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A. Shaw #1
The Whole Truth
"Matt, I need a war."
So begins David Baldacci's new book--a thriller unlike any he's written before. "Matt" is Mathew Pender, of Pender Associates--a shadowy organization that specializes in managing seemingly impossible situations for its clients. Sometimes, those services extend to managing--and creating--armed conflict. When Matt Pender is asked by his client--the largest defense contractor in the world--to manipulate two nations against each other, a shocking and surprising series of events are set in motion that will possibly bring the world to the brink of World War III.*
In this epic thriller with a global backdrop, David Baldacci delivers all the twists and turns, compelling characters, and can't-put-it-down pacing that readers have come to expect from this master storyteller.
So begins David Baldacci's new book--a thriller unlike any he's written before. "Matt" is Mathew Pender, of Pender Associates--a shadowy organization that specializes in managing seemingly impossible situations for its clients. Sometimes, those services extend to managing--and creating--armed conflict. When Matt Pender is asked by his client--the largest defense contractor in the world--to manipulate two nations against each other, a shocking and surprising series of events are set in motion that will possibly bring the world to the brink of World War III.*
In this epic thriller with a global backdrop, David Baldacci delivers all the twists and turns, compelling characters, and can't-put-it-down pacing that readers have come to expect from this master storyteller.
406 pages, Hardcover
First published April 22, 2008
6211 people are currently reading
11928 people want to read
About the author
David Baldacci
244 books123k followersDavid Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, "because every mom needs a break now and then.”)
David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996; the feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 52 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. David has also published seven novels for younger readers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 200 million copies sold worldwide.
In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States.
A lifelong Virginian, David is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia School of Law.
David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996; the feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 52 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. David has also published seven novels for younger readers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 200 million copies sold worldwide.
In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States.
A lifelong Virginian, David is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia School of Law.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,014 reviews
August 14, 2019
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.
October 8, 2025
Catching up…
When this was dropped off as a donation to my Little Free Library Shed, I was reminded that I still hadn’t posted my review of it, even though I had read this a while ago.
So…I am now bringing my review to Goodreads.
Baldacci isn’t afraid to create characters that we either like or not. What I believe he wants for his readers, is for us to get excited about what we are reading, and continue to turn pages at a fast pace so that we can find out what is going to happen next.
So…How does it happen with this book?
Baldacci rewards readers with a suspenseful, brisk page-turning, international intrigue thriller.
And…With this particular story, Baldacci is character-driven. We have at least 3 primary characters that are going to stand-out to readers…
1) Nicolas Creel, a multi-billionaire who runs a defense company, ARES Corporation.
2) Shaw. He works for an unnamed international intelligence agency that sends him on dangerous missions to help rid the world of evil.
3) Katie James. A Pulitzer Prize winning journalist holding a lot of guilt.
The anticipation for readers will be in finding out how these characters connect, and what is going to happen to them, once they do.
When this was dropped off as a donation to my Little Free Library Shed, I was reminded that I still hadn’t posted my review of it, even though I had read this a while ago.
So…I am now bringing my review to Goodreads.
Baldacci isn’t afraid to create characters that we either like or not. What I believe he wants for his readers, is for us to get excited about what we are reading, and continue to turn pages at a fast pace so that we can find out what is going to happen next.
So…How does it happen with this book?
Baldacci rewards readers with a suspenseful, brisk page-turning, international intrigue thriller.
And…With this particular story, Baldacci is character-driven. We have at least 3 primary characters that are going to stand-out to readers…
1) Nicolas Creel, a multi-billionaire who runs a defense company, ARES Corporation.
2) Shaw. He works for an unnamed international intelligence agency that sends him on dangerous missions to help rid the world of evil.
3) Katie James. A Pulitzer Prize winning journalist holding a lot of guilt.
The anticipation for readers will be in finding out how these characters connect, and what is going to happen to them, once they do.
August 16, 2020
Ah, color me surprised!
June 28, 2022
Otra novela de Baldacci con superagente “duro” entrenado “pa matar”.
No muy distinta del resto que he leído del autor, pero igual de efectiva.
Se podría decir que estas novelas son mi vicio; admito que hay mucho cliché y el esquema es parecido…pero me entretienen un huevo. No soy capaz de ensalzarla como “must” pero cuando no tengo nada que me apetezca mucho leer o cuando salgo de alguna mala lectura sé que pillo un Baldacci y va a ser de esos libros de ansia por leer.
A mí m vale.
No muy distinta del resto que he leído del autor, pero igual de efectiva.
Se podría decir que estas novelas son mi vicio; admito que hay mucho cliché y el esquema es parecido…pero me entretienen un huevo. No soy capaz de ensalzarla como “must” pero cuando no tengo nada que me apetezca mucho leer o cuando salgo de alguna mala lectura sé que pillo un Baldacci y va a ser de esos libros de ansia por leer.
A mí m vale.
January 3, 2015
Love Baldacci's books including this one. This was a great read although it started slow. Not a fan of Katie, her character is annoying.
May 21, 2008
This has action flick printed all over it. Scary to think that this could happen - at least the premise that PM "Perception Management" could be used to make the world believe whatever the person paying for it wants them to believe. Not so believeable: that any human could be so close to being an actual Super Hero as Shaw is but that's what makes it so action packed and fun. I. too, would like to see Baldacci bring Katie and Shaw back for more.
May 16, 2018
The Whole Truth is the first underwhelming Baldacci that I have read.
The story is disjoint and goes all over the place. The characters are stereotypical. The hero is your typical strong alpha male type and the villain a campy old school james bond type. In fact he even has a sub in his yacht like Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me and his nefarious scheme reminded me of Eliot Carver's plan to start a war in Tomorrow Never Dies.
Overall, it was unsatisfying and I am pissed off since I have to read the next book in this series too.
The story is disjoint and goes all over the place. The characters are stereotypical. The hero is your typical strong alpha male type and the villain a campy old school james bond type. In fact he even has a sub in his yacht like Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me and his nefarious scheme reminded me of Eliot Carver's plan to start a war in Tomorrow Never Dies.
Overall, it was unsatisfying and I am pissed off since I have to read the next book in this series too.
February 10, 2020
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? 🙄
Unfortunately, it started going downhill from there, and I almost wanted to quit reading, but I used to like David Baldacci's books, so I stuck with it for old times sake. I'm not sure how good an idea that was, although I guess I enjoyed the ride. The characters were fairly one-dimentional, but not totally. And Shaw was a superman, but made a few mistakes here and there. I think this would make a much better movie than book, with someone like Bruce Willis or Sly Stone playing Shaw.
So, as a simple, uncomplicated actionmovie er, book, it's a fast read that's hard to put down unless you over-think it. And the basic premise of fake news is one that more people should read, as it seems to be truer every day.
Unfortunately, it started going downhill from there, and I almost wanted to quit reading, but I used to like David Baldacci's books, so I stuck with it for old times sake. I'm not sure how good an idea that was, although I guess I enjoyed the ride. The characters were fairly one-dimentional, but not totally. And Shaw was a superman, but made a few mistakes here and there. I think this would make a much better movie than book, with someone like Bruce Willis or Sly Stone playing Shaw.
So, as a simple, uncomplicated action
March 16, 2018
Rated: 3.5 stars
Looked up Perception management and it is a real concept, and folks can learn about it. I learned a new term with this one, “perception management”. The DOD even has manuals on it. It is the process of creating facts as “truth” and publishing them in as many ways as possible so that they are actually perceived as true. In this case a billionaire armaments supplier is falling on hard times and is upset with all the little brushfire wars, so he hires a PM company to stir up hostilities between Russia and the world as well as with China. As the misinformation spreads and tempers flare the supplier is busy inking contacts will all concerned for trillions of dollars in military equipment.
Into this atmosphere enters "A. Shaw," a hired gun and a good one, working for a shadow organization that takes care of problems that governments can’t. He is tired of the job, has met a woman he hopes to marry but finds out that retirement is not an option and his employer has the means to enforce that rule. Worldwide action as the billionaire and his PM Company use deadly means to plug any leaks or sources of information contrary to that which they are spreading. I enjoyed this one and the PM premise is a scary one that is probably in use right now and few the wiser. What a read. I don't find it quite as good as other of Baldacci's. But it is pretty good. Recommend.
Looked up Perception management and it is a real concept, and folks can learn about it. I learned a new term with this one, “perception management”. The DOD even has manuals on it. It is the process of creating facts as “truth” and publishing them in as many ways as possible so that they are actually perceived as true. In this case a billionaire armaments supplier is falling on hard times and is upset with all the little brushfire wars, so he hires a PM company to stir up hostilities between Russia and the world as well as with China. As the misinformation spreads and tempers flare the supplier is busy inking contacts will all concerned for trillions of dollars in military equipment.
Into this atmosphere enters "A. Shaw," a hired gun and a good one, working for a shadow organization that takes care of problems that governments can’t. He is tired of the job, has met a woman he hopes to marry but finds out that retirement is not an option and his employer has the means to enforce that rule. Worldwide action as the billionaire and his PM Company use deadly means to plug any leaks or sources of information contrary to that which they are spreading. I enjoyed this one and the PM premise is a scary one that is probably in use right now and few the wiser. What a read. I don't find it quite as good as other of Baldacci's. But it is pretty good. Recommend.
July 16, 2008
Baldacci's "Whole Truth" is particularly relevant right now, because it deals with the idea of "managed truth" versus "actual truth." "Managed truth" is what people in power--governments, large corporations, believe to be true, and the book explores what can happen when "manged truth" becomes more influential than real truth.
Longtime readers of Baldacci will appreciate the difference between this book and the previous ones. It has the powerful "agent type" who follows an internal code that is more exacting than any law. In this case, the agent is Shaw (appropriately named with the one syllable tough guy name). And it is the tough woman who is in over her head who needs said agent's help--in this case, Katie James. So the elements that many readers find satisfying in Baldacci's other books are there.
What distinguishes Shaw and James, though, is their flaws. They are who they are, and are more admiarable than not, but then fail, they do not always do the right thing, and are quite believable despite their heroic qualities. When you throw these meaty characters in with a plot that is frightening but all too plausible, you have a heckuva summer read.
Longtime readers of Baldacci will appreciate the difference between this book and the previous ones. It has the powerful "agent type" who follows an internal code that is more exacting than any law. In this case, the agent is Shaw (appropriately named with the one syllable tough guy name). And it is the tough woman who is in over her head who needs said agent's help--in this case, Katie James. So the elements that many readers find satisfying in Baldacci's other books are there.
What distinguishes Shaw and James, though, is their flaws. They are who they are, and are more admiarable than not, but then fail, they do not always do the right thing, and are quite believable despite their heroic qualities. When you throw these meaty characters in with a plot that is frightening but all too plausible, you have a heckuva summer read.
March 21, 2015
I've been meaning to try Baldacci for a while, and now I have I can cross him off my list. The Whole Truth was a heavy handed slice of boredom. Each time a main character was introduced, Baldacci felt it necessary to give the reader that character's life story, including how amazing they were at what it was they had chosen to do. There was the impoverished orphan who grew up to be an all action hero, the beauty queen who could speak 156 different languages, the arms dealer who had come from the wrong side of the tracks to as good as rule the world, the award winner reporter gone rogue and the computer security guy whose search engine was bigger and better than Google. Did anything actually happen? Maybe, but by that time I'd given up before I was put off reading forever.
August 18, 2019
I give this book 3.5 stars and found it an enjoyable read. I liked the Shaw (main) character, though he seemed like every other CIA/FBI/Special OPS character out there. I really liked the premise of the story and the build up to the final confrontation, but I thought the last quarter of the book tried to wrap things up a little to quickly. A few of the plot twists seemed a little too predictable and one of the "discovery" of a "Good Guy" secretly a "Bad Guy" seemed forced and unrealistic. (I won't expound on this to prevent spoilers). As I mentioned before, the plot of the story was intriguing and I was completely drawn in right away. I do look forward to checking out Baldacci's other books with Shaw.
August 25, 2011
The Whole Truth is in truth, a very mediocre Baldacci book… Not that he writes the best books of all, his best is only mediocre…
It's one adventure about a man mysteriously named A. Shaw, a James Bond like covert operator working for some organization that's never named. It's not clear if the organization even belongs to a country or not, or if it's international. All we know about it is his boss is named Frank Wells.
Even Shaw's fiance refers to him by his last name, Shaw, which doesn't feel at all natural in conversations in the book. She was disappointing, I expected she'd have a larger role in the book.
There's not much given about Shaw's background so he hardly feels like someone we, as readers, can care much about. He doesn't particular grow or evolve much in the course of the book.
He opposes a major arms dealer, Creel, who uses a firm that takes PR to the next level, PM "Perception Management", making up facts on a huge scale to manipulate Russia and China to the brink of war so he can sell them weapons. Creel says he's a peaceful man, he's never gotten into a fight, and any time he orders his underlings to kill people, as many as 28 in one hit, it's not personal, it's just business.
Shaw joins forces with a Pulitzer prize winning journalist, Katie, who's been down on her luck, drinking her way out of the top of the journalistic profession to covering funerals because she can't stay sober enough to work well. She gets roped into it by accident but they make a decent team once they get to trust each other.
Overall, extremely mediocre. It's fast paced enough to read without getting bored, but it's just empty literary calories...
It's one adventure about a man mysteriously named A. Shaw, a James Bond like covert operator working for some organization that's never named. It's not clear if the organization even belongs to a country or not, or if it's international. All we know about it is his boss is named Frank Wells.
Even Shaw's fiance refers to him by his last name, Shaw, which doesn't feel at all natural in conversations in the book. She was disappointing, I expected she'd have a larger role in the book.
There's not much given about Shaw's background so he hardly feels like someone we, as readers, can care much about. He doesn't particular grow or evolve much in the course of the book.
He opposes a major arms dealer, Creel, who uses a firm that takes PR to the next level, PM "Perception Management", making up facts on a huge scale to manipulate Russia and China to the brink of war so he can sell them weapons. Creel says he's a peaceful man, he's never gotten into a fight, and any time he orders his underlings to kill people, as many as 28 in one hit, it's not personal, it's just business.
Shaw joins forces with a Pulitzer prize winning journalist, Katie, who's been down on her luck, drinking her way out of the top of the journalistic profession to covering funerals because she can't stay sober enough to work well. She gets roped into it by accident but they make a decent team once they get to trust each other.
Overall, extremely mediocre. It's fast paced enough to read without getting bored, but it's just empty literary calories...
April 25, 2014
It's been a while since I've read a Baldacci book, I still have quite a bit of his books to read, but The Whole Truth was enjoyable, I really liked the storyline and the characters, I also found the plot to be well thought out. The main character is only known as Shaw, no first or last name, and he works for a secret group that works to keep the world at peace. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good spy novel or political thriller.
September 24, 2020
Es el primero que leo de este autor y me ha encantado. El argumento es atrapante e increíblemente posible, en su mayoría, lo cual asusta un poco. El ritmo es muy bueno, no desfallece la trama en ningún momento. El final es el esperado, sin muchas sorpresa pero bueno, muy entretenido.
November 28, 2019
Tam hayalimdeki gibi, beklentimi karşılayan bir kitap oldu. Akıcı, hızlı ve keyifli. İş yoğunluğumdan dolayı 5 günde bitireceğim kitabı 12 günde bitirebildim, biraz da ziyan oldu diye üzüldüm ama David Baldacci'nin ne kadar keyifli kitaplar yazdığını bir kez daha görmüş oldum.
Genelde kitap özeti yapmam ama Asıl Gerçek, özetle, Algı Yönetimi'nin ve internetin kötü niyetli kullanımının ülkeleri savaşın eşiğine dahi getirebileceğini gösteriyor. O kadar doğru bir yerden vurdu ki iki konuyla ne kadar gerçek olabileceğini özetleyeceğim.
Kitapta insanları Facebook üzerinden örgütleyerek, ellerine bayrak üstlerine tshirt vererek propaganda yapmaya çağırıyorlar. Tam da aynısı bizim başımıza geldi ama haberimiz yok. "One Minute" olayından sonra sadece yarım günde binlerce Filistin bayraklı insan sokaklara döküldü. İlk gördüğümde çok şaşırmıştım. Bırak yarım günde bu kadar insan toplamayı, belki Türk bayrağı bile birararaya getirilemeyecekken bu kadar Filistin bayrağı da nereden çıktı demiştim. Bu çok net bir Algı Yönetimiydi ama ülkenin gündem şelalesinde boğulup gitti.
Diğeri ise daha yakından: ABD Başkanlık Seçimleri. Kızgın portakalın şaibeli başkanlık seçimi zaten hepimizin aşina olduğu bir konu ama nasıl yaptıkları ile ilgili. Size bunu kanıtlarıyla açıklayan The Great Hack belgeselini öneririm. O da hap bilgi olarak özetle Cambridge Analytica adlı bir şirket, çeşitli üçüncü dünya ülkelerinde algı yönetimi sistemlerini denedikten sonra gözünü ABD ve İngiltere'ye çeviriyor. Milyonlarca kişinin çeşitli yöntemlerle Facebook profillerini ediniyor ve tam 5.000 noktadan ilgi alanlarını çıkarıyor. Daha sonra da günde tam 1 milyon dolar Facebook reklam bütçesi ayırarak özellikle kararsız olanları Cumhuriyetçi sağ cepheye çekmek için "kişiselleştirilmiş içerik" kullanıyor. Sonuçsa ortada. Daha sonra "kanıtlanmış" bu metodu bu sefer de İngiltere'de Brexit için uyguluyorlar ve sonuç yine başarı. Bu durum ortaya çıktığı zaman Mark Zuckerberg mahkemeye çıkıyor ve Cambridge Analytica da baskılara dayanamayarak kapanma kararı alııyor ama haksız bir şekilde koltukta oturan tabi ki değişmiyor.
Sürükleyici bir pazar filmi tadında bir kitap okumak isterseniz Asıl Gerçek tam size göre.
Herkese keyifli okumalar!
Genelde kitap özeti yapmam ama Asıl Gerçek, özetle, Algı Yönetimi'nin ve internetin kötü niyetli kullanımının ülkeleri savaşın eşiğine dahi getirebileceğini gösteriyor. O kadar doğru bir yerden vurdu ki iki konuyla ne kadar gerçek olabileceğini özetleyeceğim.
Kitapta insanları Facebook üzerinden örgütleyerek, ellerine bayrak üstlerine tshirt vererek propaganda yapmaya çağırıyorlar. Tam da aynısı bizim başımıza geldi ama haberimiz yok. "One Minute" olayından sonra sadece yarım günde binlerce Filistin bayraklı insan sokaklara döküldü. İlk gördüğümde çok şaşırmıştım. Bırak yarım günde bu kadar insan toplamayı, belki Türk bayrağı bile birararaya getirilemeyecekken bu kadar Filistin bayrağı da nereden çıktı demiştim. Bu çok net bir Algı Yönetimiydi ama ülkenin gündem şelalesinde boğulup gitti.
Diğeri ise daha yakından: ABD Başkanlık Seçimleri. Kızgın portakalın şaibeli başkanlık seçimi zaten hepimizin aşina olduğu bir konu ama nasıl yaptıkları ile ilgili. Size bunu kanıtlarıyla açıklayan The Great Hack belgeselini öneririm. O da hap bilgi olarak özetle Cambridge Analytica adlı bir şirket, çeşitli üçüncü dünya ülkelerinde algı yönetimi sistemlerini denedikten sonra gözünü ABD ve İngiltere'ye çeviriyor. Milyonlarca kişinin çeşitli yöntemlerle Facebook profillerini ediniyor ve tam 5.000 noktadan ilgi alanlarını çıkarıyor. Daha sonra da günde tam 1 milyon dolar Facebook reklam bütçesi ayırarak özellikle kararsız olanları Cumhuriyetçi sağ cepheye çekmek için "kişiselleştirilmiş içerik" kullanıyor. Sonuçsa ortada. Daha sonra "kanıtlanmış" bu metodu bu sefer de İngiltere'de Brexit için uyguluyorlar ve sonuç yine başarı. Bu durum ortaya çıktığı zaman Mark Zuckerberg mahkemeye çıkıyor ve Cambridge Analytica da baskılara dayanamayarak kapanma kararı alııyor ama haksız bir şekilde koltukta oturan tabi ki değişmiyor.
Sürükleyici bir pazar filmi tadında bir kitap okumak isterseniz Asıl Gerçek tam size göre.
Herkese keyifli okumalar!
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May 2, 2018
Audiobook - 11:22 hours - Narrator: Ron McClarty
One of David Baldacci's "ok" novels.
3.5 stars Review to come.
One of David Baldacci's "ok" novels.
3.5 stars Review to come.
January 3, 2020
David Baldacci is almost always a safe bet for me and this one was no exception. It’s the first of a duology featuring “Shaw”, a man with no first name (he uses the letter A. in place of a first name) who works for an unnamed secret international intelligence agency. He begins this novel ready to retire, wanting to get out of the dangerous business and marry his successful girlfriend. However, his boss has different ideas, informing Shaw that there is really no way to leave the business short of dying.
Meanwhile, a massively wealthy CEO of a weapons manufacturing conglomerate, Nicolas Creel, is on a mission to remake the world the way he wants it. Tired of middle-eastern terrorists grabbing all the headlines he works to get us all back to the good ol’ days of the Cold War (or even not so cold). That, of course, means much more demands for weapons among all major countries. He utilizes the talents of a PM (perception manager) to create false evidence among rival superpowers, exploit the media to reveal the fake news and stoke the outrage of the populace.
At the time this was published in 2008 that sort of plot would sound a little over-the-top but today in 2020, it’s not so farfetched. Baldacci, as usual, does a great job of drawing the reader in and not letting them go until the end of the book. There were a few spots in the plot that seemed a bit too contrived and the climactic fight scene at the end was clumsy but overall, the book was nicely paced and kept me interested. The character of Shaw isn’t terribly unique but rather seemed like a mash-up of similar save-the-world heroes we’ve seen before. Nevertheless, I found myself rooting for him and his allies as they overcame one obstacle after another.
Good popcorn entertainment and I will look for the follow-on novel soon.
Meanwhile, a massively wealthy CEO of a weapons manufacturing conglomerate, Nicolas Creel, is on a mission to remake the world the way he wants it. Tired of middle-eastern terrorists grabbing all the headlines he works to get us all back to the good ol’ days of the Cold War (or even not so cold). That, of course, means much more demands for weapons among all major countries. He utilizes the talents of a PM (perception manager) to create false evidence among rival superpowers, exploit the media to reveal the fake news and stoke the outrage of the populace.
At the time this was published in 2008 that sort of plot would sound a little over-the-top but today in 2020, it’s not so farfetched. Baldacci, as usual, does a great job of drawing the reader in and not letting them go until the end of the book. There were a few spots in the plot that seemed a bit too contrived and the climactic fight scene at the end was clumsy but overall, the book was nicely paced and kept me interested. The character of Shaw isn’t terribly unique but rather seemed like a mash-up of similar save-the-world heroes we’ve seen before. Nevertheless, I found myself rooting for him and his allies as they overcame one obstacle after another.
Good popcorn entertainment and I will look for the follow-on novel soon.
May 23, 2008
The concept of perception management in this novel introduces a concept more troublesome than spin doctors.
Rather than spinning a different slant on an actual occurrence, PM spreads a fictional , yet believeable, "truth" which awaits discovery so opinion and beliefs are created that will benefit the manufacturer of that "truth".
The statement in the beginning of the book summarizes this concept:
"Why waste time discovering the truth when you can so easily create it?"
In a world where we choose to believe what we read and "see" on You-Tube and TV news shows (more interested in creating a story than reporting a story),
one can only imagine what the truth is.
Who does the "truth" benefit: the network wanting a ratings boost; the journalist wanting to portray the story that will create a name for themself; a polician seeking constituancy support?
Entertaining reading. Shaw must have 9 lives, but where would the story be without the hero?
Rather than spinning a different slant on an actual occurrence, PM spreads a fictional , yet believeable, "truth" which awaits discovery so opinion and beliefs are created that will benefit the manufacturer of that "truth".
The statement in the beginning of the book summarizes this concept:
"Why waste time discovering the truth when you can so easily create it?"
In a world where we choose to believe what we read and "see" on You-Tube and TV news shows (more interested in creating a story than reporting a story),
one can only imagine what the truth is.
Who does the "truth" benefit: the network wanting a ratings boost; the journalist wanting to portray the story that will create a name for themself; a polician seeking constituancy support?
Entertaining reading. Shaw must have 9 lives, but where would the story be without the hero?
July 31, 2008
Once again Baldacci writes a good mystery with his usual "page turner" pace. However, this time he adds something to think about as he does a good job bringing in "perception management" as a topic. He shows how PMs could manufacture facts and then sell them to the world as truth. This is much easier today with the web (thanks Al Gore!) and little verification of facts. As Baldacci says in his Postscript, "And by using these methods, a major untruth can be established so quickly and overwhelmingly across the world that no digging by anyone after the fact can make a dent in the public consciousness that it actually isn't true at all. And that is precisely what makes it so dangerous."
May 5, 2012
This was action packed, easy to read and to follow. Not alot of detail, but sometimes all the details can bog you down. I liked the premise because I think it is so much easier to believe a lie than taking the time to find out the truth. Because of the lie, the world is at the brink of another World War III. The characters were strong, but flawed so easy to relate. Looking foward to reading the rest of the series.
April 14, 2020
Typical Baldacci seat-of-your-pants conspiracy thriller… an international and supposedly legit and 'respectable' arms dealer uses 'perception management' to try to reignite the Cold War. Another thrilling Baldacci ride! 6 out of 12.
May 31, 2020
I liked this book well enough but it wasn't as strong as the Maxwell King, Robie or Camel Club novels. Still an intriguing concept I'm sure no one wants to contemplate in real life.
April 26, 2020
It’s a Baldacci book! Doesn’t that say it all?!!!!
July 10, 2009
I finished this book only because I started it on an airplane and couldn't find an alternative. After a few chapters it became a little interesting as a story line, but it really was very disappointing ~ especially the writing. I've never found Baldacci to be a very good writer. There's always some clumsiness in the narrative, though the dialog is usually decent and the story line suspenseful and believable. This time, however, it was very poor across the board. The characterization of Katie was pretty good, but the determining factor of her character was so poorly described, so inadequate that she was a little unbelievable; Frank's character made an abrupt switch showing a humane side for no ostensible reason ~ perhaps people are just supposed to change when something bad happens to someone they hate? I don't think so. Or, he didn't hate him? not really? too sloppy. Worse still, the idea that an arms merchant is inherently evil while deluding both himself and the rest of the world ~ how trite, how uninspired, how easy, how p.c. Frankly, I'm almost sorry that I finished it now that I think about it.
June 28, 2008
Nicolas Creel is a man on a mission. He heads up the world's largest defense contractor, The Ares Corporation. Dick Pender is the man Creel retains to manage his company to even more riches by manipulating international conflicts. But Creel may have an even grander plan in mind. Shaw, a man with no first name and a truly unique past, has a different agenda. Reluctantly doing the bidding of a secret multi-national intelligence agency, he travels the globe to keep it safe and at peace. Willing to do anything to get back to the top of her profession, Katie James is a journalist who has just gotten the break of a lifetime: the chance to interview the sole survivor of a massacre that has left every nation stunned. In this terrifying, global thriller, these characters' lives will collide head-on as a series of events is set in motion that could change the world as we know it. An utterly spellbinding story that feels all too real.
June 14, 2013
Yes it was okay - it took me a while to read it because it felt very same old...that is probably my fault as I have read a lot of books in this genre and I felt that it offered me nothing new.
It's not a bad book - I liked Katie and the story moved along but I found Shaw's big hero role unconvincing and I hated Nicholas Creel who was Mr one dimensional (yes, I know he's supposed to be hateful!) - I just wanted to skip all his bits because the meaningless descriptions of his wealth were so blah and he felt like a cardboard cut out.
I hope the author did not think his expose on truth management was a revelation...yawn...
Assuming this is a series I couldn't bring myself to read any more - sorry!
It's not a bad book - I liked Katie and the story moved along but I found Shaw's big hero role unconvincing and I hated Nicholas Creel who was Mr one dimensional (yes, I know he's supposed to be hateful!) - I just wanted to skip all his bits because the meaningless descriptions of his wealth were so blah and he felt like a cardboard cut out.
I hope the author did not think his expose on truth management was a revelation...yawn...
Assuming this is a series I couldn't bring myself to read any more - sorry!
May 15, 2008
I love David Baldacci and this was no exception. The premise of The Whole Truth involved a conspiracy to bring the U.S. back into conflict with Russia rather than focusing on the Middle East. Poses the question, which world is safer--cold war type conflict versus terrorism. It raised some interesting points, and made me feel like I was back in political science classes. Also, a good storyline and interesting characters.
July 12, 2020
This was a good read. I liked the characters, the personalities, the suspense and action, emotions, twists and a somewhat HEA. Great for reading anytime. Some parts can definitely suck you in and have you losing track of time. I'm thinking this is going to be another great series. We'll see. Enjoy!
February 9, 2013
The second half of this novel is by far more exciting and interesting. Therefore, 9 of 10 stars.
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