I really enjoyed this page turner from Baldicci. I was very excited about his new novel and it did. It disappoint. I will be definitely be recommending this in our store!

(4.25 stars)
David Baldacci knows how to write a gripping story. At almost 500 pages, it’s a long one, but it will keep you enthralled the whole way. The story is set in Virginia in the summer of 1968 and both the setting and the year will clue you in that this is a story fraught with racial issues. (For those who might have forgotten, this was the summer after the assassinations of both Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy. Tensions were high, to put it mildly.)

The murder of an elderly white husband and wife becomes front page national news when a young black man is arrested for the double murder. Jerome Washington is a Vietnam War vet and has a bum leg because of it, but he’s been a good worker for the couple, and is a devoted husband and father. The Randolphs are a well-known and well-to-do family. The scene is set for a quick conviction, but Jerome says he’s innocent, that he liked his employers and had no reason at all to do such a thing. Jack Lee is a young white lawyer and is well thought of around town but he’s never tried a murder case and he’s never even had a black client. When a black woman he knows from his younger years comes to him to beg him to take the case, he winds up deciding to do so, even knowing the obstacles in his path. Since the case made news, it attracted the attention of a young female black lawyer who takes on cases like this, in her work with the Legal Defense Fund, so she comes to town and convinces Jack to work with her. Desiree Dubose is a major talent and is incredibly dedicated to getting justice for people like Jerome. They wind up making a terrific pair.

This is a combination of a mystery and a legal story, all drenched in the racism of the time and place. Who killed the Randolphs if it wasn’t Jerome? The defense has to deal with a hand-picked judge, an all-white all-male jury, a politician bent on making this a showcase for George Wallace who was running for president at the time, threats to their lives and more.

I was happy that this didn’t turn into a romance. It’s refreshing to read a story about a man and woman working together without the complication of a romance.

Baldacci includes an author’s note at the beginning of the book, which was much appreciated, as it gave background information for the reader right from the start, including that he grew up in Virginia and there are bits and pieces of autobiography in the story. It IS fictional, however!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Note: Because I was late getting to this book, I wound up listening to the audio version on a long road trip with my husband and we both enjoyed it very much. Multiple narrators added to the experience. We were heading to, among other places, Montgomery, Alabama, and this story helped make our visit there even more impactful.

interestingly designed story about racial justice and civil rights, vaguely reminiscent on some level of To Kill A Mockingbird

A young black couple stands accused of murder. A white lawyer, never having tried a murder case, takes on their case.

A young, experienced black, female lawyer becomes his co counsel.

All this with a backdrop of newly changed laws about segregation and a backlash of prejudicial police, juries, and court personnel.

A very well written book that addresses injustices that still exist in this day and time.
Thought provoking and timely. I enjoyed this very much.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.

Another great read from David Baldacci. Another great story/plot, great pacing, and great characters. Haven't read a bad one from him yet.

What happens when you are the only lawyer in town willing to defined a black suspenct in the 1960s? Well, you get into a lot of hot water. Jack Lee teams up with an up and coming Civil Rights attorney to prove their client is innocent...even though law enforcement is not on their side. While the story did not feel new, the tale was suspeseful and heart-wrenching at the same time. I cringed while reading it, but I also could not put it down Deserving of all the praise it's receiving. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

This is a surprising book from David Baldacci. He says it is one he has had on his mind for a long time and finally wrote, and it was worth wating for. If you have ever read the Stuart Woods Will Lee books, you will have a taste of what to expect. This main character is even named Jack Lee. Those were set in Mississippi and this one in Virginia, but he genuine flavor of the South is here. There are also several references to Atticus Finch and To Kill a Mockingbird throughout.

It is 1968 and Jack Lee is a small-town attorney practicing in Freeman County, Virginia, where he has lived his whole life. His is a typical Southern family, with a few exceptions. Early in his parents' marriage, his mother went to a dentist because of an impacted tooth. The dentist removed the tooth and gave her nitrous oxide, laughing gas, for the pain, neither of them knowing she was pregnant and her daughter was born with brain damage as a result, a mistake for which she has never forgiven herself. Jack's younger brother served honorably in Vietnam, earning several commendations, but when he came home on a leave, he decided he couldn't go back and fled to Canada. His father, a WWII veteran, cannot understand his actions and is somewhat ashamed of them.

So when a black man, Jerome Washington, the grandson-in-law of a well-known and respected woman in town, is charged with the brutal murder of a wealthy white couple in their home, Jack is asked to defend the young man. He has never defended anything nearly as serious as a murder, but no one else is willing to take on the case and Jack somehow feels compelled to do so. Then a young black woman, a famous, or infamous, lawyer named Desiree DuBose shows up and tells Jack she will take over the case. Desiree travels all over America fighting for the rights of Black Americans and has defended several similar cases, and has even won before the Supreme Court. But Jack is not, for some reason, willing to give up, so they decide to collaborate on the defense.

There are a lot of twists and turns, some tragic attacks, and many surprising revelatons. This is a sad snapshot of race relations in the South in the 1960s, shortly after desegregation of public schools and in the dying days of Jim Crow laws.

It is long, but it is well worth the read.

A Calamity of Souls transports readers to 1968 Virginia, where Black Vietnam veteran Jerome Washington is on trial for the murder of his white employers, Leslie and Anne Randolph. Jerome, caught at the scene covered in blood, is immediately arrested.

Jack Lee, a white defense lawyer with no experience in murder trials, reluctantly takes on Jerome’s case. Out of his depth, Jack partners with Desiree DuBose, a Black attorney from the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund. Together, they fight to save Jerome from the electric chair, navigating a flawed legal system entrenched in racism.

Baldacci draws from his own experiences as a former attorney and his childhood in 1960s Virginia to create a realistic, tension-filled narrative. A Calamity of Souls offers a nuanced portrayal of racial injustice, capturing the challenges of seeking fairness in an unequal world.

Over a decade in the writing, his latest novel breathes richly imagined and detailed life into a bygone era, taking the reader through a world that will seem both foreign and familiar.

While the language and attitudes may seem jarring to some, Baldacci’s commitment to historical accuracy makes this an eye-opening read. The twisty ending delivers a satisfying conclusion, and the ensemble cast in the audiobook brings the story to life.

Having read 31 of Baldacci’s books, I can confidently say that A Calamity of Souls ranks among his best. The memorable characters and enthralling storyline will remind readers of To Kill a Mockingbird. Four stars.

** Thanks to the publisher for a review copy. The opinions are my own.

I am a huge David Baldacci fan as well as a fan of legal thrillers. This book covered so many topics and kept me interested the whole way through. It harkened back to feelings of John Grisham and Scott Turow. Highly recommended to everyone! One of his best!!!

The Calamity of souls is character driven and brings back the times of segregation and hatred that still exists. Great legal thriller by Baldacci!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eAR

Really an awesome story! This time period has been written about so many times that it's gotten to where you know pretty much how it's going to go. I have to say this was an exception and so glad I got to read it. Lots of twists and turns to make you worry someone is going to get killed. I usually get bored with courtroom drama but not this book. It grabs you till the end. If I figure right this will be a hit with everyone.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for access to this title in exchange for my honest opinion. I started reading this one back in April over my spring break travels, and the serious vibes of this story did not mesh with my vacation needs. It took me a while to come back to the story, mostly because of its serious nature, but I am so glad to have finished it. Different from what I have come to expect from the author, this seems more historical fiction than courtroom drama. A Calamity of Souls has excellent characters, making this tale of legal racism set in the South in the 1960s come to life. I definitely recommend this one - realize it is a heavy and at times upsetting read, but it is very well done. I listened to part of it via audiobook, which has multiple narrators and was extremely well-produced.

Very interesting read, it held my attention the entire time, the characters weren't just good or bad they were complicated individuals based on their youth and experiences from their respective childhoods. Worth your time

Just not my favorite of this Author.
Books about racism are always a hard read for me. Two Lawyers, Jack Lee a white lawyer and Desiree DuBose a Black lawyer fight together for their client to ensure a fair trial.

Set in 1968, a case that seems racially motivated pits white and black lawyers against each other. They are fighting an unfair system and the seemingly impossible task for a fair trial and justice for the victims. Takes the reader through the justice system in the 60’s and that sometimes prevail today.



Thanks to David Baldacci and GRAND Central Publishing for the book!

Another great courtroom book from Baldacci, this time back to a very racially charged small town. A white local lawyer teams up with a black female lawyer to defend a black couple accused of murdering a white couple. Shocking (but obviously realistic for the time), things happen. Great storytelling and charactery

This wonderful book is a departure for David Baldacci. It takes place during a time of great civil unrest. A time in American History when Black people were treated as less than human despite their being freed from slavery some 100 years previously. This book invoked many emotions in me.
I felt sadness and shame as well hopeful that the protagonists would be triumphant. This book reminded me of John Grisham's book A Time to Kill.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that will grab your heart strings and mesmerize you until its conclusion.

Set in the late 1960s in Virginia, this was an absorbing legal thriller during a time of racial tension and shifting social constructs.

Jack Lee, a white lawyer from Freeman Country, Virginia, joins forces with a Black lawyer from Chicago, Desiree DuBose, to defend Jerome Washington, a Black man charged with the murder of an elderly white couple for whom he had worked. Given the place and time, the odds are against the jury and the courts giving Jerome a fair shake and even friends and family are divided in their reactions to Jack’s defense. Many other forces are at play during this trial and justice seems to be looking the other way.

While quite uneasy and uncomfortable reading about these aspects of racism and violence, I was completely taken by the characters and the evolving drama and revelations during the course of the trial.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book by this author and I’d forgotten what an excellent writer David Baldacci is. Hard to put aside, the whole experience was made even better by the fabulous audio version that I was listening to while following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. There were 4 different narrators who did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life and transporting me to that locale and that era. I highly recommend it.

This read has been called David Badacci's best book yet, and I was truly blown away by the magnitude of this novel on so many levels.

The story is set in 1968 in Southern Virginia. A duo of white and Black lawyers fight against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully-accused Black defendants in a murder case.

History comes to life in this novel! The writing is raw and emotional, the story is charged with suspense and tension. Some courtroom narratives I've encountered before have been dry and didn't keep me engaged, but this one is so different. With the clock ticking, the two lawyers not only have to show great creativity and solid knowledge of law, but they are constantly dodging the figurative and literal bulets trying to save the wrongfully accused couple. I really enjoyed how the author captured that time in history and portrayed people and families divided by racism and hatred.

Unlike any other Baldacci books, this novel is a great mix of historical fiction and courtroom drama. The exposure of racism in the legal system makes this novel an important and compelling read.

Full disclaimer: I'm a huge fan of David Baldacci. All the novels I've read by him have been fast-paced and completely engrossing. I won't be misleading and purport his work is a literary masterpiece, but that doesn't matter much, in my opinion. As a working adult who's been working tirelessly towards various degrees, a Baldacci read is a great reprieve from the heaviness that accompanies some reads. Ironically, his reads may be high level literature, A Calamity of Souls brings so much more to the table.

A Calamity of Souls takes place in Virginia, circa 1968, where the Civil Rights movement was an unwelcome disruption to southern whites. On the heels of the assassinations of Kennedy and King, Jack Lee, a local defense attorney, decides to defend a black man, Jerome Washington, who's been accused of killing his white employers. The victims are an affluent, well-known staple in the small town of Freeman County, VA. Before long, Jack realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew.

Insert Desiree Dubose, a black female attorney, who petitions Lee to work as his co-counsel, on what is quickly becoming the trial of the century. Dubose has had some civil rights victories in the higher courts and knows her work on the case could save Washington from death row.

No lie, I was ready for A Calamity of Souls to be a white savior story, along the lines of Grisham's A Time to Kill, but it manages to be so much more. David Baldacci inserts Easter eggs of perspective most open minded readers can appreciate.

Baldacci explains to the reader why white Americans were so alarmed by the Civil Rights Movement. Part of me likens it to South Africa and the end of Apartheid. Once you get past the usual rhetoric that blacks aren't equal to whites, the real fears start to surface where white people feared their way of life would come to an end. Blacks might possibly retaliate for past grievances. The thing with power is that no one wants to relinquish any for fear that means they somehow get less.

What Baldacci also does well is include a black perspective that isn't always so well fleshed out in these types of reads. One idea that stuck out in my mind was a moment in the book when Dubose was recalling traveling from Chicago to the south with family and how many blacks equated having a nice car with "making it". At the time, many blacks weren't allowed to own homes or property except a vehicle. Redlining (which is still prevalent to this day) was a real thing. And has left generational trauma that's still expressed in the black community. Take a look at a rap video. I'm not saying other cultures don't value these outward symbols of wealth, but there's a huge emphasis in the black community. With that being said, I won't address comments I've read from white Americans who claim those flaunting their wealth are the same people on government assistance, while being on assistance themselves.

This review isn't meant to be a soapbox moment or argue racism in America, but I truly enjoyed A Calamity of Souls. Baldacci acknowledges that it takes brave allies that aren't afraid to stand on the side of right.

What I loved about this read is the same thing that gives me pause. David Baldacci gives us a fast-paced legal thriller at the expense of true character development. I loved many of these characters but at times they felt more like caricatures than fully developed people. The bad guys were truly bad guys with no dimensions or depth. But, it helps keep the story moving.

David Baldacci packs so much into A Calamity of Souls that I know my review does the novel no justice. I can only suggest reading the novel for yourself. Baldacci allows the reader to see things from another perspective when they otherwise wouldn't have. On top of some great historical context, there's a tense legal drama unfolding. Since I'm pretty "woke", I spent much of my time trying to guess the motive for the murder. Suffice it to say, Baldacci delivers, again.

Copy provided by Grand Central Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review