A Calamity of Souls : Latest Book by David Baldacci

Before jumping directly on David Baldacci’s new novel I want to tell you a small anecdote.

Many years ago, on a fine evening, I went to a local bookstore in my city with the hope of finding my next book.

I was specifically looking forward to buying a novel from the mystery thriller genre as I recently finished Lee Child's Never Go Back featuring Jack Reacher.

Honestly, I wanted to buy another Jack Reacher novel as I found ‘Jack Reacher’ novels real page-turners.

But while I was sifting the novels, the person in charge of the aisle asked me my preference for authors.

After listening to me he ushered me to check out a set of novels kept on the aisle’s last shelf. He told me they are enthralling to read.

I saw the author’s name on the cover and that's how I introduced myself to David Baldacci.

I bought Last Man Standing and Zero Day that day and man !! They were gripping thrillers that kept me on my toes.

After I finished these David Baldacci novels, I did 2 things, number 1 - I praised the aisle guy who pointed me to David Baldacci's novels which were kept in order.

Number 2 - I added David Baldacci to my list of authors I enjoy reading.

Since then I got into a habit of tracking David Baldacci's releases and in this article, I will tell you which is the latest novel by David Baldacci.

The latest book by David Baldacci

David Baldacci's latest book is ‘A Calamity of Souls’ which was originally published on 26th March 2024.

A Calamity of Souls is a standalone novel by David Baldacci and is not a part of any of his series.

A Calamity of Souls has 4.53 stars on Goodreads with 27,239 ratings.

And 4.6 stars on Amazon with 20518 ratings.

This novel by David Baldacci has 512 pages and belongs to the genres of Crime fiction, Police procedural, mystery, and thriller.

The ISBN-13 of ‘A Calamity of Souls’ is 978-1035035595.

Now that you have all the information about A Calamity of Souls, let's dive into its plot. Don't worry there are no spoilers, just a highlight of the story.

A Calamity of Souls plot

The novel is set in 1968, in Freeman County in Southeastern Virginia plagued by the racial divides deeply entrenched in American society in the 60s and 70s when the word slavery was more of a law than a taboo.

Jerome Washington is an African American who works as a handyman to earn his living.

His world suddenly turns upside down when he gets arrested by two cops for the murder of an elderly but wealthy white couple, the Randolphs.

Washington worked as a handyman for the Randolphs which means he got arrested for the killing of his employers.

Jerome Washington is found at the murder scene by the cops and what led cops to the murder site? An anonymous tip.

The racial divides and ingrained biases have already convicted Jerome as the murderer.

But looks like the universe had planned a different twist in the story as his case is taken up by Jack Lee, a white lawyer who lives in the same county.

Jack Lee’s father is fair but gets into conflict often with his mother who was once more tolerant but now supports the propaganda of racism.

Jack Lee has taken this case at the behest of Jerome’s mother-in-law Miss Jesse.

Miss Jesse once worked for the Lees and is quite acquainted with them.

Jack Lee has done nothing so far to oppose racism and his first case has brought him against a powerful deeply entrenched enemy - Racism.

He soon finds that this case is beyond his capacity to deal with so when Desiree DuBose offers him help on the case, he accepts the offer.

Desiree BuBose is a hotshot African American lawyer from Chicago who is on a mission to introduce justice and with a cause to bring equality for everyone. She comes to Freeman County and joins hands with Jack Lee.

Jack Lee and Desiree DuBose have formed a team against a deep-rooted bias because of which there is only one possibility that a Black man on trial for the murder of an elderly white couple can never be ‘Not Guilty’.

Also, their chances of winning the legal battle against the best prosecutor are slim.

As Jack and Desiree start gathering evidence to prove Jerome’s innocence, they find their lives in danger as some people don’t want the trial’s result to drift away from what is believed.

While they face the diseased prejudice of a section of the community, the prosecution is looking to quickly seal a conviction for Jerome Washington.

Will Jack and Desiree succeed in exonerating Jerome Washington from the charges of murder?

Will they be able to win the racial war by keeping their lives safe?

Jack has already risked his career and family in this war against racial and societal divide. How will he come out of it?

If Jerome was innocent, who is the real killer?

To get answers to the above questions and many more questions rife in your mind, you must read ‘A Calamity of Souls’.

A Calamity of Souls Review

You may find the plot somewhat similar to ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ by Harper Lee or the movie ‘A Time to Kill’ but they couldn’t be more dissimilar if we look at the way David Baldacci has executed the story.

Baldacci has used Racial tensions after the passing of the Civil Rights Act, the vulnerable socio-political period of the late 60s, and the legal system completely in the hands of the powerful with their agenda are some elements in establishing the backdrop and giving the story an intriguing flavor.

The pretty realistic characters of Jerome Washington, Desiree DuBose, and Jack Lee and supporting characters such as Jack Lee’s father Frank Lee make the contours of the plot lifelike.

David Baldacci’s written prose couldn’t be better as he shifts away from his fast-paced action thrillers and concentrates on a thought-provoking story, that makes you cry at times and at times seethes you with anger.

In the foreword, you get to know that the author took ten years to write this novel but at the end, you come to know why it took him 10 years to write it.

Every propagation of the story, the establishment of the setting, and every twist and turn in the story are brilliantly crafted and give you a piece of literary fiction par excellence.

No way, ‘A Calamity of Souls’ is a light and warm read but, it is an intense novel that you won’t put down until you have turned the last page.

The choice of the era and place characterized by racial tensions, the crime committed, a web of lies surrounding the murder, a plethora of incidents happening during the investigation by the two lawyers, the nasty characters, courtroom theatrics, and disturbing dialogues intoxicated by racial slurs make this novel a fierce and fervent read thus largely distinguishing it from Baldacci’s other airport thrillers.

The mystery in ‘A Calamity of Souls’ will keep you on your toes and will keep you guessing till the end, depending on your perspective you may or may not find the ending satisfactory but that doesn’t mean that you won’t get an adrenaline rush while reading this novel.

There is a high probability that after you have read its last page, the story will stay in your heart for many days and even beyond.

With ‘A Calamity of Souls’ David Baldacci has come out at his best and if you’re a regular David Baldacci fan then after reading this novel you would think that he has really outperformed himself.

To me, the book is 10 / 10 for its writing, characters, story, mystery element, and more importantly the choice of time and place.

Also Read

Complete list of Jack Reacher books in order

51 famous female authors of the world

List of books by Alice Walker

James Bond books in order

11 Best bookstores in Denver that you can't afford to not visit

6 best features of the Finland education system

Emily Henry books in order of release