A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
The Whole Truth by David Baldacci

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