The simple truth by David Baldacci
Book review
Fiction
Rating-4/5 for beginning and the end and 4.5/5 for the middle!
Genre Thriller
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! These are the words most often heard in the court before the lies, deception and the charades pour in!
The whole system of justice is so complicated or skewed that it is an ardous task indeed if your case ever gets to court in any country! Having experienced exasperation as an expert witness in a local court, I personally wish that not even your worst enemy must go to court! Forget about trying to prove what is the truth (if there is such a thing for court without evidence!)
Having said that there have been instances when court has the last word and you thank your stars that we have court!
Coming to Army which is an institution on its own and normally excempt from Civilian interference! This of course can lead to human rights issues and many other incidents which may not be digestible in a civil society! Movies like A Few Good Men and The General’s Daughter have exemplified this very well! There of course you have big Generals with big ego who scream at you telling that, YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH!
With that back ground let’s come to the story!
Starts with an amazing description of military prison and a convict who is a Black Hulk with dyslexia serving time for past 25 years when a letter from the army changes everything and reignites the cold embers of his long lost memory!
This starts a chain of events which can end up only in a big bang!
The people who commanded the convict years back are now respectable people of power who will do anything to keep their position and nest!
The description of jail and court system is like a page from John Grishams book and is very commendable!
Finally enter the Protagonist, a confused Liar (I mean Lawyer!) Who is investigating his brother’s murder and stumbled upon a constroversy which had the capacity to rock both the army and the judiciary!
Ably assisted by a court clerk who since it’s a David Baldacci novel must be pretty and single! But the fact that female characters get meaty roles in his novels till now is an appreciation worthy act!
As more and more bodies pile up, you have a daring escape and more bodies till you feel everyone is a suspect! In a departure from his routine, David has a surprise twist with a whodunnit character in the end which was thrilling to say the least!
All in all a good package where you can see the growth of the author as the series progresses!
Of course in real life the ending as described may not happen since rarely the guilty get punishment while many innocent do languish in old jail cells abandoned and left to rot!
If only the whole justice system was a matter of finding THE SIMPLE TRUTH!
ramadocblog 