A Calamity of Souls cover art

A Calamity of Souls

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

A Calamity of Souls

By: David Baldacci
Narrated by: Cary Hite, David Baldacci, Kiiri Sandy, MacLeod Andrews, Sisi Aisha Johnson
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

'This is David Baldacci at his best' - Michael Connelly

'I couldn’t stop turning the pages, fascinated, moved, horrified' – Alex Michaelides

'A Tour de Force' – S.A. Cosby

'May be the best novel David Baldacci has ever written' - Scott Turow

'A tale of high tension, false assumptions and stubborn humanity' - Stacey Abrams


Set in the tumultuous year of 1968 in southern Virginia, a murder case sets a duo of Black and white lawyers against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully-accused Black defendants in this courtroom drama from the number one 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 killing an elderly and 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. And he quickly finds himself out of his depth when he realizes that what is 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 everyone. She comes to Freeman County and enters a fractious and unwieldy partnership with Lee in a legal battle against the best prosecutor in town. 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.

©2024 David Baldacci (P)2024 Hachette Audio
Crime Thrillers International Mystery & Crime Heartfelt Civil rights
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Outsider cover art
The Secrets of Crestwell Hall cover art
Paper Cup cover art
Bel Canto cover art
Sisters Behaving Badly cover art
Julia cover art
Paper Aeroplanes cover art
All You Need Is Love cover art
Crypt cover art
This Book Will Change Your Mind About Mental Health cover art
The Colour of Magic cover art
Let's Not Be Friends cover art
Please Find Attached cover art
You've Got This cover art
Ascendant cover art
Off to Be the Wizard cover art

Critic reviews

Powerful, enlightening, and entertaining are some of the superlatives that might come to mind as listeners are transported to the world of trial attorney Jack Lee in Virginia in 1968--brought to life by a uniformly outstanding cast. - AudioFile

What listeners say about A Calamity of Souls

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    156
  • 4 Stars
    39
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    160
  • 4 Stars
    30
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    149
  • 4 Stars
    32
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Jack Lee and Desiree DuBose

Jack and DuBose took their seats at a table and the stares commenced. “She’s a professional colleague.”

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A gripping read

I loved the characters and the story had me hooked from the start. A very moving and distressing subject that’s quite a departure from Baldacci’s usual books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling!

A total page turner which emerges the reader/listener in the heartfelt story of discrimination, racial struggles of the 60s in America and reminds us of what humanity really is. A cleverly worked piece of literature

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very uncomfortable but compelling

I was totally gripped by this book but outraged by the racism especially when this book is set in the late 1960s. While I don't imagine the racism no longer exists it was the overt expression of it that was especially shocking.

I will read anything written by this author and love all his character arcs. Might there be a second outing for Dubose and Lee? I hope so!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best Baldacci Book Yet

Loved it !!! Couldn’t stop listening to it ,was absorbed from the first page . Love his books normally but this was something else . Brilliantly read as well . Best Audiobook I’ve listened to

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Do not miss this one!

Stunning. Great insight into recent American history with great characters and excellent narration. I’m a big fan of DB, and reckon that this is his finest.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of DB’s best!

Just a remarkable book on so many levels. From the first page I could not put this book down until I had finished it. Beautifully written and a story well told, combining the facts with fiction to make this book a compelling read. I have had the pleasure in reading most of David Baldacci’s books and this is certainly one of his finest so far.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The historic racism!

The racism made me uneasy, but the story line was gripping and the characters brilliantly drawn.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a great thriller and insight into the times

A great story and a very believable plot, well performed by talented voice actors. one to be thoroughly recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable read!

Sensitive storyline done thoroughly well and good narration. Jack and Deedee’s characters made a good team. Would recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!