 "The Winner IS a Winner!!!" | 2009-10-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1JK7WHCGKTUPS |
| I could hardly put this book down. It is one of the best mystery books I have ever read, and now I have a ravenous appetite urging me to read more of David Baldacci's books. Just finished "Stone Cold," and now am on "Divine Justice." I will have to read many more of Baldacci's books in order to sate my desire for exceptionally well-written mystery books. |
| |
 "A bit of a stretch, but very entertaining" | 2009-09-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1BNXESSIKXSM2 |
Baldacci often writes fiction based on politics and Washington. The Winner is different and I think it shows his skill in writing something fresh. The plot has some very new twists - fixing the lottery, for example. The story has some amazing or rather incredible parts (escaping New York with a full hunt on; her boyfriend summoning the U.S. Attorney General and the FBI Director to quickly negotiate with him, etc.) The main characters are quite engaging. LuAnn, the poor girl who becomes rich, and Jackson, the diabolical genius mastermind, are quite memorable. Charlie is a less developed character who spend years with LuAnn, lives with her overseas but inexplicably has no romantic interest in her or apparently with anyone else for that matter. But, this is escapist literature and Baldacci does an excellent job in moving the story along with great suspense. I found the book to be engrossing and a satisfying read. I read the Kindle version and I wholeheartedly recommend this book. |
| |
| "Unbelievable at first, but gets better" | 2009-09-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3RTNA9THAU2OP |
LuAnn Tyler lives in a trailer with her baby daughter and a drunken, good for nothing boyfriend that cheats on her. She works her butt off at a truck stop just to have to hide the money so she can buy baby formula. She goes to a job interview one day and a man asks her "How would you like to win the lottery? What if I say I can make it happen? Would you accept?" Although LuAnn knows it's morally wrong and illegal, not to mention there must be a catch to it, she finds herself in a situation where she has no choice but to accept the man's offer. Once she does, her life changes forever and it's not all good.
I must admit I had trouble getting into this story. I read the trade paperback and it took probably about 100 to 150 pages for me to really start getting interested. I guess the premise was just a little too unbelievable. (This is coming from a fantasy fan!) Once the story got to the "ten years later" section, it really started moving. From that point on, I was absolutely hooked and the parts I had trouble believing early on felt more realistic due to some explanations! The story is very original and very interesting. I'll definitely read another book by Baldacci someday. |
| |
 "Not fantastic, but is a lot of fun" | 2009-09-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1BOXIEWVGED39 |
David Baldacci proved his mastery of the modern thriller with Absolute Power and Total Control. The Winner was released in 1998 and looked to continue the Baldacci brand of storytelling. Destitute waitress LuAnn Tyler lives a ramshackle existence with her newborn daughter in a poverty stricken southern town. At least that's the case until she is approach by a man named Jackson who promises her the unthinkable - a certain win in the national lottery of $100 million dollars. Her conscience tells her to say no, but before she can, events conspire to make Jackson's offer the only hope for LuAnn and her daughter. At the time, Jackson's conditions are acceptable, but ten years later, LuAnn decides to defy those conditions to take back her life with the hopes that the seemingly invincible puppet-master Jackson will be none the wiser.
The Winner drags a bit early on as it tries to flesh out every thought of every character, but once the action gets going, it is intense and fun. You will root for LuAnn, but just like her, you won't always know who is on her side. Baldacci is at his best when he is putting his characters in deadly situations where they don't know where the trouble is coming from and they need to find that one hole to squeeze through to safety - and The Winner offers that up more than once. The story could have been a bit tighter and there were moments where the plot stretched believability to the edge. However, this is frankly when Baldacci is at his best. Baldacci's stories are like McDonald's Big Macs - you know they aren't fine dining, but you love them for what they are. All in all, Baldacci provides exactly what should be expected from his novels - a thrill-ride of a story that keeps the pages turning.
|
| |
| "Couldn't Put it Down" | 2009-09-06 |
| - Reviewed By kanderso@cisco.com |
| I was staying in Mendocino, CA for a few days and was in a space where I wanted to read and I happened to find this book on the mantle of the Inn I was staying at. I was immediately hooked on this book and could not put it down and I didn't put it down until I finished it. Every page seemed to get better and better. Every chapter would end with some sort of cliff hanger or leave you with clues or a hint that something bigger was about to unfold. This is a real cat and mouse kind of game. It's clever, too, insofar as the rigging of the lottery and how things unfolded due to LuAnn's naivety and innocence. You really grow fond of her and the other characters, and you really want to hang the diabolical Jackson, who is the mastermind of The Winner! Even now, although it's been a couple of years since I've read this book, it's still one of my favorites and I highly recommend it. I was disappointed when I got to the end of the book and the story was over. |
| |
| "It Could Happen" | 2009-08-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: A15X2X0C0081WV |
| I enjoyed this book and the characters. The idea of fooling the Lottery is a very real thing. I liked how the main character matured from a dirt poor girl to a rich, put together woman. Naturally, having huge amounts of money helps. |
| |
International Available
