Quotes from David Baldacci

she hadn't accounted for.

Those who only watched pro football from the safety of their stadium seats or big-screen TVs could never imagine the devastating power of enormous men running at speed into other enormous men. It was like being in a car accident over and over. It didn't merely hurt; it stunned. It shocked the body in so many different ways that one could never be the same afterward.

time in the equation. They had a lot to lose.

I'm gonna be sick," Burt moaned. "I'm gonna be sick!

But I think to really be part of something special, you have to find something special in yourself first.

My needs are simple, my salary more than ample.

He had learned that this dated back to the days of the jousters. Most folks were right-handed, and back then a man wanted to keep his sword or jousting pole closest to his enemy.

bikini with a short terrycloth cover-up over it.

She lightly punched him in the arm. "So, on to Williamsburg?" "On to Williamsburg. But I need to call them first.

He didn't like having to pay for a phone that had Internet access, but it was like having a huge library and an army of research assistants on the cheap. He

Life was a shell game. The winners could just hide the truth better than everybody else.

since a pen or pencil could easily be turned

He was no longer, at least in his mind, the most wanted man in America. He was an analyst, a seer, a prognosticator going over his reams of data, moving their pieces, twisting them, testing them, discounting some, fleshing out others, slowly transforming disjointed intelligence into something that made sense.

seem inclined to begin the conversation

As opposed to what? A country run by old white billionaires and their paid lackeys in Washington?

George?" said Puller. "Oh, I'm sorry. You probably just knew him as Father Rooney. His first name is George.

He said quietly, "My life is over, Katie. But whoever did this to Anna is going to die. And soon.

Marks from Debbie Watson's feet.

He now stood outside on the curb in front of a modern building in the middle of a city that had seen more prosperous days. It was making a comeback of sorts, to the extent that steel, asphalt, and concrete and the populations that reside in and on them can have second chances. And it was a historical city with many sites of cultural significance that could draw tourists.

never been faced with something like this. I have our people here working on it, but don't expect a fast answer.

After a few moments of silence Puller said, "You think he was achieving all of it for his father? Because he never got the chance to do it himself?" Rooney pointed at him. "That's what I believe.

minutes later Horatio pulled up to the

She backed up against a brick wall. Tears sliding down her face, she moaned, "Please, please don't hurt me. I swear I won't tell nobody what you done. I swear to God. Please." Rogers bent down and picked

and out of his life. As he