The Simple Truth - David Baldacci

Review of The Simple Truth, a novel by David Baldacci. The book was published by Pan MacMillan Books, 514 pages, ISBN 978-0965068086. The cover price is £6.99 and the genre:- Thriller

The Plot

Conscripted at the time of the Vietnamese war, soldier Rufus Harms was jailed for the brutal killing of a young girl. After twenty-five years in prison, an auto-generated letter from the United States army is sent to Rufus Harm’s brother. This letter throws new light on the events leading up to Rufus’ case and his incarceration. Harms has never denied killing the school-girl, but what he does not know is why he carried out the crime, a crime that went against his nature. Harms is a gentle giant of a man. On the strength of the letter from Washington, Harms embarks on an appeal against his sentence.

An ex- police officer turned criminal attorney, John Fiske, is drawn into the mystery surrounding Rufus Harms and his sentence. Fiske is puzzled when one by one, everyone who knows about the appeal is hunted down and killed. Harms brother and Fiske work together to try to solve the mystery, but they find that they too are in grave danger as are their families and loved ones.

The novel follows the plot through the US legal and military systems. Missing military records, hushed up events and other suspicious dealings lead towards a startling outcome, an outcome that could have repercussions that could shake the whole of the United States military and legal systems.

My Thoughts and Conclusion

This novel is a real blockbuster in my opinion. The book is the fourth from David Baldacci, but was the first I have read. Having no preconceived expectations from the novel was a bonus for me as I came to the novel completely open minded.
The author sets the scene remarkably well and the plot is extremely well crafted. The dialogue is crisply presented and the characterisation is excellent. I was particularly impressed at the way the author neatly dovetailed together the events his characters faced. I also liked the fact that the female lead characters were in no way typecast, as a rule a female lawyer is described as a feminist, a strong woman fighting to hold her own in a man’s world. Baldacci has chosen to break this mould and his leading ladies are believable and ordinary. I also liked the central character of Rufus Harms and felt the man had been dealt a really raw deal.

The authors style of writing is punchy and direct, there is no unnecessary padding, no superfluous characters and no gratuitous scenes whatsoever. I would liken the style to an early John Grisham or John Case novel, the plot is gripping, absorbing and has enough twists along the way to really keep the reader turning pages.
This novel gets a 5* rating from me, I intend to look out for more from the author and would recommend the book to others who enjoy a solid thriller.

Thank you for reading
©brittle1906 July 2012

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