Rating: 
Summary: Nonstop action, excitment, and intrigue!
Review: LAST MAN STANDING by gifted writer David Baldacci is a nonstop action-packed thriller that had me swiftly turning the pages as swiftly as I could!In "Last Man Standing" FBI agent Web London's character comes underfire and his reputation is questioned after a drug bust goes awry costing the lives of his entire team. He must uncover the truth before he pays the ultimate price! (Highly Recommended Novel!)
Rating: 
Summary: 2.5 Stars maybe. Falls Apart at the End
Review: Okay, so you're willing to suspend your disbelief and give the central character all the tough-guy attributes coming to him in this kind of novel, but the end of the story is even hard to swallow given your aforementioned acceptance of his SuperCop status.
Look elsewhere for compelling tough-cop fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Awful
Review: I can't say enough bad about this book. Fortunately I only paid $1.00 for it at a used book store. A silly story written to please those with execessive macho proclivities, I guess. Given that he had written Absolute Power on which the movie was based, I stuffed the urge to throw it away many times as my reading progressed, thinking I'd come to some redeeming value. I didn't. Now I'll throw it away.
Rating:
Summary: spare yourself the pain:this book is bad!
Review: this book was recommended to me as being a high-paced (adrenaline rushing) thriller... well, i have read many more exciting books than this, so maybe that's the problem: it's nice enough if you want to fall asleep, though! seriously, though, this book sucks in many aspects: the characters lack any depth and believability, and the protagonist is not really very likeable (which my work sometimes, but not in this book) either. every character in this book is just based on (rather ignorant) stereotypes, there's no personality to any of them. baldacci uses every "spare line" he has to glorify the FBI and it's hostage rescue team (HRT), their professional behaviour and their ability to be the only ones who can deal with certain situations (of the type "where all others fail, we'll prevail!"). not that i doubt that - i expect men in this line of work to be very professional, or else people die - but baldacci's characters lack professional behaviour on every page - even the departement head is always kicking his own subordinates in the balls (in a manner of speaking, of course) and acting like nothing can touch him... if that's professional attitude - well, then i guess we can all be happy we haven't had the need for (baldacci's version of) the HRT come and get us out of a crises situation. not only are the unprofessional, but rather naive as well! as the story goes, we're told at "how surprised" some characters of the book are about the "ambush" of the HRT team (which is kind of the opener to the book). i quote: "I can't believe anyone would have the guts to do this to us!". apparently, these FBI agents expect criminals to just lay back and be arrested when they have been targeted by the HRT - like i said, professional. did i mention moronic stereotypes? of course, the FBI and DEA agents have a dislike for each other (isn't that a surprise?!). i guess that must be part of the professional attitude as well: you have to dislike all other government agencies to be a professional agent.. the dialogue is another thing! people just don't speak that way... it kind of reminds me of the cheesy dialogue you find in ...... (and i mean REALLY .....) daily soaps - the average (no, the below-average) star trek episode has more quality dialogue in 5 minutes than this book has in total! the plot itself is rather moronic as well, but for what it's worth (given that some of you might actually want to read this trash), i won't *spoil* that for you: just remember, you have been warned!
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly disappointing
Review: I bought this book in the airport, 5 minutes before my flight was due to take off, to give myself something to read. What an amazing waste of [money]. I'm a fan of the genre in general, but this book is the worst I've read in a long time. Nowwhere near the class of David Morrell or even Tim Green. Honestly, I gave up and stared at my seatback after 150 pages. I just couldn't take any more. The characters are all one dimensional carictures, the central plot element is asinine (everyone is upset at Web London for surviving an ambush), its description of the difference between a psychologist and psychiatrist was painful, the FBI/military people just don't have realistic attitudes, the dialogue is stilted.... the list goes on. Save your time and money, skip this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Caught me on the first page!
Review: I enjoy David Baldacci so much; he is a master when it comes to writing page-turners. LAST MAN STANDING is another wonderful mystery--full of intrigue, action and interesting tidbits about our government that I never knew! For example, the HRT, which stands for Hostage Rescue Team is a group of highly trained men who are called in during hostage stand-offs. Web London, a brave and courageous patriot who was an elite member of the HRT is the only man to survive a horrible ambush that kills the entire team. These men were Web's dearest friends; men he loved as brothers. Despite the fact that London has constantly proven himself to the entire FBI through the years (by constantly ignoring his own safety in order to save hostages or fellow HRT members), this one event immediately turns him into an "untouchable." With the exception of a couple of people, it seems like everyone, from fellow agents to the wives of the fallen men instantly despise poor Web. I did find this story line a little ludicrous! Anyway, Web and his friend Romano work to solve a mystery where there are wiretaps, murders, drug deals, kidnapping and impersonations. Baldacci's books pop with excitement; many times I have trouble sleeping when reading his books before bedtime; LAST MAN STANDING is no exception!
Rating:
Summary: Lightweight Reading
Review: Heavy on action and light on plot, I was dissapointed. I have not read Baldacci before, but expected an intelligent and appropriate mix of plot, character development and action. What I got was just repeated thundering about how "tough" and "bad" the main character was and the brand names of a dozen guns that do nothing for the actual story. Futhermore, the plot was hardly original, I picked out the primary antagonist the first time he appeared within three pages. Don't pick this one up with high expectations.
Rating:
Summary: very nice plot line
Review: This was my first Baldacci novel. I found the plot line quite gripping. At first the threads of the story seemed to be all over the place. Baldacci gathered them in the end in a masterful way. I found Web to be a likeable character. However, I found the relationship between Claire and Web to be singularly unsatisfying. When I finished the last sentence of the book I thought that the last few pages of the book must have been ripped out. I even went to the library and looked at another copy to see if there was more. There wasn't. Besides this, the characters and plot were nicely drawn and it was very interesting to read about the Hostage Rescue Team,FBI scheming and some really hard core good and bad guys.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, Informative, but only average
Review: David Baldacci takes on quite a task in his latest novel, "Last Man Standing." He takes such diverse subjects as FBI Hostage Rescue Teams, inner-city drug lords and their environs, drug running, horse farming, and psychoses, weaving them all into a well-told tale. While it was entertaining and informative (though at times sounding like a how-to manual for hostage rescue), the story itself was only average. Not having read any of Baldacci's previous novels in this genre, though I did read "Wish You Well," which I loved, I would recommend his work. The build-up in "Last Man Standing" was admirably executed, though the ultimate payoff seemed somehow disappointing. Engaging and flawed characters and an ambitious plot, "Last Man Standing" will leave you wanting more, but not sure if you're up to reading more.
Rating: 
Summary: Started out great...
Review: The first couple chapters grabbed me. A heroic lead, heart-pounding excitement, vivid descriptions. Surely a grand plot would follow. I settled in for a fantastic read. Didn't quite happen. The plot got confusing, then annoying. The characters stayed strong, which kept me reading, but _casually_ reading. The ending was predictable enough and my pulse never budged from normal. It wasn't a BAD book, but I have high expectations from David Baldacci and I expected (especially after the first two chapters) to be awake and experiencing plot twists, fast pulse, chills and mental challenges throughout. I actually put the book down once or twice to watch 'American Idol'!! That said, I'd like to see a sequel. A BETTER sequel. Great characters abound in this book.
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