The Simple Truth was my first David Baldacci book and I enjoyed it to the core. It had all the elements which one could hope for in a fiction - crime & investigation, suspense, chases & gun battles, compelling family drama, and of course, the law. It's a story revolving around the working of the US Supreme Court.
Rufus Harms is a prisoner who has been unjustly imprisoned in a Virginia millitary prison. He has endured the tough and cruel life of the millitary prison for a crime he did not commit. Micheal Fiske, a clerk (meaning a young lawyer) with the US Supreme Count is murdered when he happens to inquire into the appeal that came to the Supreme Court from Harms. Sara Evans is another Supreme Court clerk who used to work with Micheal and now teams up with his brother John Fiske to solve the mystery of Micheal's murder and also that of another clerk's.
Meanwhile Rufus with the help of his brother Josh escapes from prison and from there onwards the story moves at breakneck speed. There are people out to kill him for the fear of any information being leaked, but Rufus overrules his brother's idea of escaping to South America, instead opting to stay and get his case heard by someone. There is when John and Sara come in. There are several dangerous twists and surprises along the way for John and Sara in thier investigation. There happen to be several secrets in Harms appeal which some very powerful people do not want to be revealed.
Apart from the fast paced action, the book has good detailed information of the working of the Supreme Court. That important issues may appear or disappear due to personal influence, the power that the clerks and the barely-out-of-college lawyers weild; the way the Judges struggle to barter for votes on the cases they are working on; and some very interesting courtroom arguements are very well etched.
Many a time I found myself comparing the author to John Grisham, as they both intersperse thier writing with a liberal dose of legal verbiage, and an arresting story. So if you enjoy reading John Grisham, go for this page turner. It's the bookish equivalent of escapist cinema.
5 comments:
thanks, i would remember the name. Thanks for sharing :)
Hey! I don't remember which was the first book that i had picked of this author. What i remember is that i was so mighty impressed that i've now read all his books :-) In fact he has even written a series of books. One is the camel club there are more than one books with same set of people & then there is another but i can't re collect the name. None of his books have disappointed me yet. But you my fav book from this author is 'the christmas train' a small warm lovely book it is. Not a thriller but a sweet book. Do read it if you can find it. :-)
@Thanks ZB. On your advise I have been looking for a Naipaul book, but something lightweight.
@Smita: Yes these kind of books are addictive and you can finish them fast. I read Grisham's books the same way..one after the other until I had finished them all. I will make sure to check out 'The Christmas Train'. Thanks!
thankx for sharing your views..will surely try to grab it!!
@Rahul, thanks for reading man.
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