Review: THE WHOLE TRUTH, David Baldacci

Macmillan Digital audio, read by Alex Jennings, published in 2008, length 6 hours on 5 CDs, abridged by Kati and Julian Nicholl.

Synopsis provided by the publishers

‘I need a war.’

With the world relatively stable, Nicolas Creel, a super-rich and super-powerful arms dealer, is losing money fast. And if a war won’t start naturally, he is more than willing to help move things along . . .

Academic Anna Fischer is becoming increasingly curious about the strange twist in world events. When her boyfriend proposes, she couldn’t be happier – but can she handle the truth about the man she loves?

Katie James, an award-winning journalist whose career is on the slide, will do anything to get back to the top of her profession. But can she keep her demons at bay long enough to get the story?

Shaw, a man with a mysterious past, reluctantly travels the world for a secret multinational intelligence agency trying to keep the world peaceful – and safe. He dreams of retirement and marriage, but will his employers ever let him go?

I normally avoid reading or listening to abridged novels. I always wonder what got left out.
In the case of THE WHOLE TRUTH I think I can pinpoint what is missing. I found it very difficult to get into at the beginning, and I think, with a view to getting into the action quickly, a considerable amount of the back story was edited out.

The publisher's blurb calls it a "terrifying global thriller [that] delivers all the twists and turns, emotional drama, unforgettable characters".
I'm not sure that I would be as expansive as that, but it certainly was good listening, with good variation in the narration.

My rating: 4.2