David Baldacci’s writing career started way back in his childhood. From a very young age, David Baldacci has been writing stories and this is a big part of what makes his novels so good.
Practice makes perfect, and David Baldacci’s novels are up there with some of the best written.
With a law degree, a career in law, and a lifetime of being a devoted philanthropist, David Baldacci puts a lot of experience into the novels that he writes, and this is a huge part of what makes them so good.
Throughout his career, Baldacci has published more than 47 novels for adults, and all of them have been national and international bestsellers.
He is one of the leading writers in this genre, and his experience in the law allows him to create incredibly realistic and immersive novels.
After you have finished all of David Baldacci’s novels, you may find yourself stumped about where to turn next.
Thankfully, there are lots of authors out there who write books in a similar writing style to David Baldacci, and lots of novels to get stuck into (see also “Authors Like Mo Hayder“).
If you are a big fan of the A. Shaw, Archer, or Amos Decker series by David Baldacci, then the works of James Patterson and Lee Child will likely be right up your street! Keep on reading to find out which books by these authors to start with.
Books By David Baldacci
While David Baldacci has written several standalone books throughout his career, most notably Absolute Power (2001), the vast majority of his novels fall into one of the many different series that he writes.
If we were to go through every single novel that David Baldacci has written in his career, we’d never get onto the authors that are similar to David Baldacci. So we’ll just focus on some of his most popular series.
Throughout his books, there is a strong focus on legality and making the novels suspenseful.
His novels build on the traditional hero vs villain trope, with the heroes being incredibly honorable and the villains being evil.
There is always a certain amount of corruption and manipulation, and the heroes typically find themselves mixed up in it because of their intrigue in politics.
Shaw Series
The A. Shaw series is a series of 2 novels focusing on Special Intelligence Agent Shaw and it is a series filled with twists.
Across the two novels, an emotional drama takes place on a global scale with international tensions rising after a super-rich arms dealer decides to start a Cold War to boost his business.
Across The Whole Truth and Deliver Us From Evil, the reader is taken on a series of twists and turns that will leave them unable to put the books down until they finish them.
Amos Decker Series
In contrast, the Amos Decker series is much longer, with 7 books currently in the series.
This series of novels follows a gifted police detective with an incredible memory that helps him solve mysteries. But the one memory he’s never been able to solve is one that he wishes he could forget about, and that is the murder of his family.
The Archer Series is different from the other series that we have looked at so far by David Baldacci, and that is because it focuses on a War Veteran who was recently released from prison, and it is set in 1949.
It has all the classic themes and tropes that make David Baldacci so popular but is something a little different for those who are big fans of historic fiction.
Thankfully, David Baldacci is one of many authors who write in the crime, suspense, and legal genre of novels.
This market is incredibly saturated, so there are lots of different books to read in these genres, and plenty of authors who write in a similar style to David Baldacci.
They are James Patterson and Lee Child. Keep on reading to find out which novels by these authors are the best to start with.
James Patterson
Unless you have been living under a rock, there is a good chance that you have heard of James Patterson.
James Patterson is easily one of the most famous authors in the USA, and he is incredibly versatile too, as he writes in a variety of different genres, produces both fiction and nonfiction novels, and often writes alongside other authors (to find the best order to read James Patterson’s books, read here).
Not only has he worked on books, but on television too.
Since his first novel was published in 1976, James Patterson has written more than 200 novels, 114 of these novels have been listed at the top of the New York Times bestseller list and Patterson holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers by a single author.
Just like David Baldacci, he writes a variety of standalone novels and series.
Alongside his standalone novels, James Patterson has worked on a wide variety of series including A Women’s Murder Club (written alongside Andrew Gross and Maxine Paetro), and the Alex Cross series.
Both of these series focus on crimes and mystery, just like many of David Baldacci’s novels which is why James Patterson’s books are perfect for any fans of David Baldacci.
The vast majority of his books are crime/legal thrillers, so a lot of his novels include themes such as death, mystery, hatred, and jealousy. His books are typically page-turners that you will struggle to put down.
Pros
A huge amount of novels are available to read.
Excellent standard of quality as evidenced by the awards James Patterson has won.
The British author Lee Child has a very similar writing style to James Patterson. They target the same genres and both have produced a huge amount of novels during their career.
Lee Child has a huge mixture of standalone books as well as series, but undoubtedly his most famous book series is Jack Reacher.
Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series is currently made up of 27 novels, with the first published back in 2009 (Reacher: Killing Floor), and the most recent, No Plan B, published in 2022.
This series tells the story of ex-military policeman Jack Reacher. In the first novel, he is charged with a murder that he didn’t commit, and the rest of the novels follow Reacher throughout his life.
In 2022, Amazon Prime released a TV adaptation of Jack Reacher titled “Reacher”, and it was met with huge popularity.
The name “Jack Reacher” has become a household name, and that is because of the popularity of Lee Child’s novels.
Again, the themes found in Lee Child’s novels are very similar to those of James Patterson and David Baldacci.
There is a focus on mystery throughout his novels, lots of action, as well as underlying themes of violence, murder, and other themes associated with crime novels.
Pros
Lots of novels to choose from and to keep you busy.
Very similar writing style to David Baldacci.
Plenty of standalone novels and series to choose between.
Cons
Fairly long novels mean they take quite a while to read.
There is no denying that David Baldacci is one of the leading names when it comes to crime and legal suspense novels.
Throughout his long writing career, Baldacci has published a huge amount of novels, and this is excellent for any fans of his writing.
Discovering Baldacci for the first time is a little like finding a gold mine because there is so much content to sink your teeth into. But this can make it more difficult to cope when you find you have finished all of his published work.
Thankfully, the crime and legal suspense/thriller genres are very saturated and there are a ton of other books out there for you to read.
If you love David Baldacci’s novels, then we would recommend checking out the works of James Patterson and Lee Child as they are very similar, and both authors have a huge amount of novels to read.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Pronounce David Baldacci’s Surname?
David Baldacci’s surname is incredibly easy to pronounce once you know how. It is simply pronounced ball-dah-chee.
Is David Baldacci Still Writing?
Yes, David Baldacci is still actively working as a writer, alongside his other projects. He has novels set to be released in 2023, and likely more to come in the future.
Noah Burton works as a Librarian full time, and is a blogger in his spare time. His goal is to write compelling recommendations for all of the most popular books he can find, from science fiction to romance.
With a passion for books, a drive to find new reads to get stuck into, and a love for sharing book recommendations with others, Noah can help you find the next novel for your bucket list.
