem in a way, but a problem nonetheless. He has just proposed to the love of his life, Anna, and she has accepted. The problem? Shaw works for a secret agency of the government, and they don't want to let him leave. The work he does is very dangerous, and finding a replacement with his skills would be nearly impossible. Yet, married life is not a possiblity while he works for them in a job that means any day could be his last.
As Shaw works through this issue, he catches the interest of Katie James, a two-time Pultizer-winning journalist. Katie is involved in the story of "The Red Menace", an expose of Russia's treatment of dissidents that is ramping back up the Cold War, and bringing China into the mix this time. Anna, who works for a think tank in London called the Phoenix Group, is also investigating this story. The Phoenix Group is brutally attacked by the organization behind the "Red Menace" story, and that attack brings Shaw and Katie together. They find what the reason behind the attack on the Phoenix Group, and the reason behind the entire Red Menace scenario is, and attempt to put the man behind the entire plot out of business.
David Baldacci has written numerous thrillers, and The Whole Truth is another hit. Shaw is a strong figure who could easily turn into a character that an entire series could be written about. The plot is fast and furious, and the reader quickly comes to care about the characters. It grabs the reader by the throat and releases them, satisfied, once they finish reading the ending. This book is recommended for readers looking for an exciting read with lots of twists and turns.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good but not great

Good but not great. Story line too contrived. Not his best.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I purchased the Audiobook

Made my drive much more tolerable during stop-and-go traffic. I didn't mind having to stop as much BUT have listened to other books that made me want to drive around the block to listen to more of the story. This particular selection didn't accomplish that desire. I was more than ready to park and get in the house.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Improbable Characters

The book held me until the end, but the main character was 'super-sized' in hero proportions and improbable. Some of the author's other books are much better. Still, based on the book, Baldacci got a nice tour of many countries out of the research.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Whole Book

Yes, I read the whole book and found it a serviceable tale. But do we give Mr. Baldacci five stars because he is a famous author and has written many good books? Well, you can, but I won't. This book seems to have all the typical things thrillers have- bad guys, and usually one good super guy who can pull off stunts that the whole US government with all its' military cannot. Lots of last-minute luck and close calls. Things always seem to break just the right way. Okay, that's just fine. But how about trying something newer, or different, or riskier? A best selling author can surely take a chance, can't he?

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended

Suspenseful throughout.

Good, but Not Baldacci's Best

The reviewer who defines this book as "serviceable" is probably right on the money. This is a good tale, but quite different from what we've become accustomed to from Baldacci in terms of plot. High powered individuals, greed, romance, international struggles all come into play. The story could easily be pulled from the news, even though at times some of the twists are far-fetched.

I don't at all agree with anyone who compares Shaw to James Bond. To me, he's more like a Jack Reacher (Lee Child) character - a loner, tougher than tough, mean streak, fights for what is right, etc.

I know "Deliver Us From Evil" (the next Shaw book) also didn't garner tremendous reviews, but I also know I will read it. Baldacci is one of our best thriller writers and he's entitled to provide us with a "serviceable" book here and there. They're still enjoyable and worth reading.

Excellent read.

Book was great ... David Baldacci at his best.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

My First Baldacci Novel... And Probably My Last

This was my first David Baldacci novel and I will state now that I was not impressed. There are some good things to recommend about this novel, but it's steeped in the currently accepted realm of Mediocre.

The underlying theme is its most interesting feature: Perception. Perception in to-day's fast-paced world of instant news and instantaneous judgement, and how either a person or a government with an agenda could ride rough-shot over our collective inquisitiveness, perhaps with our own blessing if not our own ignorance, and manipulate us into a cocked hat. Perhaps... even into another Cold War scenario. [Or, apropos to a recent situation, Ms Shirley Sherrod's ignominious branding as a racist.]

Shaw is a man without a past, a human weapon to bring down 'bad guys', but controlled by another man who may be as ruthless as those he's sworn to bring to justice. The only thing keeping Shaw human is the woman he loves... and from whom he's hidden his true self. Then there's the female, Pulitzer-winning reporter, whose experiences have driven her to the bottle and a career cul-de-sac. Finally, the bad guy, who doesn't see himself as the Baddie, yet deliberately engages in acts of philanthropy to offset his own hypocritical sophistries. Throw in a skirmish between Russia and China, and one has to admit this book has scope.

And that is the biggest 'cheat' of all. Smoke & mirrors to keep one from seeing what a hash of story-telling this really is: a fry-up at a greasy-spoon diner.

I do have to acknowledge that this appears to be the sort of story-telling and prose specifically geared towards those wanting a quick read, perhaps at the beach or on a camping trip or on a train ride or soon after a mild lobotomy operation. There's obviously a place for this sort of fiction-writing (I'm loathe to call it literature), just as there is for summer movies like JURASSIC PARK 9 1/2, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 42, THE MUMMY 86, etc. But as I read it, I immediately placed it in the category of a 'guilty pleasure' - but not all that pleasurable. But hey, [full disclosure] I do like some of those brainless summer Blockbusters at the cinema, myself... from time to time.

Perhaps the very best thing I can say about it is that it is a super-fast read.

But this is due to the author's characterisation-by-shorthand, elementary sentence structure, and the new/modern brief chapters. (Honestly, so many of them end halfway down a page that, if one were to add them all up, would probably reduce the book's length by 50-75 pages.) Also, there were lots of examples of characters not acting like people would in such a situation if it were real; and then, another page later, the author would slip in verisimilitude, making me not wanting to quite give up on the story.

Sometimes one has to take a break from the Classics, read something light and entertaining and fast. Sure, why not. A little variety, eh? Everything, even literature, in moderation. Fine.

But there are better thrills out there - if just as 'cheap'.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Whole Truth is honestly GREAT!

Fast paced, thrilling, a roller coaster of emotions in another Baldacci CLASSIC!

Nicholas Creel of Ares Corp., one of the worlds largest arms dealers has seen his business under performing in recent years. Determined to return his business to a success, among other things, he hires a "perception manager". Dick Pender, of Pender and Asso. must convince the world that Russia, the Red Menace, is up to its old Soviet way, of murdering innocent people and instilling fear onto its people.

Shaw who is forced to works for a secret agency to keep the world safe, or be sent to prison, makes it his mission to find and kill who ever is behind the smear campaign after someone very close to him is murdered to keep them from voicing their skepticism.

A MUST READ!!

The Whole Truth or Just Fiction?

Baldacci gives the reader plenty to think about in his latest book. It is hard to imagine the lengths that people will go to to maintain their power, money, and control, but he has painted a very clear picture of how that can happen in "The Whole Truth." One should always be skeptical about accepting everything at face value, particularly if it's on the internet, and Baldacci drives that point home. He provides the reader with a greater appreciation of how quickly someone's "truth" can be spread with a simple click of the send button which sets into motion consequences that threaten lives and change the delicate balance of governmental relationships. There are plenty of close calls and interesting relationships to make this book an enjoyable read.

The whole truth was an interesting book

I really liked the book, although it took me a little while to get into it, being that it is not the genre I typically read. Once I got into it and figured out what was going on, it was hard to put down.