A Calamity of Souls

De: David Baldacci

Narrado por: David Baldacci, MacLeod Andrews, Sisi Aisha Johnson, Kiiri Sandy, Cary Hite

Set in the tumultuous year of 1968 in southern Virginia, a racially-charged murder case sets a duo of white and Black lawyers against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully-accused Black defendants in this courtroom drama from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci.

Jack Lee is a white lawyer from Freeman County, Virginia, who has never done anything to push back against racism, until he decides to represent Jerome Washington, a Black man charged with brutally killing an elderly and wealthy white couple. Doubting his decision, Lee fears that his legal skills may not be enough to prevail in a case where the odds are already stacked against both him and his client. And he quickly finds himself out of his depth when he realizes that what is at stake is far greater than the outcome of a murder trial.

Desiree DuBose is a Black lawyer from Chicago who has devoted her life to furthering the causes of justice and equality for everyone. She comes to Freeman County and enters a fractious and unwieldy partnership with Lee in a legal battle against the best prosecutor in the Commonwealth. Yet DuBose is also aware that powerful outside forces are at work to blunt the victories achieved by the Civil Rights era.

Lee and DuBose could not be more dissimilar. On their own, neither one can stop the prosecution’s deliberate march towards a guilty verdict and the electric chair. But together, the pair fight for what once seemed impossible: a chance for a fair trial and true justice.

Over a decade in the writing, A Calamity of Souls breathes richly imagined and detailed life into a bygone era, taking the listener through a world that will seem both foreign and familiar.

©2024 David Baldacci (P)2024 Grand Central Publishing

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci is the immovable object of history slamming into the irresistible force of truth. An examination of a fractured place and time where the mores of the past were confronted by the implacable ferocious tenacity of justice. A Tour de Force."—S. A. Cosby, bestselling author of ALL THE SINNERS BLEED and RAZORBLADE TEARS

“A Calamity of Souls, the story of a murder in southern Virginia in the mid-1960’s, may be the best novel David Baldacci has ever written, which is saying a great deal. It has a gripping plot and a shocking ending, and even better than that, is also a perfect evocation of a difficult time in America’s history, propelled by deep and moving characters and beautiful writing. It captured me completely from the very first page.”—Scott Turow, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

"This is David Baldacci at his best. Using the law and the courtroom as the stage for a searing parable on race and the cost and courage to do the right thing."—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author

One of David Baldacci’s best!!!

I liked everything about it and know he’s completely right on his opening. I pray that someday my country can be completely color blind!!!

The BEST!!

Brought back a lot of history and made me realize how far we’ve actually come. Not to say we still don’t have further. We really made some progress.

Good story. I really enjoyed the lawyer heroine.

I very much respected that you never said the N-word completely. You said NIG. And I can work with that because I completely dislike the word and I will not allow anyone to speak to me that way or say that in My Home. You handled that really really well. Class act!

A Truly wonderful story

I loved this story. Mr. Baldacci I applaud your depiction of this story. Most authors tell stories of this time in history without giving any forethought as to the black ppl who will read it. Most books that speak of this era use that platform as permission to use the "N" word bc of its prevalence in that time. Some recognize its sensitivity, but most do not. You are truly a lifted writer and I have been a fan for many years. It has been amazing to read your range in storytelling.

How far we have come!

This story is set in a time that the horrors of that time were truly not known by much of the North. We can only hope that we are all working to make a difference!

A Different Baldacci

Good writing about a divisive subject, race. The racial divide at its very worst moment.

The American Heart

Baldacci is a master storyteller. He goes were we all wish we were as Americans.

Awesome and eye opener

What a great write by Mr. Baldacci, great read and a reminder of the past.

A Clamity of Souls

Great book. I enjoyed it alot. The story line was very interesting. The characters were very believable.

Captivating and delicious read!

I have read many of Baldacci’s books, but this novel is the best. Though the setting takes place during the late 1960’s, the vitriol and many of the issues facing the characters in the book are, regretfully, still prevalent today. This story takes one on a thrilling ride that one will find hard to put down. Baldacci hit this one out of the ball park!