Let’s Meet...

David Baldacci...

Be sure to check out 3 new books for 2020 - Amos Decker (April), Atlee Pine Bk.2 (June) Atlee Pine Bk.3 (Fall)

Bio
David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, because “every mom needs a break now and then.”)

David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996. The feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 36 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 130 million worldwide sales. David has also published six novels for younger readers.

A lifelong Virginian, David received his Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, after which he practiced law in Washington, D.C.

In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy in the United States by fostering and promoting the development and expansion of literacy and educational programs. In 2008 the Foundation partnered with Feeding America to launch Feeding Body & Mind, a program to address the connection between literacy, poverty and hunger. Through Feeding Body & Mind, more than 1 million new and gently used books have been collected and distributed through food banks to families in need.

David and his family live in Virginia.

Works
Baldacci's first novel, Absolute Power, tells the story of a fictional American president and his Secret Service agents who are willing to commit murder in order to cover up the accidental death of a woman with whom the President was having an affair. It was adapted as a film, Absolute Power (1997), starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.

Baldacci wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of his novel Wish You Well; the movie was shot on location in southwest Virginia with Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn, Josh Lucas, and Mackenzie Foy in the lead roles.

Baldacci was a consulting producer on King & Maxwell, a TNT television series based on his characters Sean King and Michelle Maxwell.

Baldacci's novels have been translated into more than 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries. More than 110 million copies of his books were in print worldwide as of 2013.

Bibliography
Children's books
The Finisher (Vega Jane) series
The Finisher (Scholastic Press, 2014) Baldacci's first fantasy novel for young readers
The Keeper (Scholastic Press, 2015), sequel to The Finisher
The Width of the World (2017), sequel to The Keeper
The Stars Below (Scholastic Press, 2019)

The 39 Clues series
Day of Doom (Scholastic Publishing, 2013) Book 6 in the "Cahills Vs. Vespers" series of The 39 Clues books

Freddy and the French Fries series
Freddy and the French Fries: Fries Alive! (Little, Brown and Company, 2005), Baldacci's debut novel for young readers
Freddy and the French Fries: The Mystery of Silas Finklebean (Little, Brown and Company, 2006)

Adult novels
Series
The Camel Club series
The Camel Club (2005)
The Collectors (2006)
Stone Cold (2007)
Divine Justice (2008)
Hell's Corner (2010)
Bullseye (2014, published as a bonus story in 2014 re-publication of The Christmas Train)

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series
Split Second (2003)
Hour Game (2004)
Simple Genius (2007)
First Family (2009)
The Sixth Man (2011)
King and Maxwell (2013)

Shaw and Katie James series
The Whole Truth (2008)
Deliver Us From Evil (2010)

John Puller series
Zero Day (2011)
The Forgotten (2012)
The Escape (2014)
No Man's Land (Nov 2016)

Will Robie series
The Innocent (2012)
The Hit (2013)
Bullseye (novella) (2014)
The Target (2014)
The Guilty (2015)
End Game (2017)

Amos Decker series
Memory Man (2015)
The Last Mile (2016)
The Fix (2017)
The Fallen (2018)
Redemption (2019)
Walk The Wire (April 2020)

Atlee Pine series
Long Road to Mercy (2018)
A Minute to Midnight (June 2020)
Book 3 Untitled (Fall 2020)

Stand-alone novels
Absolute Power (1996)
Total Control (1997)
The Winner (1998)
The Simple Truth (1998)
Saving Faith (1999)
Wish You Well (2001)
Last Man Standing (2001)
The Christmas Train (2003)
True Blue (2009)
One Summer (2011)
No Time Left (novella) (2012)
Bullseye (novella) (2014)
One Good Deed (2020)

Adaptations
Absolute Power (1997 film), starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, and Ed Harris.
King & Maxwell (2013 TV series), starring Jon Tenney and Rebecca Romijn.
Wish You Well (2013 film), starring Mackenzie Foy, Josh Lucas, and Ellen Burstyn.
The Christmas Train (2017 film), starring Dermot Mulroney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Danny Glover.

New Book
One Good Deed Hardcover – January, 2020 Released
by David Baldacci



The #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci introduces an unforgettable new character: Archer, a straight-talking former World War II soldier fresh out of prison for a crime he didn't commit.

It's 1949. When war veteran Aloysius Archer is released from Carderock Prison, he is sent to Poca City on parole with a short list of do's and a much longer list of don'ts: do report regularly to his parole officer, don't go to bars, certainly don't drink alcohol, do get a job--and don't ever associate with loose women.

The small town quickly proves more complicated and dangerous than Archer's years serving in the war or his time in jail. Within a single night, his search for gainful employment--and a stiff drink--leads him to a local bar, where he is hired for what seems like a simple job: to collect a debt owed to a powerful local businessman, Hank Pittleman.

Soon Archer discovers that recovering the debt won't be so easy. The indebted man has a furious grudge against Hank and refuses to pay; Hank's clever mistress has her own designs on Archer; and both Hank and Archer's stern parole officer, Miss Crabtree, are keeping a sharp eye on him.

When a murder takes place right under Archer's nose, police suspicions rise against the ex-convict, and Archer realizes that the crime could send him right back to prison . . . if he doesn't use every skill in his arsenal to track down the real killer

I need to read more of his standalones.

Thanks Eadie 😊👍👏

Nice job Eadie!

>3 Andrew-theQM: Until we started reading his series in our group, all I’d read were his standalones and I think I’ve read most of them now.

>2 EadieB: Thanks Eadie. I've read all his books ...both standalones and series....\but I didn't care for the Atlee Pine series for some reason.

Thanks, Eadie, 😀

I like most of his books but can take or leave Atlee Pine. I have One Good Deed but haven't read it yet.

I have a few from the Will Robie series that I have not read yet. Thanks for this list.

>9 jodiesohl: I first met David Baldacci with the King and Maxwell series...which we also read as a group. Then Will Robie... which was one of my favorites. I hate that Baldacci has a tendency to only write 5 or 6 books in a series and then we never see these wonderful characters again. I guess Amos Decker will ride off into the sunset after this next book.:(