David Baldacci Explained
David Baldacci, known by his pseudonym David Baldacci Ford (born August 5, 1960) is an American novelist. An attorney by education, Baldacci writes mainly suspense novels and legal thrillers.[1]
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
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 sold internationally. To date, Baldacci has published 46 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
The Camel Club series
A. Shaw and Katie James series
John Puller series
Will Robie series
Amos Decker series
- Memory Man (2015)
- The Last Mile (2016)
- The Fix (2017)
- The Fallen (2018)
- Redemption (2019)
- Walk The Wire (2020)
- Long Shadows (2022)[11]
Atlee Pine series
- Long Road to Mercy (2018)
- A Minute to Midnight (2019)
- Daylight (2020, John Puller crossover)
- Mercy (2021)[12]
Aloysius Archer series
- One Good Deed (2019)
- A Gambling Man (2021)
- Dream Town (2022)[13]
Travis Devine series
- The 6:20 Man (2022)[14]
- The Edge (2023)[15]
Mickey Gibson series
Stand-alone novels
Short stories and novellas
- Waiting for Santa (short story) (2002)
- No Time Left (short story) (2012)
- Bullseye (short story) Will Robie / Camel Club (2014)
- The Mighty Johns also known as The Final Play (novella) (2021)[18]
For young readers
- Freddy and the French Fries: Fries Alive! (Little, Brown and Company, 2005), Baldacci's debut novel for young readers
- Freddy and the French Fries: The Mystery of Silas Finklebean (Little, Brown and Company, 2006)
- Day of Doom (Scholastic Publishing, 2013), Book 6 in the "Cahills vs. Vespers" series of The 39 Clues books
Vega Jane series
See main article: Vega Jane.
- The Finisher (Scholastic Press, 2014), published in the U.K. as The Secrets of Sorcery
- The Keeper (Scholastic Press, 2015), published in the U.K. as The Maze of Monsters
- The Width of the World (Scholastic Press, 2017), published in the U.K. as The Rebels' Revolt
- The Stars Below (Scholastic Press, 2019), published in the U.K. as The End of Time
Adaptations
- Absolute Power (1997 film), starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, and Ed Harris
- King & Maxwell (2013 TV series), starring Jon Tenney and Rebecca Romijn
- Wish You Well (2013 film), starring Mackenzie Foy, Josh Lucas, and Ellen Burstyn
- The Christmas Train (2017 film), starring Dermot Mulroney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Danny Glover and Joan Cusack
- One Summer (2021 film), starring Sam Page, Sarah Drew and Amanda Schull
External links
Interviews
Notes and References
- Web site: A Conspiracy Around Every Corner In Baldacci's D.C. . Ari . Shapiro . 27 July 2009 . 28 May 2022 . www.npr.org . Anyone who's been to an airport bookstore in the last 10 years has seen Baldacci. .
- News: Backstage: David Baldacci and Jodi Picoult . Yale Daily News . October 21, 2011.
- News: Gresham . Tom . David Baldacci once wrote stories in secret at VCU. Now he has millions of around the world. . Virginia Commonwealth University . December 11, 2019.
- News: Lavin . Cheryl . Diary of a Best Seller . Chicago Tribune . February 6, 1996.
- Web site: Mystery Man: David Baldacci - Washingtonian . August 2007 .
- Web site: Home. Wish You Well Foundation.
- Web site: David Baldacci . Alison Bonaguru . . 2013 . May 17, 2013.
- Web site: David Baldacci . National MS Society . 2013 . author Sharon Baldacci was diagnosed with MS. . May 17, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120517055211/http://www.nationalmssociety.org/online-community/personal-stories/david-baldacci/index.aspx . May 17, 2012 .
- Web site: Novelist David Baldacci gifts $1M to Mark Twain home . . 12 July 2019 . 28 May 2022.
- News: David Baldacci clues kids in to Smithsonian's treasures . . February 27, 2013. . . 0734-7456 . 17 May 2013 . Carol . Memmott.
- Book: Long Shadows . 2022-02-07 . 978-1-5387-1979-4 . en-US. Baldacci . David . Grand Central .
- Book: Baldacci, David. Mercy. 2021-11-16. Grand Central Publishing. 978-1-5387-1969-5. en.
- Book: Dream Town. 2021-08-03. 978-1-5387-1974-9. en-US. Baldacci . David . Grand Central .
- Book: The 6:20 Man . 2021-11-08 . 978-1-5387-1987-9 . en-US. Baldacci . David . Grand Central .
- Book: The Edge . 2023-02-06 . 978-1-5387-1991-6 . en-US . Baldacci . David . Grand Central .
- Web site: Simply Lies by David Baldacci - 9781529062014 . 2022-12-12 . www.panmacmillan.com . en.
- Book: A Calamity of Souls . 2023-09-04 . 978-1-5387-6505-0 . en-US . Baldacci . David . Grand Central .
- Web site: The Final Play - Pan Macmillan AU. 2021-07-23. Pan Macmillan Australia. en-AU.