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tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘Why waste time discovering the truth when you can so easily create it?’
[This is another book I read through a sleepless night. My score reflects the fact that the book distracted me mightily. I am fascinated by the world of 'perception management' and I see evidence around me that this is neither entirely fictional nor far-fetched. Each reader can draw his own conclusions. There are definitely character development issues that would have ordinarily reduced my star rating - but not this time....:]
Why indeed? Far outside the world of spin doctors (whose words generally contain at least a kernel of truth) are the ‘perception managers’ whose role it is to create particular situations or the fear of those situations in such a way that people, organisations (and governments) react in specific ways.
Far fetched? Hmm. That may depend upon your own perceptions of the powers of those who are solely motivated either by self-interest or by a view that only they know what is real and what is not. We can each make up our minds there.
The worlds of Nicolas Creel, Shaw, and Katie James are not pleasant places. You may make up your own mind about how far people might actually go in the pursuit of ends they consider important.
This novel was an excellent ‘rainy day read’ for me. I didn’t care for the character development, nor did I always accept some of the reactions. For these reasons I am not giving the novel four stars. However, this is a fast-moving story that does, if you are so minded, catch you up within a world where facts are relative, where some will stoop to nothing in order to try to manipulate for the outcomes they are seeking. A little like someone starting a fire to demonstrate how effectively they might put it out. Some of you may see parallels in other recent world events, others may dismiss it as pure hyperbole. Your choice.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
scott_a_miller's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely everything fun about a thriller. Loved the characters. This is clearly ANOTHER great Baldacci series.
martyfried's review against another edition
3.0
This starts out with a premise that seems all too possible, and pertains to a problem that I feel is way too prevalent - the power of social media to spreat fake news to overly-gullible sheeple who don't have the time or inclination to question what they read before spamming it to all their hundreds of "friends" across the world. After all, nobody would make a fake video and post it, would they? Isn't it illegal to post false news on the internet?
midlifehedgewitch's review against another edition
2.0
Really? Baldacci is a best selling author with writing as amateurish as this? This book was far too long, the characters one dimensional, the bad guys laughable. One bad dude even says 'I am the chosen one.' Then there's pieces of writing like this: 'To say these facts spread like a California wildlife would have been a bit of an understatement.' And no, that is not a character speaking, that is part of one of the many lazy fact dumps -chapters of them- contained within the book.
Ugh, lazy. Where were Baldacci's editors? Obviously out to lunch slurping champagne...
Ugh, lazy. Where were Baldacci's editors? Obviously out to lunch slurping champagne...
carrolk3's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. Baldacci has a new character, Shaw, which is refreshing. Sometimes after several books with the same characters, the plots start to get stale. There is a lot of action in this book - yes, there are many bodies left along the way, but I found the main theme of "perception management" fascinating, although a bit scary. If you are looking for a fast read in the thiller genre, I'd really recommend this book.
alice2000's review against another edition
3.0
The characters in this book- Shaw, Katie James, Nicolas Creel and even Frank- were some of the most three dimensional ones that David Baldacci has ever done. There were many shades of grey and it wasn't easy to decide definitively that the bad guys were, in fact, bad.
I hope he revisits this group of characters again in the future.
I hope he revisits this group of characters again in the future.
magicj_001's review against another edition
1.0
Poor book compared to other Baldacci novels. Wouldn't recommend this or the sequel (Deliver us from Evil) no matter how big a fan you are. There are too many better books to spend you time on.
Plot is full of holes. Very difficult to understand motivation of Shaw and his relationship to Frank (his handler) and whoever is giving him orders. Are they trying to kill him? During one gunfight they obviously are trying to kill him, but this is never explained away and a few chapters later he is back following orders? Very disappointing!
Plot is full of holes. Very difficult to understand motivation of Shaw and his relationship to Frank (his handler) and whoever is giving him orders. Are they trying to kill him? During one gunfight they obviously are trying to kill him, but this is never explained away and a few chapters later he is back following orders? Very disappointing!
claudetteb's review against another edition
3.0
Not his best, but once I got through the first half, I couldn't put it down, so it gets stars for the suspense.
ktidwell4391's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
barbi312's review against another edition
3.0
As I was reading the debut of David Baldacci's series featuring A. Shaw and his sidekick Katie James, I was struck by how similar the characters seemed to other hero/heroine duos I have enjoyed more, most notably Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill by Brad Taylor.
Baldacci’s “The Whole Truth” had some trouble getting out of its own way and the story lost momentum a number of times, but I think the series might have shown more promise if the author would have fleshed out his characters and placed them in more believable (albeit wildly fantastic) situations. (I haven't been able to locate Book #2 of this series so I imagine it never went anywhere.)
A. Shaw is a tragic figure who has been compelled to work for a shadowy international intelligence agency that gets the job done without sweating the details, like whether or not what they’re doing is legal or sanctioned. Katie James, a disgraced journalist with an alcohol problem, yearns to add another Pulitzer Prize to her name. They meet under extraordinary circumstances and together they limp along, sharing mutual mistrust, grudging admiration, and finally, hard-won friendship. Everything about the book was frustratingly derivative and it read more like a pitch for an active movie than a novel.
I have read, and to a certain degree enjoyed, Baldacci's King & Maxwell series, which also features a male and female crime-fighting duo. I'm not a fan of his Camel Club series, but I keep reading Baldacci’s books in the hope that one day he’ll meet my expectations. Unfortunately, “The Whole Truth” fell short.
Baldacci’s “The Whole Truth” had some trouble getting out of its own way and the story lost momentum a number of times, but I think the series might have shown more promise if the author would have fleshed out his characters and placed them in more believable (albeit wildly fantastic) situations. (I haven't been able to locate Book #2 of this series so I imagine it never went anywhere.)
A. Shaw is a tragic figure who has been compelled to work for a shadowy international intelligence agency that gets the job done without sweating the details, like whether or not what they’re doing is legal or sanctioned. Katie James, a disgraced journalist with an alcohol problem, yearns to add another Pulitzer Prize to her name. They meet under extraordinary circumstances and together they limp along, sharing mutual mistrust, grudging admiration, and finally, hard-won friendship. Everything about the book was frustratingly derivative and it read more like a pitch for an active movie than a novel.
I have read, and to a certain degree enjoyed, Baldacci's King & Maxwell series, which also features a male and female crime-fighting duo. I'm not a fan of his Camel Club series, but I keep reading Baldacci’s books in the hope that one day he’ll meet my expectations. Unfortunately, “The Whole Truth” fell short.