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The Simple Truth
The Simple Truth
Author: David Baldacci
Twenty-five years ago, Rufus Harms was convicted of a murder he knows he committed. But when his memory is jogged by a letter from the army, he has a shocking realization: he's not guilty. From prison, Rufus secretly files an appeal with the Supreme Court, unaware that they real killers are on to him. But the long-time convict knows he's...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780671033071
ISBN-10: 0671033077
Publication Date: 1999
Pages: 506
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 7

3.9 stars, based on 7 ratings
Publisher: Pocket Books
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

scrapbooklady avatar reviewed The Simple Truth on + 472 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
"The Simple Truth" was my second Baldacci book and I wasn't disappointed...

John Fiske is estranged from his brother Michael, who is a clerk for the Supreme Court. But when Michael is murdered, John decides to take a break from his defense attorney life and re-visit his cop days to help out in the investigation. The key piece of evidence is a missing appeal that Michael took from the mail room but never logged into the system. It was filed by one Rufus Harms, a black soldier who has been in prison for a quarter century for murdering a little girl. The appeal must contain something that others wish to have buried, because everyone who touches the appeal becomes a target... even John Fiske.

The story is structured in a way that you know the appeal must be personally damaging to many high-powered individuals, but you really don't know the what or why until close to the end. For a 500+ page novel, I was surprised Baldacci could keep the plot line moving enough to prevent me from putting the book down. A good read.
reviewed The Simple Truth on + 83 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Another excellent read by Baldacci. As far as I am concerned, this author is the king of suspense. "The simple truth" is a page turner that will give you short nights of sleep until you finish it. You better plan the read for a weekend if you value getting to work on time.
jdyinva avatar reviewed The Simple Truth on + 408 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I like this author and this is really one of his best. Complex, good characters, good plot. Enjoyed from first to last.
gigi avatar reviewed The Simple Truth on + 355 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Pretty good book. It had a very surprising ending; a twist on who is the bad guys and who is the good guys.
reviewed The Simple Truth on
Helpful Score: 2
Another good novel by Baldacci. Has you guessing at who was involved in the original crime of 20 years ago.
Read All 61 Book Reviews of "The Simple Truth"

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reviewed The Simple Truth on + 11 more book reviews
The first of this author that I have read. Let's just say, it won't be the last!
reviewed The Simple Truth on + 308 more book reviews
good political thriller by baldacci
laurelp52 avatar reviewed The Simple Truth on + 23 more book reviews
Loved this story and the characters. Learning new things is always good. The main character Sara Evans is a Supreme court justice's clerk. Since Baldacci is an attorney his knowledge of the Supreme Court is an interesting side to the story about a black army soldier framed for the murder of a young white girl. The story is hard to put down and the ending was great. Never could guess where it was going to end which to me is the essence of a mystery!
reviewed The Simple Truth on + 4 more book reviews
Great story! The first couple chapters were a little slow and confusing...but I hung in there and could hardly put it down. Definitely recommended.
reviewed The Simple Truth on + 14 more book reviews
Found it a bit harder to "get into" than most of Baldacci's other books, but it was worth reading.
reviewed The Simple Truth on + 11 more book reviews
Very Good read
reviewed The Simple Truth on + 94 more book reviews
Rufus Harms is rotting in a Virginia military prison. As readers learn in the terse opening of The Simple Truth, he was convicted 25 years ago of the brutal killing of a young girl. Readers also learn that Rufus did not commit the crime; out of a haze of memories and with fragments of evidence, he has reconstructed the truth about the horrid event that ruined his life. He knows his discovery could cost him his life, so he breaks from prison after sending an appeal to the Supreme Court that details a massive conspiracy tied into the foundations of Washington. The complex drama of Rufus Harms is only one of the interwoven threads in this massive, violent legal thriller that also draws from the vocabulary of hard-boiled crime fiction. Baldacci offers glimpses into the arcane politics of the high court, where Justice Elizabeth Knight wages war with the manipulative Chief Justice Harold Ramsay. And while Harms struggles to keep out of harm's way and the justices duke it out, Supreme Court law clerk Sara Evans toils with ex-cop John Fiske to discover the import of Harms's appeal (and, simultaneously, to uncover the murderer of Mike Fiske, John's law clerk-brother and the original holder of the appeal). Their interest in the document apparently draws the attention of the same deadly conspirators who manipulated Harms over two decades earlier. This was an OK book. It kept my interest but it seemed to unravel a bit at the end. It was almost too predictable. The character development was a little weak as well.
reviewed The Simple Truth on + 7 more book reviews
Thriller, in wonderful condition.
navynurse avatar reviewed The Simple Truth on + 12 more book reviews
I really like David Baldacci. This is my 2nd of his and very interesting.
reviewed The Simple Truth on + 232 more book reviews
Takes you from scenes of swift, savage violence to scenes of the cloistered, intricate workings of The Supreme Court, this is a passionate, brawling & electrifying, vividly courageous which explains the most elusive word in our world...truth.
reviewed The Simple Truth on + 13 more book reviews
Fast-paced and thrilling.
reviewed The Simple Truth on + 18 more book reviews
Great book! Very interesting story line.


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