A Calamity of Souls

David Baldacci

Apr 2024 · Sold by Grand Central Publishing

About this ebook

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 reader through a world that will seem both foreign and familiar.

Ratings and reviews

As Baldacci, I, too , was born and raised in Richmond.....just a little south in a small town called Chester. Born in '62, I remember well the racial divide. But by the time I was in the 2nd grade my family had colored friends, and my babysitter was a colored woman who lived just a half mile away named Miss Kidd who fell in love with us and I really loved her too. I was very fortunate that my mom and dad looked at people's hearts and not the color of their skin. My two favorite authors are both Virginians... my favorite, naturally, is Baldacci, and then Grisham. It's just something about us Virginian's!! After I read The Winner, I was hooked on his writing......keep it up, David. your fan, David Mick

I throughly enjoyed reading this book. Things that happened in my lifetime I can identify with the social unrest at this time in history. One of my all time favorite authors. I highly recommend any books written by this author.

This novel is both poignant and inspiring as well as superbly written by David Baldacci. It rang true to me from my own experience growing up in Texas during the 1960s and 1970s in a small city where my school was finally integrated in 1971 when I began 8th grade. Novels rarely invoke the immediate reflection and honest self-appraisal that I experienced while reading this masterpiece. It saddens me to acknowledge how vital the underlying truths of this novel are to our current societal divisions and inequities, particularly our blind acceptance of underlying biases, bitterness, and fears. Above all, this book eloquently illustrates the damage to our minds, hearts, and souls caused by unquestioned hatred toward those whom we perceive as different from ourselves. Mr. Baldacci's mastery in presenting ambivalence and the inherent risks of seeking societal justice and empathic relationships created a novel that I would recommend to all readers.

About the author

DAVID BALDACCI is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world's favorite storytellers. His books are published in over forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.