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| The Whole Truth | 
 enlarge | Author: David Baldacci
Creator: Ron Mclarty
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $49.98
Buy New: $18.99
You Save: $30.99 (62%)
New (24) Used (21) from $17.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  98 reviews
Sales Rank: 99784
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 12
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 5.8 x 5.4 x 1.5
ISBN: 1600241441
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781600241444
ASIN: 1600241441
Publication Date: April 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
"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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 93 more reviews...
 "I can make them believe anything." April 22, 2008
83 out of 96 found this review helpful
Dick Pender, a former employee in the White House press office, is an expert in perception management. His motto is: "Why waste time trying to discover the truth, when you can so easily create it?" In David Baldacci's "The Whole Truth," some very influential people pay Pender big bucks to bury inconvenient secrets and manipulate public opinion, using cleverly crafted lies packaged for maximum media impact. Pender's most important client is Machiavellian billionaire Nicholas Creel, the head of a defense conglomerate called the Ares Corporation. Creel, who believes that "a peace based on lurking terror was the best kind of all," hires Pender to manufacture an artificial conflict that would generate a stepped-up arms race among the world's superpowers.
Baldacci's hero is Shaw, a globetrotting troubleshooter for a shadowy international law-enforcement organization, "sort of like Interpol on steroids." He is a strong and physically imposing man whose knowledge of surveillance, hand-to-hand combat, and weaponry makes him a highly valuable asset. His acting ability, uncanny intuition, courage, and coolness under pressure have helped him prevail in a number of dangerous situations. On any given day, Shaw's quarry might include ruthless drug dealers, bloodthirsty terrorists, or vicious neo-Nazis. Although Shaw dreams of retiring and living a sedate life with his beautiful and brilliant girlfriend, German-born Anna Fischer, his boss has him in a stranglehold from which he cannot easily break free.
Complicating matters is Katie James, an award-winning investigative journalist. As a result of a traumatic experience in Afghanistan, she became an alcoholic who has been relegated to writing obituaries. Through happenstance, Katie meets Shaw and both narrowly escape after a run-in with a group of murderous thugs in Scotland. When an unexpected tragedy sends an enraged Shaw on a mission of revenge, Katie decides to risk her life in order to help him and, in the process, pursue the biggest story of her career.
Although it is action-packed and suspenseful, "The Whole Truth" is marred by cliche-ridden dialogue and cartoonish villains who utter such lines as: "I didn't bring you here for a lecture. I brought you here to die." The story is convoluted and extremely violent, and the author repeatedly hammers home his heavy-handed message that unscrupulous individuals and even governments intentionally mislead us by disseminating false information. At best, "The Whole Truth" provides escapist entertainment for readers who are willing to overlook the book's one-dimensional characters, far-fetched plot, and pedestrian writing.
Four and a half stars... May 16, 2008
40 out of 44 found this review helpful
I was reluctant to purchase David Baldacci's The Whole Truth as some of his most recent books have been lacking in quality. Fortunately, this latest book reminds me of his earlier and better works.
Nicholas Creel owns a defense contracting business called Ares. In an effort to bolster sales, he hires Dick Pender whose specialty is perception management. Perception managers fabricate facts and then pass them off to the public as truth. "Why waste time trying to discover the truth, when you can so easily create it?" Pender hatches a scheme to create an international incident that will result in a number of superpowers on the verge of war. These countries will then increase their defense spending and order weapons and equipment from Ares.
Part of the scheme is called "The Red Menace." Pender and staff are planting false stories about the Russians in the news and over the internet. Several people suspect that these stories are false, including journalist Kate James, consultant Anna Fischer and operative A. Shaw. In usual thriller fashion, the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous their lives become. How The Whole Truth unfolds will have you turning pages at breakneck speed.
Baldacci is good in that he incorporates many present day current events to make The Whole Truth very realistic. While almost all thrillers have an element of disbelief, you can actually imagine many of these situations taking place.
I am happy that Baldacci took a break from his Camel Club series and has given us something totally new. The Whole Truth is the kind of book that I have come to expect from Baldacci. Overall, I'd rate it four and a half stars.
 HIGH OCTANE NARRATION OF FRONT PAGE THRILLER May 1, 2008
20 out of 28 found this review helpful
Multi-talented doesn't come within a country mile of adequately describing author/actor Ron McLarty. He's made a flock of appearances on stage, screen, and the even smaller screen. Turning to writing he became a best-selling author with The Memory of Running, and is following that title with Traveler.
Where he finds the time to accomplish all of this I know not. Yet he still stands tall among audio book narrators, and is certainly a top favorite of this listener. His narrations are varied - from Danielle Steele to Robert Parker and, of course, the estimable David Baldacci. Many will recall with great pleasure his readings of Baldacci's Last Man Standing, The Hour Game, Simple Genius and Stone Cold.
For me, he has become Baldacci's voice, and what a welcome one it is - clear concise diction, a low resonant tone that segues easily from tough to tender. In this case, the scenario is tough - Nicholas Creel, the head of a huge defense contracting business wants to up his ante at whatever cost. "Dick, I need a war" are the orders issued to Dick Pender who orchestrates perception management for Creel's company.
From then on we're off. Baldacci begins with a bang and takes us through twists, turns, and shockers (none of which really seem implausible) as we root for a mysterious fellow called A Shaw and a journalist to put a stop to Creel's demonic plan.
Narrator McLarty Is quoted as saying of The Whole Truth, "this book rocks." This listener says McLarty's reading rocks, too.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke
 a waste of time and talent May 8, 2008
12 out of 16 found this review helpful
David Baldacci has been one of our most reliable authors, but The Whole Truth reads like something he dashed out in a wasted effort to cash in on his excellent reputation. It is a silly, cliche-driven and beyond-fiction tale that is boring and not worth our time. While the premise is interesting -- that the internet can be used to spread any news, whether true or not -- it is buried under a sad cast of unbelievable characters.
A so-so effort from Baldacci, though still better than his other recent works April 29, 2008
11 out of 16 found this review helpful
When he burst onto the scene with his first book "Absolute Power", Baldacci made an amazing debut with a novel of political intrigue that showed a fine talent for complex plotting, deep and rich characterizations, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. It was subsequently made into a very good Clint Eastwood movie.
Unfortunately, Baldacci hasn't been able to hit that standard since. His last few books, centering on the Camel Club, have -- frankly -- been pretty lame and formulaic, in my opinion.
In "The Whole Truth", Baldacci brings a new set of characters to us in a story that centers on the efforts of a multi-billionaire arms merchant (Nicholas Creel) to reshape world events to foster a world order more to his political and financial preferences; and the efforts of a heroic but shadowy para-secret-agent (Shaw) to thwart his scheme.
Credit to Baldacci for trying to approach once again a story of broader scope and more complexity than his recent efforts, something more along the lines of "Absolute Truth". Unfortunately, he achieves only moderate success.
To begin with, I found the Shaw character to be pretty much a knockoff of Lee Childs's "Jack Reacher" character, but not as interesting. With Reacher, we have a background; Shaw pretty much seems to have appeared from a vacuum. He's underdeveloped, doesn't seem to have a history that existed before this story, and therefore wasn't nearly as interesting to me as Reacher. Secondary character Katie James is actually much more fully realized.
Nicholas Creel is a more interesting character, and more fully developed, but again seemed to be somewhat of a cypher. His motives in the story were explained, but didn't seem to resonate on an emotional level.
The plot crux of the story -- media manipulation to create an international military crisis -- seemed incredibly far-fetched, and depended on irrational and inexplicable actions on the part of secondary and peripheral characters. It just didn't really work. And because it didn't, I got no sense of real urgency from the story; no emotional "zing".
So... a mixed bag. It moved along briskly. And kudos to Baldacci for leaving the Camel Club at the oasis this time around.
Three stars.
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