David Baldacci: Author David Baldacci’s Bestselling Books

David Baldacci was born in Virginia and has been writing since childhood. David wrote short stories and screenplays for two decades with little success and was practicing law when he published his first novel, Absolute Power. That 1996 book was adapted into a film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.

Since then, David has focused on writing legal thrillers and suspense novels. He has authored 42 international bestseller novels for adults and seven novels for young readers. David Baldacci’s books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries; several of his books have been adapted for TV and film.

David Baldacci has been writing page-turning legal thrillers and suspense novels for nearly 30 years. Most of his books are part of a series, with each series focusing on a specific character and meant to be read from beginning to end.

1. 1. The King and Maxwell series: When Michelle Maxwell’s career in the United States Secret Service is wrecked by a split-second mistake, she goes hunting for answers. The quest leads her to another disgraced agent, Sean King, whose earlier failure and ouster from the Secret Service has eerie parallels to her own. Their chemistry turns the pair into excellent private investigators. This series includes Split Second (2003), Hour Game (2004), Simple Genius (2007), First Family (2009), The Sixth Man (2011), and King and Maxwell (2013).
2. 2. The Camel Club series: An unofficial club of four former government employees take it upon themselves to investigate conspiracies in Washington, DC. These watchdogs are led by Oliver Stone, a former CIA-trained assassin who renamed himself after the much-admired film director. The series includes The Camel Club (2005), The Collectors (2006), Stone Cold (2007), Divine Justice (2008), and Hell’s Corner (2010).
3. 3. The John Puller series: John Puller is a brilliant United States Army special agent, a fiercely determined investigator, and an inveterate loner. Yet he can’t seem to get away from his difficult family: a father who’s a war hero and a brother who’s in prison for treason. This series includes Zero Day (2011), The Forgotten (2012), The Escape (2014), and No Man’s Land (2016).
4. 4. The Will Robie series: Will Robie is one of the most accomplished assassins in the world, tasked with identifying threats to the United States and carrying out top-secret hits. But his job comes at a steep personal cost. The series launches when Robie discovers that the US government has put a hit out on him. This series connects with Baldacci’s Camel Club series as well. The series includes The Innocent (2012), The Hit (2013), Bullseye (2014), The Target (2014), The Guilty (2015), and End Game (2017).
5. 5. The Amos Decker series: A sports injury left Amos Decker with hyperthymesia, or perfect memory recall, but as a police investigator, he saw a lot of things he’d rather forget. The series begins with Decker hunting for the man who murdered his wife and daughter, then evolves as he joins an FBI special task force handling cases in which using his memory skills may be the only way to solve the crimes. The series includes Memory Man (2015), The Last Mile (2016), The Fix (2017), The Fallen (2018), Redemption (2019), and Walk The Wire (2020).
6. 6. The Freddy and the French Fries series: Aimed at young readers, this series follows Freddy Funkhouser whose inventions are meant to help his family’s restaurant, Burger Castle. But sometimes his ideas backfire, leading Freddy and best friend Howie Kapowie on unexpected adventures. The series includes Freddy and the French Fries: Fries Alive! (2005) and Freddy and the French Fries: The Mystery of Silas Finklebean (2006).
7. 7. The Finisher (Vega Jane) series: For a long time, Vega Jane believed only danger and death existed outside of the town of Wormwood. That all changed when she saw Quentin Herms chased out of Wormwood, and she follows the clues he left behind. The Vega Jane series is aimed at middle-grade/young adult readers. The series includes The Finisher (2014), The Keeper (2015), The Width of the World (2017), and The Stars Below (2019).

David Baldacci’s other series are the Atlee Pine series, the Aloysius Archer series, and the A. Shaw and Katie James series.

In addition to his multiple book series, David Baldacci has produced several stand-alone novels, including:

1. 1. Absolute Power (1996): Baldacci’s first novel is the story of a fictional US president tied up in an extramarital affair. When the president’s fianccée dies, his Secret Service agents are willing to commit murder to cover up the incident. Clint Eastwood adapted the book into a film.
2. 2. The Winner (1998): A woman accused of murder flees the country after an acquaintance offers to rig the lottery and net her millions of dollars on the condition that she never return to the United States.
3. 3. Last Man Standing (2001): This thriller follows Web London, the sole member of an elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team to survive an ambush. London is subsequently snubbed by his colleagues and consumed by an investigation.
4. 4. The Christmas Train (2004): To get home in time for Christmas, journalist Tom Langdon travels by train from Washington to Los Angeles. Along the way, he taps into his own feelings and rediscovers more about himself and those around him.
5. 5. Wish You Well (2007): Set in the 1940s, this novel tells the story of 12-year-old Louisa Mae Cardinal and her family. When their lives are upended, Louisa and her younger brother are forced to move from New York City to their great-grandmother’s farm in Virginia.
6. 6. Day of Doom (2013): Part of The 39 Clues franchise—a series of adventure novels for children written by several authors—which follows two siblings whose family is the most influential in history.

Become a better writer with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including David Baldacci, David Sedaris, Amy Tan, Roxane Gay, Walter Mosley, Margaret Atwood, Dan Brown, and more.