David Baldacci

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David Baldacci
David Baldacci - 2015 National Book Festival (6).jpg
Baldacci at the 2015 National Book Festival
Born (1960-08-05) August 5, 1960 (age 64)
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
Education Virginia Commonwealth University (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)
Period1996–present
Genre Thrillers, children's literature
Notable works Absolute Power
Spouse
Michelle Collin
​
(m. 1990)​
Children2
Signature
David Baldacci signature.svg
Website
www.davidbaldacci.com

David Baldacci (born August 5, 1960) is an American novelist. An attorney by education, Baldacci writes mainly suspense novels and legal thrillers. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

David Baldacci was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. He is of Italian descent. He graduated from Henrico High School and earned a B.A. in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, after which he practiced law for nine years in Washington, D.C.

Career

Richmond, Virginia, hometown of Baldacci City of Richmond Business District.jpg
Richmond, Virginia, hometown of Baldacci

Baldacci began writing stories as a child, when his mother gave him a notebook in which to record them. [2] He wrote for more than two decades, penning short stories and later screenplays without much success. [3]

While practicing law, he turned to novel writing, taking three years to write Absolute Power . [4] Published in 1996, it was an international best-seller. To date, Baldacci has published 50 novels for adults as well as seven novels for younger readers.

Personal life and philanthropy

Baldacci resides in Fairfax County, Virginia, with his family. He has a daughter and a son. [5]

Baldacci and his wife, Michelle, are the co-founders of the Wish You Well Foundation, [6] which works to combat illiteracy in the United States by funding adult literacy programs. [7] Baldacci became involved with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society after his sister, author Sharon Baldacci, was diagnosed with MS. [8]

Baldacci has served for more than a decade on the board of trustees of the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. In 2019, he donated $1 million to the home. [9]

Works

Baldacci's first novel, Absolute Power , tells the story of a fictional American president and his Secret Service agents who are willing to commit murder in order to cover up the accidental death of a woman with whom the President was having an affair. It was adapted as a film, Absolute Power (1997), starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.

Baldacci wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of his novel Wish You Well ; the movie was shot on location in southwest Virginia with Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn, Josh Lucas, and Mackenzie Foy in the lead roles.

Baldacci was a consulting producer on King & Maxwell , a TNT television series based on his characters Sean King and Michelle Maxwell. Jon Tenney and Rebecca Romijn starred.

The Christmas Train , Baldacci's eighth novel, was adapted in 2017 by Hallmark Channel as a Hallmark Hall of Fame feature presentation. The TV movie starred Dermot Mulroney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Danny Glover and Joan Cusack and was directed by Ron Oliver.

Baldacci's novel One Summer was adapted in 2021 for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and starred Sam Page, Sarah Drew and Amanda Schull.

Baldacci's novels have been published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 130 million worldwide sales as of 2018. [10]

Bibliography

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series

  1. Split Second (2003)
  2. Hour Game (2004)
  3. Simple Genius (2007)
  4. First Family (2009)
  5. The Sixth Man (2011)
  6. King and Maxwell (2013)

The Camel Club series

  1. The Camel Club (2005)
  2. The Collectors (2006)
  3. Stone Cold (2007)
  4. Divine Justice (2008)
  5. Hell's Corner (2010)

A. Shaw series

Shaw is an enigmatic intelligence operative.

  1. The Whole Truth (2008)
  2. Deliver Us From Evil (2010)

John Puller series

Puller is a US army veteran and military investigator.

  1. Zero Day (2011)
  2. The Forgotten (2012)
  3. The Escape (2014)
  4. No Man's Land (2016)
  5. Daylight (2020, Atlee Pine crossover)

Will Robie series

Robie is a seasoned and highly skilled hitman.

  1. The Innocent (2012)
  2. The Hit (2013)
  3. The Target (2014)
  4. The Guilty (2015)
  5. End Game (2017)

Amos Decker series

Decker is a veteran police detective turned FBI consultant. He has hyperthymesia which has left him with perfect recall.

  1. Memory Man (2015)
  2. The Last Mile (2016)
  3. The Fix (2017)
  4. The Fallen (2018)
  5. Redemption (2019)
  6. Walk The Wire (2020)
  7. Long Shadows (2022) [11]

Atlee Pine series

An FBI agent searching for her abducted sister.

  1. Long Road to Mercy (2018)
  2. A Minute to Midnight (2019)
  3. Daylight (2020, John Puller crossover)
  4. Mercy (2021) [12]

Aloysius Archer series

  1. One Good Deed (2019)
  2. A Gambling Man (2021)
  3. Dream Town (2022) [13]

Travis Devine series

  1. The 6:20 Man (2022) [14]
  2. The Edge (2023) [15]
  3. To Die For (2024) [16]

Mickey Gibson series

  1. Simply Lies (2023) [17]

Stand-alone novels

Short stories and novellas

For young readers

Freddy and the French Fries series

  1. Freddy and the French Fries: Fries Alive! (Little, Brown and Company, 2005), Baldacci's debut novel for young readers
  2. Freddy and the French Fries: The Mystery of Silas Finklebean (Little, Brown and Company, 2006)

The 39 Clues series

Vega Jane series

  1. The Finisher (Scholastic Press, 2014), published in the U.K. as The Secrets of Sorcery
  2. The Keeper (Scholastic Press, 2015), published in the U.K. as The Maze of Monsters
  3. The Width of the World (Scholastic Press, 2017), published in the U.K. as The Rebels' Revolt
  4. The Stars Below (Scholastic Press, 2019), published in the U.K. as The End of Time

Adaptations

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<i>Absolute Power</i> (novel) 1996 novel by David Baldacci

Absolute Power is a 1996 book by David Baldacci. In 1997, it was made into a film starring Clint Eastwood.

<i>Absolute Power</i> (film) 1997 American film directed by Clint Eastwood

Absolute Power is a 1997 American political action thriller film produced by, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood as a master jewel thief who witnesses the killing of a woman by Secret Service agents. The screenplay by William Goldman is based on the 1996 novel Absolute Power by David Baldacci. Screened at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, the film also stars Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis, Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert, and Richard Jenkins. It was also the last screen appearance of E. G. Marshall. The scenes in the museum were filmed in the Walters Art Museum, where Whitney is copying a painting of El Greco, "Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata"

<i>Wish You Well</i> (novel) 2001 novel by David Baldacci

Wish You Well is a novel written by David Baldacci. First published in 2001, the story starts with the Cardinal family planning to move from New York to California due to money problems, then shifts to the mountains of Virginia after a car accident leaves the father dead and the mother in a catatonic state. The time period is in the 1940s.

<i>King & Maxwell</i> 2013 American TV series or program

King & Maxwell is an American drama television series that ran on TNT from June 10 to August 12, 2013. The series featured Jon Tenney and Rebecca Romijn as Washington, D.C.–based former Secret Service agents solving crimes as private detectives. NCIS: Los Angeles creator Shane Brennan created the show based on David Baldacci's novels. On September 20, 2013, TNT canceled the series after one season.

<i>The Hit</i> (novel) Novel by David Baldacci

The Hit is a thriller novel written by American author David Baldacci. This is the second installment to feature Will Robie, a U.S. Government assassin who first appeared in Baldacci's 2012 novel The Innocent. The book was initially published on April 23, 2013, by Grand Central Publishing.

<i>The Innocent</i> (Baldacci novel) Book by David Baldacci

The Innocent is a thriller novel by American writer David Baldacci. This is the first book to feature Will Robie, a highly skilled U.S. government assassin. The book was initially published on October 9, 2012, by Grand Central Publishing.

The King and Maxwell book series is a crime novel book series created by American novelist David Baldacci. The series consists of six books featuring two former Secret Service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell: Split Second (2003), Hour Game (2004), Simple Genius (2007), First Family (2009), The Sixth Man (2011), and King and Maxwell (2013).

<i>The Sixth Man</i> (novel) 2011 novel by David Baldacci

The Sixth Man is a crime fiction novel by American writer David Baldacci, initially published on April 19, 2011 by Grand Central Publishing. This is the fifth installment in the King and Maxwell book series.

<i>First Family</i> (novel) 2009 novel by David Baldacci

First Family is a crime fiction novel written by the American writer David Baldacci. This is the fourth installment in the King and Maxwell book series. The book was published on April 21, 2009, by Grand Central Publishing. An audiobook narrated by Ron McLarty was released in May 2009.

<i>Split Second</i> (novel) Crime fiction novel by David Baldacci

Split Second is a crime fiction novel written by American writer David Baldacci. This is the first novel in the King and Maxwell book series. The book was published on September 30, 2003, by Grand Central Publishing.

<i>King and Maxwell</i> (novel) 2013 novel by David Baldacci

King and Maxwell is a crime fiction novel written by American writer David Baldacci. This is the sixth and final installment in the King and Maxwell book series. The book was initially published on November 19, 2013, by Grand Central Publishing.

<i>The Target</i> (novel) Book by David Baldacci

The Target is a thriller novel written by David Baldacci. It is the third installment to feature Will Robie, a highly skilled U.S. Government assassin. The book was initially published on April 22, 2014 by Grand Central Publishing.

<i>The Christmas Train</i> Book by David Baldacci

The Christmas Train is a fiction novel written by David Baldacci. The book was initially published on October 17, 2003, by Grand Central Publishing. The book was adapted into a TV movie by the same name and released on the Hallmark Channel for the 2017 Christmas season.

Wish You Well is a 2013 family film directed by Darnell Martin, written by David Baldacci from his 2001 novel of the same name, and starring Mackenzie Foy, Josh Lucas and Ellen Burstyn and JP Vanderloo. The movie is set in rural Virginia and follows Lou and her younger brother Oz who are forced to move to their great grandmother's farm following a tragic accident which killed their father and severely injured their mother.

Vega Jane is a series of four young adult fantasy novels written by American author David Baldacci. It follows the adventures of a teenage girl as she uncovers secrets about the fictional village of Wormwood and faces the dangers of the 'Quag', a forest filled with beasts. The series was first published in the US in 2014 by Scholastic Press. The Finisher (novel) and The Keeper spent a collective 41 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children's Middle Grade E-books with The Finisher peaking at number one, and The Keeper peaking at number three.

<i>Long Shadows</i> (Baldacci novel) 2022 novel by David Baldacci

Long Shadows is a 2022 American crime thriller written by David Baldacci and published by the Grand Central Publishing. It is the author's 51st crime book and 7th in the Memory Man/Amos Decker series which features an eponymous detective as the central character. The novel was ranked as the New York Times Best Seller in October 2022.

References

  1. ↑ Shapiro, Ari (27 July 2009). "A Conspiracy Around Every Corner In Baldacci's D.C." www.npr.org. Retrieved 28 May 2022. Anyone who's been to an airport bookstore in the last 10 years has seen Baldacci.
  2. ↑ "Backstage: David Baldacci and Jodi Picoult". Yale Daily News. October 21, 2011.
  3. ↑ Gresham, Tom (December 11, 2019). "David Baldacci once wrote stories in secret at VCU. Now he has millions of around the world". Virginia Commonwealth University.
  4. ↑ Lavin, Cheryl (February 6, 1996). "Diary of a Best Seller". Chicago Tribune.
  5. ↑ "Mystery Man: David Baldacci - Washingtonian". August 2007.
  6. ↑ "Home". Wish You Well Foundation.
  7. ↑ Alison Bonaguru (2013). "David Baldacci". Virginia Living . Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  8. ↑ "David Baldacci". National MS Society. 2013. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2013. author Sharon Baldacci was diagnosed with MS.
  9. ↑ "Novelist David Baldacci gifts $1M to Mark Twain home". ABC News . 12 July 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Memmott, Carol (February 27, 2013). "David Baldacci clues kids in to Smithsonian's treasures". USA Today . McLean, VA: Gannett. ISSN   0734-7456 . Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  11. ↑ Baldacci, David (2022-02-07). Long Shadows. Grand Central. ISBN   978-1-5387-1979-4.
  12. ↑ Baldacci, David (2021-11-16). Mercy. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN   978-1-5387-1969-5.
  13. ↑ Baldacci, David (2021-08-03). Dream Town. Grand Central. ISBN   978-1-5387-1974-9.
  14. ↑ Baldacci, David (2021-11-08). The 6:20 Man. Grand Central. ISBN   978-1-5387-1987-9.
  15. ↑ Baldacci, David (2023-02-06). The Edge. Grand Central. ISBN   978-1-5387-1991-6.
  16. ↑ To Die For. 2024-03-04. ISBN   978-1-5387-5790-1.
  17. ↑ "Simply Lies by David Baldacci - 9781529062014". www.panmacmillan.com. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  18. ↑ Baldacci, David (2023-09-04). A Calamity of Souls. Grand Central. ISBN   978-1-5387-6505-0.
  19. ↑ "The Final Play - Pan Macmillan AU". Pan Macmillan Australia. Retrieved 2021-07-23.

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