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A review by barbi312
The Whole Truth by David Baldacci
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.