Tag: #ACalamityofSouls

Editors’ pick Best Books of the Year 2024

Book Blurb:

Set in the tumultuous year of 1968 in southern Virginia, a racially-charged murder case sets a duo of white and Black lawyers against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully-accused Black defendants in this courtroom drama from #1 New York Times 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 brutally 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 the Commonwealth. 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.

Over a decade in the writing, A Calamity of Souls breathes richly imagined and detailed life into a bygone era, taking the listener through a world that will seem both foreign and familiar. 

My Review:

I borrowed this audiobook from my local library because of the author’s name with whom I was familiar having read and enjoyed previous books, the last a thriller, The 6:20 Man. This novel, however, is a far cry from the others. It’s a serious indictment of the time (1968) and place (Virginia), although certainly not a new story, nor unfortunately one that has appreciably changed since then.

Jack Lee, a white attorney, attempts to take on the defense of Jerome, a young black Vietnam War veteran in the killing of Jerome’s elderly white employers. The author wastes little time in developing his characters sympathetically and the reader almost immediately connects with both.

Jack has never before endeavored to take on such a sensational trial, much less one that will engender strong personal and political repercussions, including from his own family who raised him with a lack of overt prejudice and quickly realize he’s in way above his head and is in deep doo-do.

It is then that he is approached by Desiree DuBose, a Black lawyer from Chicago. She is well known for her expertise in the courtroom as well as her efforts in the fight for racial equality.

The novel crafts a thought-provoking, emotional legal thriller as well as a family drama. Steeped in historical perspective and well developed characters, the narrative deeply dives into the fight to protect and salvage their client as well as battle a corrupt and flawed justice system. If Jerome didn’t kill the elderly couple, who did?

The tension ratchets up throughout the storyline, often boiling over in heated controversial racial injustice arguments by Desiree. Both main characters are well developed and despite, or perhaps because of, an extreme difference in backgrounds appear to work well together. They begin to develop a grudging respect for each other.

The author pulls no punches in using malicious characters and the language, dialogue, and slurs reflect the time and place. It’s an intensive look back on an ugly system with an emotionally spirited plea in and between the lines to look at it again.

The Author’s Note will explain a lot of the decisions he made in the writing of this literary fiction effort which certainly takes a raw turn. It’s a hard read as well as lengthy, but take the time to read or listen to the informative explanation, which may answer your question.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The narrators did an amazing job of representing a cross-section of souls. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

 

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Action Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Mystery Action & Adventure, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ASIN: B0CKNL91V1
Listening Length: 14 hrs 28 mins
Narrators: David Baldacci, MacLeod Andrews, Sisi Aisha Johnson, Kiiri Sandy, Cary Hite
Publication Date: April 16, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links:   Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

 

The Author: David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, “because every mom needs a break now and then.”)

David published his first novel, ABSOLUTE POWER, in 1996. The feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 50 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels have been translated into over 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. David has also published seven novels for younger readers.

David is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy programs across the United States.

©2025 V Williams