Overview
Believe the Power In a secluded house not far from Washington, D.C., the FBI is interviewing one of the most important witnesses it has ever had, a young woman named Faith Lockhart. For Faith has done too much, knows too much, and she'll tell too much. Believe the Suspense Feared by some of the most powerful men in the world, Faith has been targeted to die. But when a private investigator walks into the middle of the assassination attempt, the shooting suddenly goes wrong, and an FBI agent is killed. Believe the Astounding New Story That Only David Baldacci could Write... Now Faith Lockhart must flee for her life-with her story, with her deadly secret, and with an unknown man she's forced to trust...
Synopsis
In the field of popular fiction David Baldacci is far ahead of the competition. Continuing his string of New York Times bestsellers, Baldacci presents his most electrifying story to date—a novel of nonstop action, vividly etched characters, and an astounding vision of the inner sanctums of our government. Not far from Washington, D.C., in a wooded area of Northern Virginia, a small house at the end of a gravel road serves a secret purpose. With its sophisticated security apparatus and hidden miniaturized cameras, it is being used by the FBI to interview one of the most important witnesses the agency has ever had, a young woman with an incredible story to tell. But a few people know about the secret meeting. And for them, a violent drama is about to begin. One man—a local private investigator named Lee Adams—has come to the house on the orders of his client. Another man, a hired killer, stakes out the house on orders from his powerful paymasters. And the witness, Faith Lockhart, is coming to tell the FBI everything she knows about the powerful lobbyist with whom she has worked, a man who manipulates U.S. government policy and who, in the process, made some very dangerous enemies. Then, before Faith can tell her story, the hit man pulls the trigger and the wrong victim falls. Now Faith Lockhart is on the run—from the most dangerous people in America—with Lee Adams, a man she doesn't know, yet must trust. A relentless chase novel that unfolds as both the FBI and a killer search for Faith and Lee, this is also a searing and utterly suspenseful tale of power gone mad in Washington, and of one woman's desperate attempt to break out of a web of corruption and terror that reaches much further than even she can know. In the hands of master storyteller David Baldacci, Saving Faith elevates the thriller to a new level and poses stunning questions about the rules we live by, the rules we are governed by-and what happens when some people make rules of their own.
On The Simple Truth - USA Today
Compelling...finely drawn...a page-turner worth losing sleep over.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewSaving Faith opens during a meeting of a top-secret cartel headed by Robert Thornhill, deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Pursuing his own agenda, Thornhill pushes the group into arranging the assassination of Faith Lockhart, a Washington lobbyist who, for reasons revealed later in the novel, threatens his plans. The group reluctantly agrees to implement Thornhill's plan, even though it means that an FBI bodyguard must also die.
Scheduled to take place at an FBI safe house, the hit goes wrong due to the timely intervention of private detective Adam Lee, hired to shadow Faith by persons unknown. Although the FBI agent is killed, Lee escapes with Faith, beginning a long, dangerous odyssey that starts in Maryland, moves to North Carolina, and ends in a Senate conference room in Washington. Adam and Faith become fugitives, forced to flee from the police, the FBI, and the CIA.
Okay, by now you probably have several questions, among them: Who is Robert Thornhill, and why does he want Faith Lockhart dead? Who are the members of the secret cartel, and what are their goals? What secrets does a lobbyist possess that could threaten the CIA? Why is her death important enough to sacrifice the life of an FBI agent? Why was Adam Lee at the cabin that fateful night?
Well, I'd be doing Baldacci and his readers a grave disservice by revealing the intricacies of his convoluted plot, so you'll get no answers from this reviewer. I will say, however, that the plot ofSaving Faith ultimately does hang together, making for a gripping read. Like Alfred Hitchcock, Baldacci loves coincidence. Like the famous director, he also takes his audience for a hell of a ride, building to a surprising, satisfying conclusion. (I suspect the Hitchcockian touches were deliberate, as many of the book's elements parallel the classic "North by Northwest"; witness the name Robert Thornhill, suspiciously close to that of Roger Thornhill, the unwilling hero of that movie thriller.) Baldacci remains in top form, showing that the success of his previous books (Absolute Power, Total Control, The Winner, and The Simple Truth) was no fluke.
USA Today
Compelling...finely drawn...a page-turner worth losing sleep over.—On The Simple Truth
New York Times Book Review
Mr. Baldacci has come up with yet another winner...the excitement builds....The plot's many planted bombs explode unpredictably.— On The Winner
Houston Chronicle
A grabber...a superior thriller.— On Absolute Power
Publishers Weekly -
Baldacci's fifth high-concept premise in as many novels (The Simple Truth; Absolute Power; etc.) propels his hard-working new thriller: a renegade CIA faction attempts to reassert the agency's primacy over the FBI by manipulating members of Congress who fund both outfits. To do so, the CIA conspirators aim to take over a bribery scheme they've discovered. The scam was concocted by legendary lobbyist Danny Buchanan, who has been greasing the palms of lawmakers to gain their support of bills aiding the poor and hungry overseas. The spooks plan to assassinate Buchanan and his protege, the lovely Faith Lockhart, and force the legislators, under threat of exposure, to support the CIA over the FBI. First, however, they'll have to kill the FBI person guarding Faith, for she has confessed everything to the bureau in hopes of working a deal for herself and Buchanan. But the CIA villains haven't reckoned on the resilience of the two lobbyists, nor on the grit of FBI agent Brooke Reynolds, nor on the skill of PI Lee Adams, who gets caught up in the attempted hit on Faith and her guardian-- and who then goes on the run with the lobbyist. The novel evolves into a frantic, exciting chase, FBI after CIA after Lee/Faith, with a few nifty twists. Baldacci's characters continue to grow in complexity--there's an exceptionally fine scene in which Lee, drunk, nearly rapes Faith--but, alas, so does his plotting. This novel is overdone, with too many heroes and subplots and enough data withheld from readers to generate confusion. Baldacci's prose can still break the jaws of subvocalizers, too. The novel moves fast, though, and its players and suspense are strong--as should be sales. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.Library Journal
When lobbyist Danny Buchanan's bribery scheme gets him enmeshed with shady doings at the CIA, his partner, Faith, must run for her life. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.J. D. Reed
Former trial lawyer Baldacci knows how to freshen a suspense novel's usual cast of characters...Bottom Line: Master storyteller keeps the faith.People Magazine's Page Turner of the Week