Having read a number of David Baldacci's books, most of which are well written, engrossing thrillers, this one is quite different. It is not a thriller but, rather, a beautifully written, human drama, most of which takes place in the mountains of Virginia. The richness of the drama and the beauty of the writing conveys the down home sense of feeling that is so palpable in this book.

This is a coming of age story. It is the story of the Cardinal family, as seen through the young eyes of twelve year old Louisa Mae Cardinal, known as Lou, a precocious twelve year old, whose father is a highly acclaimed writer of note with great literary distinction but little commercial success. She lives with her beloved father, her mother, and her younger brother, Oz, in New York City. The year is 1940. The family is on the brink of moving to California, when tragedy strikes, and the lives of Lou, Oz, and their mother are forever changed.

Lou, Oz, and their now catatonic mother go to live with their paternal great-grandmother, Louisa, for whom Lou is named. This no nonsense, strong willed, loving matriarch lives high up in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia, where Lou's father grew up, and that is where Lou and Oz will now grow up. They are strangers in a strange land, big city children now living on a farm without electricity, running water, or central heat. It is there that Lou comes of age and, together with her brother, Oz, has many new experiences. They are experiences that provide rights of passage and life lessons in friendship, loyalty, loss, and redemption. She gets a large dose of the good, the bad, and the ugly in life.

While there, big business threatens their way of life and pits the townsfolk against each other in a struggle for survival. It is a struggle that sees Louisa take a stance that will, ultimately, be the death of her, leaving the children to cope with their mother, who is physically sound, but locked in her own mind since the tragedy that changed their lives forever. The interests of big business and those of the Cardinal family clash in a Virginia courtroom in a riveting drama that is not easily forgotten. With the help of a family friend, a humble and kindly, country lawyer, things are, eventually, put to rights.

This well written book has richly drawn characters and a sensitive and descriptive narrative that transports the reader to another time and place. It is so evocative of the hardscrabble, mountain existence, so as to make the readers feel as if they, themselves, were experiencing it. It is a sentimental journey that is calculated to tug at one's heartstrings. It is a journey, however, well worth taking. With this book, the author has set himself apart from the pack and proclaimed himself a true literary talent.

A David Baldacci novel is a great companion for a summer vacation, and Absolute Power is no exception. At the end of each chapter, I would convince myself that I could read "just one more chapter." It cost me some sleep but I was able to go through large chunks of the book in a sitting. Although not as good as Total Control, which I think was Baldacci's best effort, Absolute Power was still a page turner. Having seen the movie years ago, I was a bit skeptical to pick up the book but I am glad that I did. Although Baldacci has obviously tightened up his writing skills with his subsequent novels, Absolute Power is still packed with action, suspense, plot twists and good character development. I quickly found myself rooting for Luther Whitney, who although a career thief also has an abundance of courage, integrity and personal fortitude. If you are a Baldacci fan but have not yet read his first work, I strongly recommend picking up Absolute Power.

Baldacci's first novel, "AbsolutePower" is a well-crafted suspense thriller which I enjoyed reading. It offers a super plot, well developed characters and a protagonist who is real and likeable.

Baldacci, like any good writer, has written a strong beginning; elderly, real-life burglar Luther Whitney, engaged in his criminal occupation, is caught in the web of a powerful spider while attempting to burglarize a home, but instead is forced to watch a brutal murder in which Alan Richmond, President of the United States is intimately involved. The reader is quickly hooked and steadily reeled in, until there is no way out for him but to read on to the end.

Protagonist Jack Graham, young lawyer and former lover of Luther Whitney's daughter, Kate, is inexorably drawn into the events by his desire to help Kate and her father, and, if possible, re-build the lost relationship he once enjoyed with Kate.

Seth Frank, chief homicide detective in the county where this crime occurs, is propelled by a sense of duty, as he attempts to piece together the clues that will unravel the mystery and reveal the perpetrator.

But, it's through President Richmond and the people around him that we are shown what this novel is really about. These people are all moral relativists. They neither believe in any objective standards, nor do they believe that truth exists. This is a dangerous combination of faults in anyone, but it's particularly dangerous when present in politicians or those in positions of power.

President Richmond is a man corrupted by the power of his office. He mistakenly believes that the most important person in the world is himself, and that he can do anything he wants to do. His top assistant, Gloria Russell, is driven by her lust for Richmond and a misguided quest for shared power. Secret Service Agent Bill Burton, victim of a sense of loyalty, does the expedient thing again and again, until finally he understands that a life without self-respect is a life not worth living.

This is an adult story for adult readers. Lord Acton is often quoted as saying, "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely." It's from this famous quote that Baldacci's title is drawn. But let's not forget that power, no matter how absolute, will only corrupt if its possessor is devoid of high standards of morality. Freed of the sound restraining influence of moral values, a person can and often will exercise power badly. The result? Strife and turmoil in his own life and in the lives of those around him.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the dangers of moral relativism.

Absolute Power cast an absolute spell over me -- couldn't stop reading! This first novel by David Baldacci has unusual twists on the traditional tale of murder. Through a two way murder in a walk-in safe, a thief witnesses a murder and cover-up. It involves none other than the President of the United States. And that's just the opening chapter! Baldacci, like John Grisham, is a lawyer turned writer. Baldacci, of course, doesn't have the reputation of Grisham but I think he is a better writer. Unlike Grisham, each character in Baldacci's story is completely developed, although somewhat one-sided (good guys/bad guys) they are realistic. Baldacci has two characters, Seth Frank and Bill Burton who are family men with children. Baldacci could have padded pages with tender family scenes. Instead the reader only knows of them as the plot relates to them. Scenes that would naturally pull them into the picture, as when Seth is in the hospital, are deftly manuevered. Seth Frank and Bill Burton are foils for each other and the book, in a classic style, abounds with foils -- Kate Whitney and Jennifer Baldwin, Luther Whitney - the thief and Alan Richmond, the President. This is a well crafted story. I hope to see more from this promising new writer.

I've never read David Baldacci before so I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I was a little unsure when I bought this book and left it in the bag for a couple of weeks before I pulled it out to read. I'm glad I did because I could not put this book down.

Lou and Oz live in New York city with their parents, until an accident kills their father and leaves their mother in a deep coma from which the doctors don't think she will recover from. They have to move from the big city to the country in Virginia to live with their grandmother, whom they have never met. Lou and Oz first resist the new setting but soon learn they better adapt or the struggle will only get harder.

Lou learns that even though she will always be a big sister, she needs to let her brother be his own person. Oz learns he needs to grow up, in the sense that he is the youngest but he's not a baby any more.

I look forward to reading other books by Mr Baldacci and hope they are a good as this one.

I'm still not quite sure what to make of Baldacci's WISH YOU WELL. Despite the hype, this is not a literary novel, although it does sometimes come close, but rather is commercial mainstream fiction aimed to sell well and not to challenge our preconceptions of the world. As long as you view it as just that - a commercial novel - you will be satisfied with this book.

In 1940, Jack Cardinal dies in a car accident that leaves his wife Amanda in a coma and his two children, Lou (short for Louisa) and Oz (Oscar), without a caretaker. Lou acts on her parents' last conversation and suggests the surviving family members go to Virginia to live with great-grandmother, Louisa, whom none of them has met. So off the three go: Lou, Oz, and comatose Amanda. There, Lou and Oz discover a hard but rewarding existence in the mountains where coal and poverty rule. They come to love Eugene, also known as "Hell No", Diamond who is a resourceful but uneducated orphan, and, most of all, Louisa herself, who has many lessons to teach the children.

Although the plot is somewhat predictable and Baldacci populates his Virgina mountains with a supporting cast of types (the greedy coal company men, the abusive man who tends to his mare's foaling despite his wife's difficult - and simultaneous, of course - labor, the black man who gets respect only from the good guys), Baldacci goes further with his main characters. Pre-teen Lou is well imagined, even if she sometimes acts too old for her age. Louisa, Lou's great-grandmother, has the most commanding presence of all the characters, with her mountain hardness tempered by a generous heart; her past and present all feel real, true to life.

You'll enjoy this book as long as you don't expect high literature. Baldacci knows how to tell a story, and how to tell it well, leaving his readers with a firm sense of resolution. You won't find page-turning suspense here, as you will with his other bestselling books, but you will discover a new side to this author. As a literary novel (which some people claim it is), I would give it three stars; as a mainstream commercial one, I'd give it five.

Wish You Well by David Baldacci is the story of a girl named Louisa Mae Cardinal, Lou for short, and her brother Oz's life. Lou and Oz were in her family's car with their father, Jack Cardinal, and mother Amanda Cardinal. Jack Cardinal is a famous author who has many awards for his books. Suddenly Lou and Oz's life changes. They are in a car accident and their father has died. Along with their mother, who is clinging on to life, Lou and Oz travel from New York City where they live to Virginia on a train to go live with their grandmother on a farm. As Lou and Oz begin to love their new life, different events happen, some rewarding some not, that change their lives. From finding and losing friends to sitting in a trial in a Virginia courthouse, this book is guaranteed to keep you reading for hours and hours. I strongly recommend everyone to read this book. It is an amazing book that will keep you reading for hours at a time.

I started this book one night in a bookstore but had no cash on me. Recommended it to my mother. Bought it later, started it. Really liked it -- and my wife stole it. She couldn't put it down, and I couldn't get it back. I now know why.

I've read all the reviews posted here, and there is some truth in each of them. The beginning is brilliant, terrific stuff as the protagonist and the reader begin sorting out the clues. A real thrill!

By the time the hero links up with the FBI, the tone changes tremendously, partially because the central character is no longer leading, he is following the action, which is always dangerous for a writer to attempt. What keeps you alive in the middle of the story is the gnawing suspicion that you know more than anyone else. (As a reader you'll sense it's coming too easy for everyone.)

Finally when the hero reasserts himself the thrill comes alive again, especially at the trap for the pedophile. While I found the web-pedophile story almost engaging, I sensed the author did not care enough about this character; he was the thinnest character in the book, when he needed depth. The female FBI agent, Rachel, was sexually appealing, and more emotionally layered than I expected.

As for the ending, I had expected the vast majority of it -- if for no other reason than that every other answer/ending was too easy and lots of mysteries/thrillers try to be too tricky. Usually less tricks, more flesh is better (easier said than done, I know). But all in all a great summer read

Perhaps this book is evidence of the old recommendation to would-be writers: to write of what you know. In his central character Michael Connelly captures perfectly the life of a dedicated cop reporter as well as those of the police investigators. Particularly interesting is his drawing of the authentic relationships between the two - from cooperation to the basic slightly hardened attitudes of police towards journalists, and that of journalists on a mission, being hindered by authority. Just when you thought all serial killer plots had been dreamed up, here is an originally chilling one. While I feel the only main female character is slightly underdeveloped, it is in keeping with the first person narration of the male and somewhat inexperienced and lonely journo. FINALLY I'm pleased to note he takes care to humanise his reporter - what a pleasant change in ANY crime fiction where most authors lazily and criminally ignore the mutual and often friendly relationship between newshounds and police to opt for the cheap public perception image of "vultures". But then, I'm totally biased... Louise Matthews, N

I have just re-read "The Poet", which is the book that got me onto Michael Connelly, and I see again why I liked it the first time around. I remember thinking at the time that the ending was "Hollywood", in that it seemed that the author wanted a film made out of it. Not necessarily bad; just different. You can't expect an author to bring out perfection every time, and the variety you get from trying out these sorts of things is usually a good thing.

What's good about the book? Great gritty descriptions; interesting characters; great dialogue; very interesting plot. It's the sort of thing that will captivate you if you're interested. And you have to pay attention. Some reviewers have bitched about the book, saying "people can't kill or hurt someone else while under hypnosis". That's true. But, if you read carefully, no-one in the book does. Other people complain about the ending being totally "fake" or "unpredictable". If you pay attention as you read, you'll notice a number of subtle clues that point the way. Probably too subtle for some. Re-reading this book is like watching "Basic Instinct" or "The Usual Suspects" a second time; you get a lot more out of it. And some people complain that the plot has holes -- on reflection, I can't agree. I thought it was very tightly (and very well) plotted. Things pull together at the end, not apart.

The bad parts? There aren't many. ....

All in all, grab this book. If you like it, or even if you like most of the book but not the ending, you will like Connelly's others.

The plot of David Baldacci's third fast-paced novel, "The Winner," is pretty easy to follow: young, niave LuAnn Tyler, struggling to raise her daughter as best she can in poverty, agrees to "win" the national lottery which has been fixed by an evil mastermind, Jackson. Like his previous "winners," Jackson has hand picked LuAnn because of her situation, making his offer more difficult to refuse, but her acceptance comes with a heavy price: LuAnn is Jackson's pawn and must agree to do as Jackson commands, including never to return to the US upon winning and living in utter fear.

Jackson, while a very interesting foe, is just too much to believe: He's a mastermind in chemistry and poisons, a regular Boris Karloff of disguse, and more stealthy than a ninja warrior. LuAnn Tyler is almost as unreal as she turns from uneducated single mom to killer millionaire in the span of ten years. At least she manages to keep her sense of humor and brash attitude throughout the story. Toss in a former FBI agent (now living under the witness protection program) as LuAnn's love interest and a former boxing pro turned bodyguard as the "uncle" to both LuAnn and her daughter and you have the makings of a very well-rounded cast. However, the novel is plagued by coincidence after coincidence from the beginning. Start with LuAnn's first boyfriend's murder, cementing her decision to accept Jackson's offer as she believes herself to be a wanted fellon, up to the climatic ending set against a cliff which just so happens to exsist on the backside of LuAnn's estate in Virginia...? Or there's the journalist that pieces the fixed lottery story together that also happen's to be Jackson's sister's boyfriend. Makes me kind of think that this is David Baldacci's only way to move a story along. In any case, "The Winner" isn't a complete loser as it moves along quickly and with decent dialogue, something most suspence novelists can barely pull off.

An exciting novel that may occur in real life.The story began with LuAnn Tyler a 20 year old mother who was trapped in the poverty cycle living in a shamble trailer in the backwater of Georgia. Unknown to her was a scheme being put to work by a Mastermind , a detail plan to cheat at the National Lottery which would make her and 11 others multi-millionaire.The catch was she must leave the country and never to return. Despite the awesome task of creating new identities and social security account , Jackson the genius behind the scam succeeded in getting LuAnn and her infant daughter out of the country.Everything went smoothly for 10 years but the winds changed course when LuAnn now called Catherine Savage secretly returned to the US of A , and all hell broke loose. Thomas Donovan an investigative reporter saw through Jackson's scheme and confronted Savage which eventually caused his own life.At the same time handsome ex-FBI Matt Riggs accidentally got himself involved in the case and at the same time fell for Savage.As more people became interested in finding out who is who and who did what ,the stage was set for a diabolical meeting between Jackson and LuAnn. The finale is hyper-explosive as everyone's life hangs in the balance and no one is sure who the winner will be , not even Jackson can determine it this time !

'The Winner' is one of the best books I read this year. Don't stop reading there, because what I actually have to say is important. David Baldacci didn't only prove himself as an awesome storyteller but he dared to go a step further. This book successfully portrays a society from its bottom to its very top.
'The Winner' starts off with an unavoidable picture of endless poverty- full of despair and hate. Later it becomes a statement on the extremely rich people not being happy at all. LuAnn Tyler, the sympathetic heroine of the story, lives in a trailer with the ever-drunk boyfriend and her baby daughter. Unexpectedly she receives an offer of hitting the jackpot in the National Lottery. What sounds like a fairy tale evolves into a true drama about false identities and relationships. Of course a love story is included as well as action. And there's also the evil mastermind Jackson with a wide, admirable range of talents and abilities. The characters in common are very colorful. Another good aspect about the story is that the author touches a real problem- the lottery. This book relieves the fact of the lottery being closed some centuries ago because of the corruption in it...believe or not believe, but I haven't bought a lottery ticket since having read 'The Winner'.
'The Winner' is an excellent book that wants to be read by you... but be warned, this story is likely to destroy some illusions of life you may have.

Have a good read!

Did he die or didn't he? What's on the disk? Who has the disk? Who's the man with the blue eyes? And how is the president of the Federal Reserve linked to our very likable but insignificant hero? You'll have to read "Total Control" by David Baldacci to find out the answers to these questions and all the others that enter your mind. David Baldacci grabs your interest with the first paragraph. The characterization is terrrific. I was quite taken by the protagonist, Sidney. She is part of the plot from beginning to end and refuses to play the typically passive female victim common to so many thrillers. My only complaint was a few very blunt clues and a slight drag to the story somewhere around the middle of the book. But it's well worth the read. Now I can't wait for the movie! I wonder who'll play Sidney???

This was my first David Baldacci book and not the usual genre of books I read, but I found it to be a face-paced, exciting tale of industrial espionage and counter-espionage. The many characters and numerous plots twists and turns keep the reader engrossed throughout the almost 700 pages. Written in 1997, the computer and internet technology described may have been somewhat complicated then, but today in 2002, is very easy to read and comprehend. My one criticism is that, like many other authors today, Baldacci appeared to be writing this novel with a screenplay already in mind. Yes, it would make a great movie - but I think he was making that assumption just a tad too early.

My first introduction to David Baldacci was back in 1996 when People Magazine picked his first book, Absolute Power, as the "Page Turner of the Week". I thought the premise of that book was phenomenal and I became an immediate fan. For some reason, I skipped over Total Control and went on to read his third and fourth books, The Winner and The Simple Truth. Both were good reads but nothing compared to Absolute Power. I'm glad I went back and read Total Control because it's in true Baldacci form in my opinion.

In this offering, Baldacci takes the typical American family, Sidney and Jason Archer and their little daughter Amy, and pits them against corporate greed at its worst. Sidney (the wife with a man's name) is a corporate attorney. Jason, the husband, is an executive with a technology company. Since Sidney is working on a deal that will merge her husband's company with another major technology firm, she is privy to many things that could lead to trouble. Jason, on the other hand, is struggling to make more money so that his wife can become a stay-at-home mom to their daughter. While this concept is characteristic of many American families, sometimes this drive can lead to a downward spiral of events from which there is no return. When Jason disappears, it is up to Sidney to try to clear his name while trying to save her own job at the same time. This book is replete with all the scenarios that followers of the thriller genre have come to expect. There's a plane crash, a car chase, espionage, kidnapping, phone-tapping and the usual sinister characters you find in most of Baldacci's books.

I read most of this book on the plane traveling from Minnesota to Philadelphia. It never seems to fail that when I'm flying, I'm usually reading a book that involves a plane crash. The good thing about this book is that it is so fast-paced that I arrived at my destination without even realizing I had been in the air over three hours. If you're looking for something that is suspenseful and believable, I think you'd enjoy this one. I'd like to add that as I looked around to see what other people on the plane were reading, I was not surprised to see other readers with Baldacci titles in their hands. I guess he's come a long way since that first book back in 1996. Kudos to you David Baldacci for your well-deserved success.

I would most definitely recommend The Simple Truth by David Baldacci to any reader. This book is full of suspense, drama, and everything else one might want out of a book. It is an entertaining read that is full of cliff hangers, and twists of plot that read you at the edge of your seat and make you want to read more. This legal thriller is entertaining and it is different from any other on the shelf today. It is the story of Rufus Harms, a convicted murderer and his quest to clear his name. But how can he when he did actually convict the murder? This story tells of corruption, deceit, murder in the Supreme Court, and the United States Army. It breaks the mold set by the typical thriller today in a powerful way. A real page-turner, this book thrusts you to the edge of your seat from page one and keeps you there until the very end. David Baldacci illustrates the horrors of life in a military prison, and how treachery can overrun even the most powerful military force in the world in an outstanding and terrifying fashion. This story is definitely a worthwhile read. The plot of this story is full of twists and turns that can only be fully understood if you read this book. I personally enjoyed reading this book. It was entertaining and fun to read. I would definitely recommend this story to anyone because it holds some of the best qualities in a book. I personally enjoyed everything about this book, and I sincerely believe that anyone who loves a good book will too.

I normally try to find all the good points in a novel when I'm ready to review it. I liked this one because it: a) dealt with the Supreme Court, something I'm not too familiar with. b) had good character devlopment. c) had a nice, stratigized plot, and d) it had good suspense.

As in all previous Baldacci books, he tries to incorporate romance into them. No. Don't do that. Leave it out. It hurts the book. If my brother was blown away, I wouldn't be sleeping with another woman half a week later. It's unrealistic. Rufus, on the other hand, is a great character. The best chapter in the book, I think, is the first one. I read it about three times. I loved the beginning, and the end was okay. The dialogue analyzed the characters in itself, but Baldacci uses profanity when it's simply not needed. Profanity is used, in writing, to subdue emotions, to bring out feelings, to support the dialogue or a scene, not for chit-chat. It's pointless. All in all, despite some minor flaws and cliches, I'd give it four stars. It was good reading, and worth the time spent reading it.

Keep it up, Mr. Baldacci.

The Simple Truth is about an ex-con serving a life sentence in a military prison for a murder that he did not commit. As is typical, but completely acceptable, in this type of book there is the expected coverup and mix of unexpected bad guys. I won't go into more details about the book, as it would simply be reiterating what so many other reviewers have already done.

I found this book to be a very entertaining read, with pretty good characters depth, and enough plot twists to keep things interesting and not too shallow. In fact, I read it over the course of one day (I was sick and had nothing else to do). The only problem that I had with this book was the manner in which the author chose to construct the "love story". It was so far outside the realm of likely that I just found it laughable. Indeed, I wish that many authors who write these types of books would simply get over the need to construct elaborate and unlikely love stories. Even with the two main characters being male and female, it would have been perfectly okay, even somewhat refreshing, if there was no romantic relationship between them at all.

Otherwise this was a highly entertaining read that I would recommend to anyone looking to kill a day or two.

From all the reviews, and having read four of his previous books, I had expected much more from Mr. Baldacci and Last Man Standing. Like the previous books there was a large cast, a complicated plot, generous body count and general mayhem in the Washington, D. C. - Northern Virginia area. But each of the previous books had characters that one could pull for. Not here. Web London, F.B.I. agent and part of the Hostage Rescue Team is set up to take a fall. He is a shallow, unlikeable man, full of histrionics and completely self-centered. The ending will provide the explanation for that comment. There are, among the multitudes, some interesting characters, but it is hard to really care about any of them except young Kevin.

The book is too long, padded with all the things you didn't buy the book to read about. Now, I'm not going to holler and say that Baldacci has turned bad and that I'll never read another of his books; that would put me in Web London's league. But I did find this outing to be so different from his earlier efforts that I hope it was just an abberation. I just hope his next one is more like the earlier books;I need this sort of book to endure the Washington, D.C. Metro every day and I'm sure that Mr. Baldacci has more great books in him.

The problem with this book is that, while normally we get characters doing interesting things, a plot that moves more or less smoothly, heroes and heroines who push the limits, here the reader has trouble just figuring out where this thing is going and why. Web London is a law unto himself, does what he wants and gets away with this somewhat childish behavior. In fact, had someone else been on the case, followed the leads instead of running amok, the case could have been solved in 300 pages rather than the Tolstoyan 640 pages it took to get to the anti-cllimactic ending. Cars and guns aplenty. Not much else.

David Baldacci has been, to government conspiracy, what John Grisham has been to legal system conspiracy. I read the first five of his books (Absolute Power, Total Control, The Winner, Saving Faith, A Simple Truth) with great enthusiasm. Much of the plot in those books (as in his latest) took place in and around DC, and -- when a book is well-written -- it's always fun to "get" the environs and not have to take it as an article of faith that the author isn't just making stuff up. They were good books.

Then, Mr. Baldacci and Mr. Grisham, at nearly the same time (last year) decided (allegedly independently) to write completely off-topic books. I did read Grisham's entry, "A Painted House." I am not completely ashamed to admit that I haven't read Baldacci's "Wish You Well." (...)

Anyway, Last Man Standing (LMS) is still a departure of sorts for Baldacci. His previous books dealt with government intrigue, with occasional forays into other areas. This is a book about an FBI agent. Specifically, and FBI Hostage Rescue Team operator.

Now, yes, I just reviewed a non-fiction book about the HRT (Cold Zero), I know. However, it wasn't until I finished the book and read the very last acknowledgment -- where Mr. Baldacci gives a big old wet kiss to Chris Whitcomb, the author of Cold Zero -- that it hit me how directly he was involved. (Mainly because, unlike the acknowledgments to "bit" players like his editor and agent, he says that he could not have written the book without Special Agent Whitcomb's direct assistance.) I should have figure this out when I thought, while reading, "Hmmm, Baldacci uses the same descriptions of HRT tactics that I read in Cold Zero." But I just assumed that the HRT was a popular topic nowadays and the similarities were just coincidence. Silly me. Unfortunately, the HRT descriptions are executed a bit mechanically... it's a bit of an instruction manual -- no, more like a lecture -- than a novel. The meat is there, but it's just not flavored right.

This book is about an HRT guy who survives a set-up where the rest of his team is massacred -- making the protagonist, as you might suspect, the last man standing. (Though, technically, he's prone for part of that time.) As any good survivor of a massacre, he is then accused, alternatingly, of being a coward and a traitor. He must, as any accused traitor, clear his name. And as any alleged coward, he must also seek psychotherapy.

Thus, Baldacci weaves a plot that brings in FBI investigations, HRT tactics, the narcotics business, horse farming, psychiatry and taxidermy into one book. (Let's see Tom Clancy do that... But first let's see if he wants to.)

As confused as it sounds, it's executed well. The plot, more or less, consists of our flawed hero (but aren't they all flawed? Otherwise they'd be, let's see... Jack Ryan, who apparently has NO flaws. Take that, Mr. Clancy.) trying to figure out who set up his team and how he lived through the event? Suspicion shifts from drug overlords to a variety of FBI higher-ups, to friends' wives to odd neighbors to white supremacists. The author does leave a number of clues -- and red herrings -- throughout the story to make that endeavor more challenging. I had it pretty much cracked -- but not quite -- about 100 pages before the author began to reveal the intrigue. Even then, I didn't see a couple of the last-minute twists, making the last couple chapters much more satisfying than I expected.

The book oscillates, scene-wise, between the rough areas of DC (Anacostia), FBI offices, and Virginia horse country (someone has to have money in these books). We mostly follow the protagonist through the book, so the frequent perspective changes that mark this genre are absent... making it a lot easier for the reader to keep up.

I'd recommend the book, but only if you can buy it at a discount (...) or wait 'til paperback. If I'd paid full price (and I didn't, and generally I don't ever), I would be a bit put off. At 50% off, you get just the right amount of bang for your reading buck.

And it ends with the perfet set-up, should Baldacci break pattern, for a sequel...

For those of you who are intrigued by the genre, but have not read his previous work, I'd pick up one of his earlier books in paperback and see what you think. Absolute Power was 100% better in print than on the silver screen. Total Control was completely engrossing. The middle book -- The Winner -- the middle of those books -- was absolutely fascinating, with more interesting character development than I'd read in a long time. The next two were also very good, but I honestly don't recall my exact reaction... they were also much more chacter-centric (versus plot-centric) than the first two (which were big conspiracy sort of stories).

Happy reading!

Last Man Standing was only my second Baldacci novel and I was not dissappointed. If you thought he did an excellent job with "The Winner," then you will be doubly thrilled reading this one. The story begins rather slowly and for just a quick second there you're tempted to put it down, but just when you think the story isn't going to take off, ZOOM begins the action. Web London is the center of attention from beginning to very, very end. I love the way Mr. Baldacci handled the ending of this book because you can just feel a sequel coming -- one can hardly wait. And I have to say that Mr. Baldacci did his homework/research on this novel as well. The details found in his descriptions of HRT operations was outstanding. Not to take anything away from Baldacci, however, if you're not yet up on your "Hostage Rescue Team," (HRT) operations, you might want to first read Christopher Whitcomb's book "Cold Zero." Just a tip. Nonetheless, you will absolutely NOT regret reading this book, and you will find yourself tensing up just as if you were watching it on the big screen. You'll root for the good guy(s) and hope that the bad guys get what's coming to them (and they do). Excellent job, GREAT read, worth every minute! Home Run AGAIN for Baldacci!

Baldacci has fallen into the same trap that John Grisham did. After writing several engaging stories, he's now churning out books that do a decent job of entertaining but break little new ground. In fact, Saving Faith has so much in common with Pelican Brief that it's scary:

- smart, attractive female lead from hard-knocks upbrining who's making it on her own

- older father figure who acts as mentor

- cardboard cut-out bad guys from the federal government, complete with extraordinary powers

- elite international assassin who screws up his hit on our lovable female lead

The list goes on. Don't get me wrong - this isn't an entirely unlikeable story - it's just that it doesn't break any new ground. The characters are straight out of central casting - the strong but lonely PI, the about-to-be-divorced loner FBI agent who's fighting the system for what's right, etc.

The story moves along at a good clip, and the last 1/3 of the book is quite entertaining. There are a few twists that you may not see coming - and I won't reveal them here - but nothing earth-shattering.

Baldacci's at his best when describing the political system (he once practiced law in DC and knows quite a bit about the Hill). It's when he writes in intricate detail about a certain type of custom-made bullet imported from Europe for the assassin, or when he goes on and on about what type of gun someone is using, that he strays off-target. This isn't his area of expertise - it's as if it comes from someone else verbatim. He may have done his homework, but does it really serve the story?

Overall, this is a decent beach book. Not nearly as good as some of Baldacci's better books, but still a good read.

This book is a slow moving but easyreading that helps keep your interest. At times things getexciting but it is not a pageturner. The same old competitionbetween the CIA and the FBI forfunding and recognition gets a bittiresome. Faith Lockhart is a legal assistant to Danny who hiresLee to follow someone to start thelife and death of Agents (take your pick) as they betray and/orshoot their way up to fame or life's end. It involves Congessmembers vieing for the best gravyjobs after retirement. Someone gets killed by accident, another gets shot by taking the bullet tosave a friend. The reader keeps on reading this to the end and isassulted by a "They lived happilyever after" line you won't wantto hear. Baldacci usually writestoo long a story and has troublebringing them to a close. Thatgives it a 3 1/2 star but it isBaldacci so I gave it a 4. The line "And so he did." actually rates it a 3. This is a book from1999 so don't rush to read it.

SAVING FAITH is suspenseful, intriguing and fast-paced. David Baldacci has woven an intricate tale that delves into the world of politics, the FBI and CIA. An age-old theme of power-hungry men has been skillfully developed into a book that holds the listener captive. The Audio CD with 5 discs is read by actor Chris Noth, who lends his considerable vocal skills to make the book even more enjoyable. He uses the rich tones of his voice, and an ability to provide various accents, for the listener's optimum benefit. Mr. Noth's style of using pauses, along with varying his speed, inflection and volume for emphasis, helped keep me fascinated with the story until the end. I found myself not wanting it to end, but ready for 3 or 4 more chapters at least.