The Whole Truth was published by Grand Central Publishing in 2008. Nicolas Creel is a defense contractor — the world’s largest arms dealer — whose profits depend on international conflict. When peace threatens to break out, Creel hires a “perception management” firm (a polished term for professional liars) to manufacture a crisis: they create a fake massacre, plant evidence across social media and news outlets, and ignite a confrontation between Russia and the West.
The novel was written before the 2016 election, before “fake news” entered the popular vocabulary, before Russian troll farms and deepfakes became household concepts — yet it describes with remarkable precision the mechanics of manufactured disinformation campaigns. Baldacci’s insight is that the technology of deception has outpaced the technology of verification: in an information environment where anyone can publish anything, the most skilled liar wins.
Shaw, a covert operative working for an unnamed intelligence agency, is tasked with investigating the crisis. Katie James, a disgraced journalist seeking redemption, independently pursues the same story. Their convergence reveals the conspiracy — but the novel’s disturbing implication is that exposing one lie does not prevent the next.
Collecting The Whole Truth
First edition (Grand Central Publishing, New York, 2008): Hardcover with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $15–$30
- Very good/very good: $8–$15