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The Whole Truth (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: new orphanage, The Phoenix Group, Red Menace, Katie James (more...)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (135 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Usually a sophisticated plotter, bestseller Baldacci (Absolute Power) offers a story line and villain on a par with an average James Bond film in what's billed as his first international thriller. Nicholas Creel, the head of the Ares Corporation, a huge defense contractor, hires a perception management firm to start a second cold war by planting fake news stories on the Internet about Russian atrocities. The propaganda campaign soon turns violent with the massacre of the members of a London think tank, the Phoenix Group, apparently by a Russian hit team. Creel hopes that the Phoenix Group's links with the Chinese government will lead to war between Russia and China as well as feed a worldwide arms race that will profit his company. A shadowy operative, A Shaw, whose fiancée perished in the London attack, allies himself with a disgraced female journalist in an effort to thwart Creel's evil plot. While some readers may find it a stretch that a resurgent Russia should so easily overshadow all other world crises, Baldacci in an author's note makes an eloquent case for the very real threat of perception management. (Apr. 22)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist

Baldacci masterfully plays on the American paranoia in the wake of the War on Terror in this bizarre international thriller. “Remember Constantin” is the battle cry du jour across America after a frightening piece of video makes the rounds on the Internet. In it, Constantin, a young Russian, claims that the release of the video means he has been executed by the Russian Federation. The fear of a return to the cold war is so palpable that nations across the globe are preparing for the worst. But is it a hoax? Nicolas Creel, the Machiavellian head of the largest defense contractor in the U.S., and his buddy Dick Pender, the image-maker (think evil, cartoonish versions of Cheney and Rove, respectively), are hell bent on keeping the terror levels high so that they become the ultimate go-to guys. But Shaw—that’s it, our hero’s name’s just Shaw—has other plans and risks his life and limb in order to keep the peace. Shaw answers to a secret global intelligence agency, and though he’s not too keen on their tactics, either, he’s determined to stay with the good guys, however negligible the distinction may be. Meanwhile journalist Katie James is after the “whole truth” behind this twisted version of king of the hill. Baldacci’s ability to make international intrigue light and readable is uncanny. It hovers on the verge of superhero nonsense, but the dialogue snaps forth on cue, the plot never slows, and the ending packs a genuine punch. Read-alikes? Tom Clancy, of course. --Mary Frances Wilkens

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (April 22, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0446195979
  • ISBN-13: 978-0446195973
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,637 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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135 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (135 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
87 of 94 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Four and a half stars..., May 15, 2008
By Cynthia K. Robertson (beverly, new jersey USA) - See all my reviews
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I was reluctant to purchase David Baldacci's The Whole Truth as some of his most recent books have been lacking in quality. Fortunately, this latest book reminds me of his earlier and better works.

Nicholas Creel owns a defense contracting business called Ares. In an effort to bolster sales, he hires Dick Pender whose specialty is perception management. Perception managers fabricate facts and then pass them off to the public as truth. "Why waste time trying to discover the truth, when you can so easily create it?" Pender hatches a scheme to create an international incident that will result in a number of superpowers on the verge of war. These countries will then increase their defense spending and order weapons and equipment from Ares.

Part of the scheme is called "The Red Menace." Pender and staff are planting false stories about the Russians in the news and over the internet. Several people suspect that these stories are false, including journalist Kate James, consultant Anna Fischer and operative A. Shaw. In usual thriller fashion, the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous their lives become. How The Whole Truth unfolds will have you turning pages at breakneck speed.

Baldacci is good in that he incorporates many present day current events to make The Whole Truth very realistic. While almost all thrillers have an element of disbelief, you can actually imagine many of these situations taking place.

I am happy that Baldacci took a break from his Camel Club series and has given us something totally new. The Whole Truth is the kind of book that I have come to expect from Baldacci. Overall, I'd rate it four and a half stars.
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103 of 115 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars "I can make them believe anything.", April 22, 2008
Dick Pender, a former employee in the White House press office, is an expert in perception management. His motto is: "Why waste time trying to discover the truth, when you can so easily create it?" In David Baldacci's "The Whole Truth," some very influential people pay Pender big bucks to bury inconvenient secrets and manipulate public opinion, using cleverly crafted lies packaged for maximum media impact. Pender's most important client is Machiavellian billionaire Nicholas Creel, the head of a defense conglomerate called the Ares Corporation. Creel, who believes that "a peace based on lurking terror was the best kind of all," hires Pender to manufacture an artificial conflict that would generate a stepped-up arms race among the world's superpowers.

Baldacci's hero is Shaw, a globetrotting troubleshooter for a shadowy international law-enforcement organization, "sort of like Interpol on steroids." He is a strong and physically imposing man whose knowledge of surveillance, hand-to-hand combat, and weaponry makes him a highly valuable asset. His acting ability, uncanny intuition, courage, and coolness under pressure have helped him prevail in a number of dangerous situations. On any given day, Shaw's quarry might include ruthless drug dealers, bloodthirsty terrorists, or vicious neo-Nazis. Although Shaw dreams of retiring and living a sedate life with his beautiful and brilliant girlfriend, German-born Anna Fischer, his boss has him in a stranglehold from which he cannot easily break free.

Complicating matters is Katie James, an award-winning investigative journalist. As a result of a traumatic experience in Afghanistan, she became an alcoholic who has been relegated to writing obituaries. Through happenstance, Katie meets Shaw and both narrowly escape after a run-in with a group of murderous thugs in Scotland. When an unexpected tragedy sends an enraged Shaw on a mission of revenge, Katie decides to risk her life in order to help him and, in the process, pursue the biggest story of her career.

Although it is action-packed and suspenseful, "The Whole Truth" is marred by cliché-ridden dialogue and cartoonish villains who utter such lines as: "I didn't bring you here for a lecture. I brought you here to die." The story is convoluted and extremely violent, and the author repeatedly hammers home his heavy-handed message that unscrupulous individuals and even governments intentionally mislead us by disseminating false information. At best, "The Whole Truth" provides escapist entertainment for readers who are willing to overlook the book's one-dimensional characters, far-fetched plot, and pedestrian writing.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Truth or Fiction?, June 2, 2008
By Ted Feit (Long Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews
In every story there is a premise. The plot can be real or a figment of one's imagination. If it is unreal or illogical, it can interfere with the reader's enjoyment. Such is, perhaps, the case with this novel.

The plot is a fairly simple one. Nicolas Creel, the head of a large defense contractor somewhat on the skids, undertakes to recreate the Cold War to encourage another arms race. Along the way, to accomplish this aim, the collateral damage is widespread, with many people left dead, Russia and China at each other's throats. Only Shaw, a larger-than-life protagonist, and Katie James, a two-time Pulitzer Prize journalist turned unemployed alcoholic (along with a little help) can uncover the plot and prevent Armageddon. Meanwhile, trillions of dollars of arms contracts flow to the instigator of the plot, as well as other defense companies.

The problem is, the premise is highly improbable. For a defense contractor to sell weapons and other materiel overseas, permission and a license has to be granted by the United States Government. Without such an OK, no sale. So the truth is the premise for this novel is pure fiction. But, after all, that's what novels are for. So, if the reader can by-pass this little impediment, a highly charged and entertaining read is available.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Baldacci at his best
Synopsis

Nicholas Creel is a very powerful man. As CEO of one of the largest government defense contractors in the world, the Ares Corporation, he stands to gain or... Read more
Published 12 days ago by Mike Fickling

5.0 out of 5 stars Great listening
Baldacci spins a great tale. The recorded version was captivating listening during a rather long trip by car. We'll be listening to many more of Baldacci's works in the future.
Published 1 month ago by J. Lockard

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow Start But Back To Old Baldacci
This book has a really slow start to it. You'll have to wait until about 100 pages in before the story really sucks you in. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Samantha L. Sayre

5.0 out of 5 stars Great
If the book is by Baldacci--read it! He is an outstanding writer--love his books.
Published 1 month ago by Reecia Thompson Stoglin

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Baldacci's best
Baldacci is back in top form with "The Whole Truth." I was not a big fan of the Stone books, but this was Baldacci back at his best. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tracy L. Karol

2.0 out of 5 stars Predictable and tedious
I gave it two stars, because I consider one star as a "don't touch it" book; this book, however, with all its shortcomings has the Baldacci charcteristic of "I can't put it down... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Zeev Bareket

1.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Finish Reading.....So Boring and Predictable
Wow, I was really disappointed in this book. I've read many of his other books and have enjoyed them. I could only get through 1/3 of this one. Read more
Published 3 months ago by luvsbooks

4.0 out of 5 stars The Whole Truth
Personally, I think Baldacci has done it once more. This is a very exciting read. As usual in my reviews, I will not tell you what's in it. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Charles A. Reap Jr.

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOKS IS SOO GOOD!!
THIS BOOK IS SOO GOOD!!! I HOPE HE BEGINS A NEW SERIES WITH THESE CHARACTERS! I COULDN'T BUT IT DOWN! I DEFINENTLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!
Published 3 months ago by Book Babe

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money
For a synopsis of the book, I would refer you to other reviews that are more favorable to it. I have read all of Baldacci's books as they have been published, and I enjoyed the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. C. Adkins

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