Watch: David Baldacci on Writing One Good Deed
Written in the nights during his book tour for A Long Road to Mercy, David Baldacci’s newest thriller, One Good Deed, throws readers into the murky world of post-World War II America. Set in 1949, the story follows Archer, a World War II veteran and wrongfully charged ex-convict on parole in the small Midwestern town of Poca City. Watch the videos below for a quick primer to the book’s background, then dive straight into the first hour of the One Good Deed audiobook.
It's 1949. When war veteran Aloysius Archer is released from Carderock Prison, he is sent to Poca City on parole with a short list of do's and a much longer list of don'ts: do report regularly to his parole officer, don't go to bars, certainly don't drink alcohol, do get a job—and don't ever associate with loose women.
The small town quickly proves more complicated and dangerous than Archer's years serving in the war or his time in jail. Within a single night, his search for gainful employment—and a stiff drink—leads him to a local bar, where he is hired for what seems like a simple job: to collect a debt owed to a powerful local businessman, Hank Pittleman.
Soon Archer discovers that recovering the debt won't be so easy. The indebted man has a furious grudge against Hank and refuses to pay; Hank's clever mistress has her own designs on Archer; and both Hank and Archer's stern parole officer, Miss Crabtree, are keeping a sharp eye on him.
When a murder takes place right under Archer's nose, police suspicions rise against the ex-convict, and Archer realizes that the crime could send him right back to prison ... if he doesn't use every skill in his arsenal to track down the real killer.
