The Simple Truth - Hardcover

Baldacci, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684858304 ISBN 13: 9780684858302

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 1999

Synopsis

Rufus Harms has been in prison for 25 years for the brutal killing of a young girl. Then a letter smuggled to him by his brother reveals the thread of a massive miscarriage of justice, which threatens to unravel the fabric of the Supreme Court itself.

About this title

Review

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 fight 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. While the armed mayhem sometimes rises to the point of excess, Baldacci's novel continues to offer new surprises until the final pages. --Patrick O'Kelley, Amazon.com

Review

"Baldacci ratchets up the suspense."--People

"A strong-boned thriller...captivating characters...vivid detailing of the Supreme Court behind closed doors--where the truth, apparently, is anything but simple."--Publishers Weekly

"Another wild Baldacci ride...fascinating...engrossing...more than just a fast-paced thriller...Baldacci is still one of the best thriller writers around, and that's the simple truth."--Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Top-notch...Baldacci writes thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing right up until the end...John Grisham has some serious competition."--Southern Pines Pilot (NC)

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0684858304
• ISBN 13: 9780684858302
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 470