A calamity of souls

Review by Booklist Review

It's easy to forget that best-selling Baldacci was a practicing attorney before he turned to writing fiction. His experience as a trial lawyer comes in handy here; his presentation of the wrangling between lawyers and judges feels entirely realistic. So does the setting, Virginia in the late 1960s, a time and place the author knows intimately, having grown up in Richmond then, witnessing the racism that permeates the novel. This is a gripping story about a Black man accused of murdering two white people, whose attorney, a white man, teams up with a Black lawyer to fight for his client's life. Readers will care about some characters and despise others. The language, attitudes, and beliefs may offend some readers, but Baldacci is striving for historical accuracy, and he certainly seems to have achieved it. Yes, there's a message here, but it's nothing so simple as "racism is bad." Instead, this is a nuanced portrait of a time and place, brought to vivid life by a writer at the top of his game.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Ever-popular Baldacci at his best will have his legions of readers flocking.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Bestseller Baldacci's stirring latest (after Simply Lies) finds Black Vietnam veteran Jerome Washington on trial in 1968 Virginia for murdering Leslie and Anne Randolph, his married white employers and two of the most prominent citizens in fiercely segregated Freeman County. After washing the Randolphs' Buick, Jerome entered their house to get his weekly pay, only to find their bloody corpses on the floor. He tried to "help them out," he says, by moving them off the ground, but just as he was propping Anne up into a chair, the police arrived and placed him under arrest. Certain of his innocence, Jerome's grandmother-in-law reaches out to Jack Lee, a local white criminal defense lawyer, who agrees to take the racially charged case despite his lack of experience with murder trials. Feeling immediately out of his depth, Jack teams up with Desiree DuBose, a Black attorney at the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund; together, they work to save Jerome from the electric chair. Baldacci generates satisfying tension from Jack and Desiree's clashing personalities, and his real-life experiences both as an attorney and as a child in 1960s Virginia lend the proceedings an air of uncommon authenticity. This ranks among the author's best. Agent: Aaron Priest, Aaron M. Priest Literary. (Apr.)

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Review by Library Journal Review

Best-selling Baldacci's (The Edge) latest is an electrifying courtroom drama set against the tense racial backdrop of 1960s Virginia. Jerome Washington, a Black man, has been accused of the brutal murder of an affluent older white couple. Jerome's wife, Pearl, is also taken into custody as his accomplice. The odds of exoneration are almost nil, and the electric chair awaits ominously. Jack Lee, a local white criminal defense lawyer, takes the case, teaming up with Desiree DuBose, a Black lawyer from Chicago, when he realizes he's out of his depth. Jerome is severely beaten by the deputies who arrest him, and Jack and Desiree face increasingly violent threats from a virulently racist community determined to see their clients convicted. Sisi Aisha Johnson, MacLeod Andrews, Kiiri Sandy, and Cary Hite offer a multifaceted reading of the book, skillfully capturing the dialects, pitches, and tones of the varied cast of characters. VERDICT This gripping racially charged murder mystery delves deeply into the harsh realities and societal attitudes of the South in the '60s. Baldacci's fans will be clamoring for it and can rest assured that they're in for a satisfying ride.--Ilka Gordon

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