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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.
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.
joyful808's review against another edition
5.0
ACTION PACKED. This book was so fun to read. Exciting. I really hope it is made into a movie.
luffy79's review against another edition
3.0
The Whole Truth carries the stamp of Baldacci all over it. He recycled some of his plot points from the Camel Club.
If Oliver Stone had had a flashback sequence about his distant past, this book, partly, could be just that. This book behaved like the page turner it was. Though it didn't hit the high notes that I've come to expect from the author, it was a pleasure to read. I liked that the platonic distance between Shaw and James was enacted with natural effortlessness. There was something that struck me though.
When I read, the book plays like a movie in my mind. Well, Shaw is a very tall and broad man. I imagined his 'acting' as competent enough, but when he cried for his girlfriend in the hospital 'scene' the acting in my mind was bad. It seems that even in imagination, tall and muscular heroes were still awful actors.
If Oliver Stone had had a flashback sequence about his distant past, this book, partly, could be just that. This book behaved like the page turner it was. Though it didn't hit the high notes that I've come to expect from the author, it was a pleasure to read. I liked that the platonic distance between Shaw and James was enacted with natural effortlessness. There was something that struck me though.
When I read, the book plays like a movie in my mind. Well, Shaw is a very tall and broad man. I imagined his 'acting' as competent enough, but when he cried for his girlfriend in the hospital 'scene' the acting in my mind was bad. It seems that even in imagination, tall and muscular heroes were still awful actors.
lmt01's review against another edition
3.0
THE WHOLE TRUTH is not a bad book. I’m not giving it three stars because it’s a bad book. It has an interesting plot, an enigmatic protagonist, and well-developed characters. I’m giving it three stars because it isn’t as good as Baldacci’s other novels.
nourhanm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
serenaac's review against another edition
5.0
Have you ever wondered what would happen if a corporation had too much power and was run by a twisted mind? How about a powerful military contracting firm? In The Whole Truth, Nicolas Creel wants to spur weapons build-up among the world powers, but to recreate the Cold War, Creel must set the pieces in motion to ensure two major superpowers or super power wanna-be nations are at odds--Russia and China. Meanwhile, Shaw an underground operative for a secretive agency wants out to marry the woman of his dreams, Anna Fischer, and lead a normal life. Katie James, on the outside looking in, is an on-the-way-down reporter who stumbles upon the story of her life and the century.
The Whole Truth is James Patterson on steroids; it's bigger and better than most crime fiction. My hubby says this novel could easily be transformed into a summer blockbuster. Shaw is a deeply tormented character, and Katie is an ambitious journalist and idealist. Creel is as every bit as bad as Blofeld and Goldfinger in the James Bond franchise. The suspense in this novel will have readers on the edge of their seats, and the emotional undertones will have readers running the gamut from exhilaration and anxiety to deep sorrow. The fate of the world is in Shaw's hands.
The Whole Truth is James Patterson on steroids; it's bigger and better than most crime fiction. My hubby says this novel could easily be transformed into a summer blockbuster. Shaw is a deeply tormented character, and Katie is an ambitious journalist and idealist. Creel is as every bit as bad as Blofeld and Goldfinger in the James Bond franchise. The suspense in this novel will have readers on the edge of their seats, and the emotional undertones will have readers running the gamut from exhilaration and anxiety to deep sorrow. The fate of the world is in Shaw's hands.
anitaob30's review against another edition
3.0
Not one of my favorites by this author. No happy ending. I won’t bother with the sequel