The Simple Truth

The Simple Truth

Hardcover edition
Author	David Baldacci
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Crime novel
Publisher	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date	November 18, 1998
Media type	Print, e-book, audiobook
Pages	480 pp. (Hardcover)
ISBN	978-0446523325

The Simple Truth is a crime novel written by David Baldacci. The book was initially published on November 18, 1998 by Grand Central Publishing.^[1][2]

Plot

It's a truism that readers who like Grisham's novels often take to Baldacci's, but never has Baldacci's debt to the more veteran author been so evident as in this strong-boned thriller that features the Grishamesque premise of young lawyers who uncover a conspiracy reaching into the U.S. Supreme Court. Baldacci isn't as smooth a writer as Grisham: he'll hop point of view in mid-scene, and the opening sentence of this novel, at least as presented in the review galley, is a run-on. But for foxy plotting, Baldacci is easily Grisham's peer, and his characters are always captivating. Here, the principals are Rufus Harms, a slow-witted black giant who, after decades in a military prison, realizes that, for reasons revealed only at the novel's end, he is morally innocent of the murder for which he's doing time; John Fiske, a cop-turned-lawyer who's drawn into Harms's quest for justice after his younger brother, a Supreme Court clerk interested in Harms's case, is murdered; and Sara Evans, another Supreme Court clerk who joins forces and beds with Fiske. Plenty of cinema-ready action ensues as Harms, aided by his Vietnam vet brother, escapes from prison and Fiske and Sara try to get to him before the conspirators who put Harms behind bars do. The novel's resolution is predictable, however. This isn't Baldacci's most original book, but it's his most generously textured, distinguished by thoughtful delvings into family psychodramatics (of both the Fiske and Harms clans), a nicely rendered romance between two tentative lovers and, adding a welcome and strong backdrop of authenticity to the outlandish turns of events, vivid detailing of the Supreme Court behind closed doors where the truth, apparently, is anything but simple. 500,000 first printing; BOMC main selection; simultaneous TimeWarner audio. (Nov.)

—Review by Publishers Weekly^[3]

Reception

Baldacci is great on action. He builds tension, his plots, though sometimes here over the top, are tight with only a sprinkling of red herrings (always appreciated). But in his attempts to ratchet down the tension for the next go-to, he delves into stilted detail about the workings of the Court and the specific tensions between Chief Justice Ramsey and new-comer Justice Elizabeth Knight and various other Court personnel. Much of this is central to the action, but it wanders into the self-important and sometimes the clichéd.

There are a lot of bodies before this is over. And not just peripheral ones to beef up the action. By the end Baldacci has turned John Fiske and Rufus Harms into flesh and blood people we care about. And the villains, both hidden and out-front, do make your blood boil. So Baldacci does again what he does best: make the country safe and warn us about the evils that work behind even our most trusted institutions.

—Review by Dallas Public Library^[4]

References

External links

• Official website