David Baldacci

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American novelist (born 1960)

title: "David Baldacci" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1960-births", "living-people", "20th-century-american-novelists", "20th-century-american-male-writers", "21st-century-american-novelists", "american-crime-fiction-writers", "american-male-novelists", "american-male-screenwriters", "american-thriller-writers", "henrico-high-school-alumni", "writers-from-richmond,-virginia", "people-from-vienna,-virginia", "university-of-virginia-school-of-law-alumni", "virginia-commonwealth-university-alumni", "lawyers-from-richmond,-virginia", "21st-century-american-male-writers", "novelists-from-virginia", "screenwriters-from-virginia", "american-people-of-italian-descent"] description: "American novelist (born 1960)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Baldacci" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American novelist (born 1960) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox writer "]

FieldValue
nameDavid Baldacci
imageDavid Baldacci - 2015 National Book Festival (6).jpg
captionBaldacci at the 2015 National Book Festival
birth_date
birth_placeRichmond, Virginia, U.S.
occupationNovelist
educationVirginia Commonwealth University (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)
period1996–present
genreThrillers, children's literature
notableworksAbsolute Power
spouse
children2
relativesJohn Baldacci (second cousin)
signatureDavid Baldacci signature.svg
website
::

| name = David Baldacci | image = David Baldacci - 2015 National Book Festival (6).jpg | caption = Baldacci at the 2015 National Book Festival | pseudonym = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | occupation = Novelist | education = Virginia Commonwealth University (BA) University of Virginia (JD) | period = 1996–present | genre = Thrillers, children's literature | movement = | notableworks = Absolute Power | spouse = | children = 2 | awards = | relatives = John Baldacci (second cousin) | signature = David Baldacci signature.svg | website = | influenced =

David Baldacci (born August 5, 1960) is an American novelist. An attorney by education, Baldacci writes mainly suspense novels and legal thrillers. His novels are published in over 45 languages and published in over 80 countries, having sold over 130 million copies worldwide.

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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/City_of_Richmond_Business_District.jpg" caption="[[Richmond, Virginia]], hometown of Baldacci"] ::

Baldacci began writing stories as a child when his mother gave him a notebook in which to record them. He wrote for more than two decades, penning short stories and later screenplays, without much success.

While practicing law, he turned to novel writing, taking three years to write Absolute Power. Published in 1996, it was an international best-seller. To date, Baldacci has published 50 novels for adults as well as seven novels for younger readers.

Personal life and philanthropy

Baldacci lives in Fairfax County, Virginia, with his family. He has a daughter and a son. He is second cousins with John Baldacci, who served as governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011.

Baldacci and his wife, Michelle, founded the Wish You Well Foundation, which works to combat illiteracy in the United States by funding adult literacy programs. Baldacci became involved with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society after his sister, author Sharon Baldacci, was diagnosed with MS. In 2008 the Foundation partnered with Feeding America to launch Feeding Body & Mind.

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.

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 150 million worldwide sales as of December 2024.

Bibliography

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series

Main article: King and Maxwell (book series)

  1. Split Second (2003)
  2. Hour Game (2004)
  3. Simple Genius (2007)
  4. First Family (2009)
  5. The Sixth Man (2011)
  6. King and Maxwell (2013)

The Camel Club series

Main article: Camel Club

  1. The Camel Club (2005)
  2. The Collectors (2006)
  3. Stone Cold (2007)
  4. Divine Justice (2008)
  5. Hell's Corner (2010)

A. Shaw series

Shaw is an enigmatic intelligence operative.

  1. The Whole Truth (2008)
  2. Deliver Us From Evil (2010)

John Puller series

Puller is a US Army veteran and CID military investigator.

  1. Zero Day (2011)
  2. The Forgotten (2012)
  3. The Escape (2014)
  4. No Man's Land (2016)
  5. Daylight (2020, Atlee Pine crossover)

Will Robie series

Robie is a seasoned and highly skilled hitman.

  1. The Innocent (2012)
  2. The Hit (2013)
  3. The Target (2014)
  4. The Guilty (2015)
  5. End Game (2017)

Amos Decker series

Decker is a veteran police detective turned FBI consultant. He has hyperthymesia which has left him with perfect recall.

  1. Memory Man (2015)
  2. The Last Mile (2016)
  3. The Fix (2017)
  4. The Fallen (2018)
  5. Redemption (2019)
  6. Walk The Wire (2020)
  7. Long Shadows (2022)

Atlee Pine series

An FBI agent searching for her abducted sister.

  1. Long Road to Mercy (2018)
  2. A Minute to Midnight (2019)
  3. Daylight (2020, John Puller crossover)
  4. Mercy (2021)

Aloysius Archer series

  1. One Good Deed (2019)
  2. A Gambling Man (2021)
  3. Dream Town (2022)

Travis Devine series

  1. The 6:20 Man (2022)
  2. The Edge (2023)
  3. To Die For (2024)

Mickey Gibson series

  1. Simply Lies (2023)

Walter Nash series

  1. Nash Falls (2025)
  2. Hope Rises (2026)

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)

For young readers

[[Freddy and the French Fries]] series

  1. Freddy and the French Fries: Fries Alive! (Little, Brown and Company, 2005), Baldacci's debut novel for young readers
  2. Freddy and the French Fries: The Mystery of Silas Finklebean (Little, Brown and Company, 2006)

[[The 39 Clues]] series

Vega Jane series

Main article: Vega Jane

  1. The Finisher (Scholastic Press, 2014), published in the U.K. as The Secrets of Sorcery
  2. The Keeper (Scholastic Press, 2015), published in the U.K. as The Maze of Monsters
  3. The Width of the World (Scholastic Press, 2017), published in the U.K. as The Rebels' Revolt
  4. The Stars Below (Scholastic Press, 2019), published in the U.K. as The End of Time

Adaptations

Awards

::data[format=table]

WorkYear & AwardCategoryResultRef.
The Winner1999 Kurd Laßwitz AwardForeign Work
Hour Game2005 Library of VirginiaVirginia Literary Awards (Fiction)url=https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/litawards/winners.htm
The Sixth Man2012 Library of VirginiaVirginia Literary Awards (Fiction)
King and Maxwell2014 Library of VirginiaVirginia Literary Awards (Fiction)
The Hit2014 Audie AwardsThriller or Suspense
One Good Deed2020 Nero Award
2020 International Thriller Writers AwardsHardcover Novel
2008 International Thriller Writers AwardsSilver Bullet Award
2011 Crime Thriller AwardsThe People's Bestseller Dagger
2017 Library of VirginiaVirginia Literary Awards (Lifetime Achievement)
2024 PEN/Faulkner FoundationPEN/Faulkner Literary Champion
::

References

References

  1. (August 5, 2025). "On This Day, Aug. 5: Best-selling novelist David Baldacci was born in Richmond". [[WWBT]].
  2. Shapiro, Ari. (27 July 2009). "A Conspiracy Around Every Corner In Baldacci's D.C.".
  3. (October 21, 2011). "Backstage: David Baldacci and Jodi Picoult". Yale Daily News.
  4. (December 11, 2019). "David Baldacci once wrote stories in secret at VCU. Now he has millions of around the world.". Virginia Commonwealth University.
  5. (February 6, 1996). "Diary of a Best Seller". Chicago Tribune.
  6. (August 2007). "Mystery Man: David Baldacci - Washingtonian".
  7. Solomon, Deborah. (November 1, 2009). "The Wedding March". [[The New York Times Magazine]].
  8. "Home".
  9. Alison Bonaguru. (2013). "David Baldacci".
  10. (2013). "David Baldacci".
  11. (12 July 2019). "Novelist David Baldacci gifts $1M to Mark Twain home".
  12. (2024-12-21). "David Baldacci: Thrilling with thrillers".
  13. (2022-02-07). "Long Shadows". Grand Central.
  14. Baldacci, David. (2021-11-16). "Mercy". Grand Central Publishing.
  15. (2021-08-03). "Dream Town". Grand Central.
  16. (2021-11-08). "The 6:20 Man". Grand Central.
  17. (2023-02-06). "The Edge". Grand Central.
  18. (2024-03-04). "To Die For". Grand Central.
  19. "Simply Lies by David Baldacci - 9781529062014".
  20. (2023-09-04). "A Calamity of Souls". Grand Central.
  21. (2024-08-05). "Strangers in Time".
  22. "The Final Play - Pan Macmillan AU".
  23. "1999 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis".
  24. "Finalists and Winners of the Library of Virginia Annual Literary Awards".
  25. "Past Nominees and Winners".
  26. "The PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion | The PEN/Faulkner Foundation".

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