The Whole Truth

Perception management can be a powerful tool when applied strategically on social media. And now, with artificial intelligence readily available, it's even more so. PM is at the center of this thriller, Baldacci's first book featuring protagonist, A. Shaw. Shaw is a formidable man. He's big, brave, clever, and determined. After nearly killing Frank, a man who works for the government, whom Shaw mistakenly took for the enemy, Shaw's choices were prison or working for Frank, risking his life undercover for five years. Shaw was good at his job—too good. He somehow always managed to walk away from life-and-death situations. Then he fell in love with Anna and wanted out. But before they could marry, the Red Menace emerged on the internet, show more driven by PM, and suddenly two world leaders were at each other's throats, threatening to annihilate the entire planet, enabling Nicolas Creel, a wealthy and unscrupulous arms manufacturer, to become even more powerful. Full of political plot twists and surprisingly realistic action, this fascinating thriller entertained me and left me with a lot to think about. show less

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 show more bad. It seems that even in imagination, tall and muscular heroes were still awful actors. show less

In these media-saturated days, it's amazing how little it might take to swing world events. Baldacci shows us how it could be done in this thriller about the buildup to a terrible war between China and Russia, manipulated into hostilities by a very sharp arms dealer who sees the potential to make trillions more than the already enormous profits his company is raking in. The real action isn't in either China or Russia; it's in Europe, where small groups of men with opposing philosophies face off to see whether truth can be made to prevail.

The first one-quarter to one-third of the book reads differently from a lot of Baldacci's work; it is stiff and extreme, not the easy flow of prose and likable (and hateable!) characters he usually show more gives us. But once the reader is into the flow and the story takes shape, this is as compelling a book as any Baldacci has written. I'm looking forward to reading the next A. Shaw novel, Deliver Us From Evil. show less

Baldacci's The Whole Truth is, in today's world, a cautionary tale about the power of deliberate misinformation.

One very wealthy, and by virtue of that wealth, very powerful man brings the world to the brink of war by engaging a PM (perception manager) to create and globally distribute a horrific campaign of misleading information that sets two of the world's superpowers at echo other's throat. They'll stop at nothing to keep their charade and parade of lies moving forward.

We meet A. Shaw - a mountain of a man working with a slightly outside the law global enforcement agency. We meet the love of his life, who may not understand just how much danger Shaw's work puts him in. We meet A Pulitzer prize-winning journalist who may have a bit show more of a drinking problem.

And these two stories become one.

Shocking in places, and I know I held my breath more than once, but I had to see it through to the end. show less

I enjoyed the characters and storyline, but the writing in this particular work didn't feel up to the standard I usually expect from Baldacci. Pieces of the story also felt more melodramatic than I'd normally expect, making me feel like this one was more rushed than normal. On the whole, I don't think this is one of his best works, but it was still an enjoyable escape and a fast read.

The Central premise is about a tycoon who manipulates the news to get what he wants. How he manipulates the news, how the world reacts is all something very believable. In this E-age where no one bothers to verify something the 'viral' factor of the elements involved make us reflect and wonder how much of the real news should be believe.
Shaw is again a very interesting and likable character.Katie James is interesting. The pace and the story telling is as per Baldacci's usual standards and all in all it makes a good read

Have you ever wondered what would happen if a corporation had too much power and was run by a twisted mind? How about a powerful military contracting firm? In The Whole Truth, Nicolas Creel wants to spur weapons build-up among the world powers, but to recreate the Cold War, Creel must set the pieces in motion to ensure two major superpowers or super power wanna-be nations are at odds--Russia and China. Meanwhile, Shaw an underground operative for a secretive agency wants out to marry the woman of his dreams, Anna Fischer, and lead a normal life. Katie James, on the outside looking in, is an on-the-way-down reporter who stumbles upon the story of her life and the century.

The Whole Truth is James Patterson on steroids; it's bigger and show more better than most crime fiction. My hubby says this novel could easily be transformed into a summer blockbuster. Shaw is a deeply tormented character, and Katie is an ambitious journalist and idealist. Creel is as every bit as bad as Blofeld and Goldfinger in the James Bond franchise. The suspense in this novel will have readers on the edge of their seats, and the emotional undertones will have readers running the gamut from exhilaration and anxiety to deep sorrow. The fate of the world is in Shaw's hands. show less