Baldacci received a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. As a student, Baldacci wrote short stories in his spare time, and later practiced law for nine years near Washington, D.C.. While living in Alexandria, Virginia, Baldacci wrote short stories and screenplays without much success. In despair, he turned to novel writing, taking three years to write Absolute Power. It took Baldacci two years to get the book published, but when it finally did hit the shelves in 1996 it was an international best seller.

David Baldacci serves as a national ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and participates in numerous charities as well as founding his own foundation for literacy, Wish You Well Foundation. Baldacci was raised in Virginia and still resides there (in Vienna, Virginia) with his wife, Michelle Baldacci (Mikki), and two children. His cousin is the Democratic Governor of Maine John Baldacci, first elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.

In 1997, People magazine named him one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.

He is of Italian descent.

In 1996, his first novel Absolute Power was published and became an immediate best seller. It tells the story of a fictional American President and his Secret Service agents who are willing to murder people in order to cover up the accidental death of a woman with whom the President was having an affair. It was made into a film, Absolute Power (1997), starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.

Baldacci has gone on to publish sixteen more novels: Total Control, The Winner, The Simple Truth, Saving Faith, Wish You Well, Last Man Standing, The Christmas Train, Split Second, Hour Game, The Camel Club, The Collectors, Simple Genius, Stone Cold, The Whole Truth, Divine Justice, True Blue, and the young adult novel Fries Alive! He has also published a novella for the Dutch entitled Office Hours, written for the Netherlands' Year 2000 "Month of the Thriller". Baldacci also authored a short story, "The Mighty Johns", as part of a 2002 mystery anthology.

Baldacci has authored seven original screenplays and his works have been published in magazines, newspapers, and journals throughout the world. All of his books have become national and international bestsellers, translated into over 37 languages and sold in more than 85 countries. Over 40 million copies of Baldacci's books are in print worldwide.

Camel Club

1. The Camel Club (Warner Books, 2005)
2. The Collectors (Warner Books, 2006)
3. Stone Cold (Grand Central Publishing, November 2007) Reached number one on The New York Times Bestseller List
4. Divine Justice (Grand Central Publishing, November 2008)
5. Hell's Corner (Grand Central Publishing, November 9, 2010)

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell

1. Split Second (Warner Books, 2003) reached number one on The New York Times Bestseller List.
2. Hour Game (Warner Books, 2004) reached number one on The New York Times Bestseller List.
3. Simple Genius (Warner Books, May 2007) reached number one on The New York Times Bestseller List.
4. First Family (Grand Central Publishing, April 2009) reached number one on The New York Times Bestseller List.

Shaw and Katie James

1. The Whole Truth (Grand Central Publishing, April 2008)
2. Deliver Us From Evil (Grand Central Publishing, April 2010)

Freddy and the French Fries

1. Fries Alive! (Little, Brown and Company, 2005) is Baldacci's debut novel for young readers. Find out more about Freddy at his Web site.
2. The Mystery of Silas Finklebean, 2006

Standalone Novels

• Absolute Power (Warner Books, 1996) was made into a major motion picture by Castle Rock Entertainment and starred Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.
• Total Control (Warner Books, 1996).
• The Winner (Warner Books, 1997) sales topped those of Baldacci's first two novels and received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, its highest rating.
• The Simple Truth (Warner Books, 1998) was his first novel in which part of the plot was based upon an actual event. President Bill Clinton selected The Simple Truth as his favorite novel of 1999.
• Saving Faith (Warner Books, 1999) reached #1 on both The New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists and was selected for People Magazine's "Page Turner of the Week".
• Wish You Well (Warner Books, 2000) received a starred review in Publishers Weekly and was the inaugural book for All America Reads, a national reading promotion program.
• Last Man Standing (Warner Books, 2001) features the Federal Bureau of Investigation's elite Hostage Rescue Team and reached number one on The New York Times Bestseller List.
• The Christmas Train (Warner Books, 2002) shows how we do get second chances to fulfill our dreams during the season of miracles and instantly became a bestseller.
• True Blue (Grand Central Publishing, October 2009)