A Calamity of Souls

By: David Baldacci

Narrated by: David Baldacci, MacLeod Andrews, Sisi Aisha Johnson, Kiiri Sandy, Cary Hite

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 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. He quickly finds himself out of his depth when he realizes that what's 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 all. She 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 making, 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.

Critic reviews

"A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci is the immovable object of history slamming into the irresistible force of truth. An examination of a fractured place and time where the mores of the past were confronted by the implacable ferocious tenacity of justice. A Tour de Force."—S. A. Cosby, bestselling author of ALL THE SINNERS BLEED and RAZORBLADE TEARS

“A Calamity of Souls, the story of a murder in southern Virginia in the mid-1960’s, may be the best novel David Baldacci has ever written, which is saying a great deal. It has a gripping plot and a shocking ending, and even better than that, is also a perfect evocation of a difficult time in America’s history, propelled by deep and moving characters and beautiful writing. It captured me completely from the very first page.”—Scott Turow, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

"This is David Baldacci at his best. Using the law and the courtroom as the stage for a searing parable on race and the cost and courage to do the right thing."—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Baldacci deftly weaves together legal thriller and historical drama—a tale of high tension, false assumptions and stubborn humanity, where the law is a crucible for who we imagine ourselves to be and how much effort still lies ahead.”—Stacey Abrams, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A high-octane legal thriller anchored by a family drama that will break your heart.”—Ken Follett, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“From its disturbing opening onwards, I couldn’t stop turning the pages, fascinated, moved, horrified. Packed with a richness of detail and prose so evocative it works like a time-machine, effortlessly transporting you to a troubled time in U.S. history; with characters that linger in the mind long after you have finished the book. An instant classic, I will be recommending this to everyone I know. Not just a great American crime story; this is a great American novel.”—Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“David Baldacci vividly recreates Virginia in the throes of the civil rights movement, when the laws had moved forward, but the people had not. A Calamity of Souls is a big-hearted page-turner about fighting for what’s right in a world filled with wrong.”—Jeannette Walls, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“This is the book David Baldacci was meant to write. Of course it’s filled with rich characters and a mystery at its core, but what makes this novel such a standout is the way Baldacci pours his own past into it. Terrifying, dazzling, and a true reckoning, A Calamity of Souls is a time machine that proves the Civil War never ended—and that the only way out is together.”—Brad Meltzer, #1 New York Times bestselling author

One of David Baldacci’s best!!!

I liked everything about it and know he’s completely right on his opening. I pray that someday my country can be completely color blind!!!

The BEST!!

Brought back a lot of history and made me realize how far we’ve actually come. Not to say we still don’t have further. We really made some progress.

Good story. I really enjoyed the lawyer heroine.

I very much respected that you never said the N-word completely. You said NIG. And I can work with that because I completely dislike the word and I will not allow anyone to speak to me that way or say that in My Home. You handled that really really well. Class act!

A Truly wonderful story

I loved this story. Mr. Baldacci I applaud your depiction of this story. Most authors tell stories of this time in history without giving any forethought as to the black ppl who will read it. Most books that speak of this era use that platform as permission to use the "N" word bc of its prevalence in that time. Some recognize its sensitivity, but most do not. You are truly a lifted writer and I have been a fan for many years. It has been amazing to read your range in storytelling.

Pollyanna mind set.

I so enjoyed this book, although just one more boot in the butt to help me realize just how Pollyanna I guess I am. How far the kkk really spread, to the Judicial District of the Court, and far beyond. Truly hard to believe how many of my (white race) still have so much hatred towards any color. May we never have people such as trump become President of our nation again. He has made me realize just how many ignorant people still exist. The lack of capitals was intentional!