Rating: 
Summary: Thriller return a winner
Review: David Baldacci made his return to the thriller after Wish You Well, which I think his best effort. Last Man Standing contains more than enough twists and turns to leave the listener/reader astonished at times. The gruesome gun battles are not for the squeamish, and the psychological analysis of Webb London left me extremely skeptical.But overall, the performance by narrator Ron McLarty was sensational. His many voices were often as entertaining as the story itself. John Grisham can only hope his return to the legal thriller is anywhere near this good. These two authors have separated themselves in this genre.
Rating: 
Summary: dont buy this book
Review: after writing several fun earlier books this writer needs to take a couple of years off, no wit, no surprise, no suspense, full of derived characters and situations from other series, all the gears show, dont buy this!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book - easy to read
Review: For the one reviewer who said too many characters and too many acronyms, PLEASE! I have a MUCH harder time reading Tom Clancey's novels, and I love his works as well! This book was SO easy to read. I didn't feel I had to go back and figure out who the character they just mentioned was. As for acronymns, he explained them, whereas with Clancey's novels, it's assumed you already know them. This book I received as an early Christmas present. Within 5 days, I had it read. I couldn't put it down. It's not only suspensful (the final showdown and the scenes leading up to it had me on the edge of my seat, praying for HRT's members to get there soon), but funny (I won't spoil it, but the two-man raid they did on the suspicious horse farm is hilarious! I couldn't stop laughing for 5 minutes!) The basic premise (which you can already read about in the initial review) is a member of the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) unit of the FBI is the only man left standing after an operation goes bad. From that point on, he must deal with the deaths of his comrades as well as try to figure out why he is still alive. It all points to a ten-year-old boy he encounters moments before the massacre happens. But, the boy has disappeared and other people close to Web are dying right before his eyes. He must find out where the boy is and why his connection for those brief moment with Web were the reason he's still the "Last Man Standing". He comes to the conclusion that he was set up, but by who and why? So many characters are the suspicious party, but it's not revealed until near the end and why. And, it's not just your basic ho-hum reason. But, with tons of twists to the story, you're kept guessing and even after the plotter is revealed, more twists pop up that make the story more intriguing. The only reason I gave this a 4 instead of a 5 is because of the ending. I found it to be sort of a let-down. I won't explain why, I'll leave it up to the readers to decide. Overall, this book is excellent. It's the first David Baldacci novel I've read, and I'm ready to read more. I was actually picking this out as a gift for someone else in my family and my wife heard how I thought this would be something I would like, just by reading the description. I was surprised and excited when I opened this up during our family gift exchange and I am not disappointed in it, except as stated for the ending, but that's just my personal feelings. Don't let that stop you from getting this book. It is a must-read no matter what the nay-sayers are stating. Get it, read it, enjoy it! Have fun! And to all the other critics, I'd have no problem with Web and Romano covering my back!
Rating: 
Summary: A new twist
Review: having read most of his books,I found this to be a real change in his writings. This is a Clancy style (Rainbow Six) Action type novel. Really enjoyable,and plotted out quite cleverly. I always enjoy his writing and will continue to read all that he produces.
Rating:
Summary: Too Macho For His Gun
Review: I have read and enjoyed Baldacci (The Winner, Saving Grace...) but this book is shallow, filled with high caliber guns and the muscle-headed lawmen who love them. It is almost silly and laughable at times. I felt somewhat embarrased by the languaging and style of the writing. I left this story hoping that the simpleminded characters were not in any way indicative of actual FBI and police, but were just artifacts of a too-fast effort on the authors part. Recommendation: leave it behind on the shelf, and hope the author does not become another Clancy, he seemed capable of much more in earlier efforts.
Rating:
Summary: If You're Looking for a Great Thriller, This is It!
Review: Being an author myself, I don't have much time to read other authors' works. This was the first book by Mr. Baldacci I've read and it's just fabulous. A really great thriller that holds interest for the reader. I recommend this one!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Once agan, Mr Baldacci has proven to be one of the best thrill writers out there. I've read all his books thus far, and have yet to be disappointed. I loved this entire premise and only hope to see Web London in a sequel. It begs for a sequel. The surprises just kept coming. My heart was racing through some of the dialogue. Web London was the best. All the supporting characters were so believable, including the bad guys. This book was hard to put down. It kept you interested, even though in some cases I thought there was too much detail. It still didn't detract from the story. I highly recommend. Thank you Mr Baldacci for such a compelling read. Bring on the next (hopefully Wed London) novel.
Rating:
Summary: very good action reading....
Review: is what you will get with Baldacci's latest effort. It is the story of an FBI Hostage Rescue Team member who is the sole survivor of a SWAT team type mission in the inner city of Washington, DC. Our hero, Web London, must try and figure out what happened, why, and why is he still here to wonder. As usual with a Baldacci book you get lots of plot turns and bigger than life characters. The book is very fast paced and action oreinted just like the main character. The story involves drug lords, white supemacists, covert agents and lots of surprises. It is a book to read and have fun with. Could make a great movie, too.
Rating:
Summary: TMC and FTMA
Review: I have been an avid Balducci fan since I discovered him with his "Total Control," a book I recommended to several friends and family members, who also became hooked. I enjoyed "The Winner," The Simple Truth", along with one or two of his other books. So, when I saw a new novel by Balducci, I ran to get a copy and devour it. What a disappointment! This is by far not only Bad Balducci (which in itself wouldn't be too bad!), but also just plain bad.
At 550 pages, I wallowed along the first half of the book, determined to get through it. It suffered from TMC ("Too Many Characters"---you need a scorecard to keep track of them!) and FTMA ("Far Too Many Anacroyns"), which made the book extremely difficult to follow. At around the half-way mark, I decided to give Balducci two more chapters and then I'd call it quits. Well, suddenly, the book became somewhat of the standard Balducci I was anticipating: a semi-pageturner! But after it was all over, with an overly pat and predictable and too convenient ending, I was disappointed. I felt I had wasted my time. The book would have been much better if it came in at 200 pages less. This was a difficult read.
Rating: 
Summary: David Baldacci's 'Last Man Standing' or "Chris Whitcomb Stri
Review: 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!
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