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A Calamity of Souls cover art

A Calamity of Souls

By: David Baldacci
Narrated by: Cary Hite, David Baldacci, Kiiri Sandy, MacLeod Andrews, Sisi Aisha Johnson
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Summary

'This is David Baldacci at his best' - Michael Connelly
'I couldn’t stop turning the pages, fascinated, moved, horrified' – Alex Michaelides

'A Tour de Force' – S.A. Cosby
'May be the best novel David Baldacci has ever written' - Scott Turow
'A tale of high tension, false assumptions and stubborn humanity' - Stacey Abrams


Set in the tumultuous year of 1968 in southern Virginia, a murder case sets a duo of Black and white lawyers against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully-accused Black defendants in this courtroom drama from the number one 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 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 town. 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.

©2024 David Baldacci (P)2024 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

Powerful, enlightening, and entertaining are some of the superlatives that might come to mind as listeners are transported to the world of trial attorney Jack Lee in Virginia in 1968--brought to life by a uniformly outstanding cast. - AudioFile

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What listeners say about A Calamity of Souls

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Amazing book, attention to detail and first class

Amazing book, one of his best. Will be a classic. A modern 'to kill a mockingbird'

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The historic racism!

The racism made me uneasy, but the story line was gripping and the characters brilliantly drawn.

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Great story telling.

I have lost count of the number of Baldacci's books that I've read or to which I've listened and I can't remember one that I didn't enjoy very much. But this one has been the best of the lot! Great story telling, as ever, and great narration. Bravo!

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A Great listen

I struggled at first thinking what’s this? But the more I listened the more I was drawn into the story.

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A gripping read

I loved the characters and the story had me hooked from the start. A very moving and distressing subject that’s quite a departure from Baldacci’s usual books.

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Jack Lee and Desiree DuBose

Jack and DuBose took their seats at a table and the stares commenced. “She’s a professional colleague.”

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storyline

This book moved me in so many ways, the injustice of how people of colour even today are treated. The two main characters where brilliant in how they got to the end of this trial, I would have been locked up unable to keep my mouth shut, will not say anymore as I do not wish to spoil the plot. Narrator brilliant brought the characters and story to life.

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Great story and narration

An amazing novel by an author I greatly admire (does he even write a dud?) a tough read in parts and occasionally I had to stop to take deep breath. I’m hoping we get to hear more of the legal duo.

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absolutely brilliant

I could not put it down - many twists & turns. extremely well read - would highly recommend this book - you will not be disappointed.

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Excellent and shocking book

This book was different from David’s usual subjects, but it was an excellent listen. Well presented. Thought-provoking historical details.

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