Rating: 
Summary: Quite entertaining, except for the "love story" aspect
Review: The Simple Truth is about an ex-con serving a life sentence in a military prison for a murder that he did not commit. As is typical, but completely acceptable, in this type of book there is the expected coverup and mix of unexpected bad guys. I won't go into more details about the book, as it would simply be reiterating what so many other reviewers have already done.I found this book to be a very entertaining read, with pretty good characters depth, and enough plot twists to keep things interesting and not too shallow. In fact, I read it over the course of one day (I was sick and had nothing else to do). The only problem that I had with this book was the manner in which the author chose to construct the "love story". It was so far outside the realm of likely that I just found it laughable. Indeed, I wish that many authors who write these types of books would simply get over the need to construct elaborate and unlikely love stories. Even with the two main characters being male and female, it would have been perfectly okay, even somewhat refreshing, if there was no romantic relationship between them at all. Otherwise this was a highly entertaining read that I would recommend to anyone looking to kill a day or two.
Rating:
Summary: A fine novel, but not his best
Review: I normally try to find all the good points in a novel when I'm ready to review it. I liked this one because it: a) dealt with the Supreme Court, something I'm not too familiar with. b) had good character devlopment. c) had a nice, stratigized plot, and d) it had good suspense. As in all previous Baldacci books, he tries to incorporate romance into them. No. Don't do that. Leave it out. It hurts the book. If my brother was blown away, I wouldn't be sleeping with another woman half a week later. It's unrealistic. Rufus, on the other hand, is a great character. The best chapter in the book, I think, is the first one. I read it about three times. I loved the beginning, and the end was okay. The dialogue analyzed the characters in itself, but Baldacci uses profanity when it's simply not needed. Profanity is used, in writing, to subdue emotions, to bring out feelings, to support the dialogue or a scene, not for chit-chat. It's pointless. All in all, despite some minor flaws and cliches, I'd give it four stars. It was good reading, and worth the time spent reading it. Keep it up, Mr. Baldacci.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting
Review: Baldacci gives us another fast paced book with plenty of suspense. You get the feeling of a larger conspiracy, but have to wait to find out more. Baldacci keeps us guessing and shows us characters that are tough to figure out. The main characters, Rufus Harms, Sarah Evans, and John Fiske are fun to follow. The action is believable, and the back-stories fit nicely. This is a fun book to read. If you are looking for some entertainment, this is your book.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and a quick read
Review: In Simple Truth, Baldacci gives us another of his action-oriented mysteries in which innocent people are unknowingly caught up in events over which they have no control. When Michael Fisk, a Supreme Court clerk opens and reads a new filing, he finds himself in the midst of events which actually started 25 years earlier when a young girl was brutally murdered by Rufus Harms, now a prisoner at Fort Jackson in Virginia. Although Harms confessed, and in the beginning of the story we are told how repentant he is, the crime is not as simple as it seems at first. The story begins when Harms receives a letter from the Army, smuggled to him by his brother Josh. Rufus contacts the lawyer who defended him 25 years ago and through him files an appeal with the Supreme Court, based on the facts in the letter, which is the filing Micheal Fisk sees. He takes the papers to Ft. Jackson prison to ask Rufus about it. Soon after he leaves the prison, Michael is found dead. When Michael's brother John learns of his brother's death, he goes to Washington to identify the body and try to tie up his brother's affairs. He immediately gets the sense that the crime was not a random robbery at all, a feeling shared by Detective Chandler who is investigating the crime. Within a short time, John meets, among others, an FBI agent named McKenna, several of the justices on the Supreme Court, the chief of police for the court -- and Sara, another court clerk and friend of Michael's. Before any progress can be made in the investigation, another clerk is found murdered. More complications occur and questions are raised. Did John kills his brother for the half a million dollar insurance policy? What does Justice Knight have to do with it all? Is McKenna out to railroad John Fisk? And what is the secret information in the letter sent to Rufus Harms? The questions are all answered in the exciting end and Baldacci has wrapped it all up once again.
Rating: 
Summary: Is The Truth Ever Simple
Review: An excellent, complex, interwoven story with themes and characters causing strong emotional reactions. John Fiske, an ex-cop turned defense attorney begins to investigate his younger brother Michael's murder and unravels an injustice that occured 25 years earlier in an Army prison. Michael, a clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court sought answers to an appeal by Rufus Harms, a huge Afro- American soldier imprisoned for killing a 10 y.o. white girl. Michael paid the price and John seeks the simple truth. The relationships, past and present, and the mystery of what really happened and by whom 25 years ago keeps the pages turning. I couldn't put it down. It had several surprises and was so tightly constructed that it kept me thinking. I truly liked some of the characters, Josh and Rufus Harms especially; and Judge Knight's discourse about the unfairness of the Army's exemption from being sued by its employees was excellent. I loved this story and highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good characters and plot, but novel fails to deliver
Review: Baldacci has created a great plot about a death row inmate who is actually innocent who escapes from jail and is aided by a Supreme Court clerk and her dead boyfriend's brother. All of the main characters are interesting and have great depth. Yet the background characters are confusing and the action scenes are boring. Baldacci was unable to combine the characters and plot into a good story.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not his best
Review: This book is typical popular fiction. It is exciting and suspenseful. Baldacci keeps you turning the pages, and the setting of the Supreme Court is intriguing. While the author keeps you interested, in the end, you might feel it lacks a certain something. The conspiracy theory aspect is not really used in a new or creative way. The charcters are fun to follow, but also predictable and seem to lack depth and development. If you are looking for a deep read - this isn't it. But if you enjoy Baldacci or popular fiction, then this book has what you are looking for. This isn't Baldacci's best, but it is worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Quite dissapointing
Review: This is my third Baldacci book and none have been as good as I'd hope. The Simple Truth is like no other book I've read. The plot kept my interest all the way to the end, and all of the characters were well defined with distict personalities. Yet this novel had many deficiencies. Baldacci failed to combine the plot and characters into an exciting story. Rufus Harms files an appeal with the Supreme Court stating his innocence. Brother of slain court clerk John Fiske and clerk Sara Evans race to find out what really happened to Harms while being pursued by several people, some friend, some foe. The action scenes were horribly done, I often skipped over them. During the final shootout, characters appeared out of nowhere just to advance the plot. The flow of the story was non existant. Baldacci did a horrible job of putting a time frame into the story. I just finished reading and I have no idea of the action in the book lasted two days or two weeks. It seems like the events just ran together with no time of day ever given as reference. All of Baldacci's books sound good based on the plot, but The Simple Truth fails to deliver an exciting story.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and suspenseful Grishamesque legal thriller!
Review: "Truth" was our first novel by Baldacci, and a pleasant surprise indeed. From first learning that a long-imprisoned military convict is probably innocent of a young girl's murder, to the series of deaths the investigation into these old events precipitates, we can hardly wait to see what will happen next, not to mention "whodunit"! Supreme Court law clerk Michael Fiske gets in over his head when he begins to pursue the truth in the prisoner's claims (fearing the celebrities that might get involved) before officially filing the appeal with the Court. He soon pays for that mistake with his life; and we know then a real conspiracy is on. Mike's brother John, an ex-cop and young lawyer himself, together with Mike's ex-girlfriend Sara, another law clerk, who takes an immediate romantic interest in John, pursue the bad guys with a vengeance. Whether much of that pursuit is realistic or not, being mostly outside the scope of the official police investigation of the murder(s) is about our only quibble with the tale. The story not only weaves an entertaining, complex plot but also provides illuminating glimpses into the machinations and incredible internal politics of the Supreme Court. That weighty issues might appear or disappear due to personal influence, or even just the judgment of twenty-year-old "clerks" (really, young lawyers), gave us more than a few moments pause. Baldacci reveals that he also knows how to drop just the right number of clues, along with a few red herrings, to keep us beguiled until nearly the final page. This book not only goes up on the shelf right next to "Pelican Brief", but leaves us anxious to try some more novels by this fine author!
Rating:
Summary: thought provoking
Review: I have read several of his books and have not been disappointed in any of them yet and this is no exception. A few years ago I may have thought it was a little far fetched, but I have been reading too many political books lately (trying to figure out what is going on in this country) and find that it is very believable. There are a lot of twists and turns and thrills and suspense, and romance (some have said they could leave it out, but I kinda liked it) to keep you interested. Rufus Harms has been in military prison for 25 years for killing a little girl. He knows he did it but he didn't know why until he receives a letter and then it comes back to him. He gets an appeal sent to the supreme court, but important people find out and anyone who has any knowledge about the case is murdered. Rufus knows he is in trouble and his days are numbered if stays in prison. Buy the book and find out what happens. I don't think you will be disappointed.
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