Saving Faith

Rating:
Summary: Made it 'til the end
Review: There were a few times that I almost put the book down on the "couldn't finish it" pile, and I fell asleep once while reading it. That has never happened to me before. I believe the reason is that I had a good idea what the ending would be, and there was a lot of tedious information on Lobbying. But, what bothered me most was the amazing coincidence in the book that broke any belief I had in his story line. This was also true in "Simple Truth". I am now reading Carl Hiaasen's new book "Lucky You", also dealing with Lobbyists, and I know it is a total farce. I am having an easier time accepting all the absurdities in "Lucky You" than I had accepting the single coincidence in "Saving Faith".

Rating:
Summary: Given Up
Review: All of Balducci's stories seem to have a good premise. Similar to Richard North Patterson. Unfortunately Balducci's stories (except Winner) doesn't read like a Patterson book. Saving Faith actually started out very good, but toward the middle it started to fizzle. I didn't care about the characters at that point. Even though Balducci is a better writer than the other Patterson (James), I think Richard North Patterson is the top guy in his field.

Rating:
Summary: Saving Faith: predictable, disappointing
Review: True enough, David Baldacci's writing style is easily read and sentence structure is sound. Unfortunately, well written words do not a good novel make. The characters and plot were far too predictable for my tastes. I suppose one could liken this work to a poorly researched, Tom Clancy wannabe. Perhaps Mr. Baldacci watched too many episodes of Mission Impossible as a child. The representations of the CIA and FBI agents as a mix of Attilla the Hun and Barney Fife was just too hard to swallow. And really, a drunken, naked, abusive, nearly sexual assault scene? Do books need a sex rating like the movies? I can't deny that I was entertained - I like spoofs as much as the next guy. Unfortunatley, I doubt that the authors intent was a parody.

Rating:
Summary: A Little Disappointed
Review: While a good read, this was clearly not up to the standards of Baldacci's other novels. The plot was predictable and the characters seemed to lack depth.

Rating:
Summary: Weak II
Review: I agree: Weak!

Not NEARLY as good as his previous works. Wait for paperback or the clearance rack for this one.

I hope Mr. Baldacci gets back on track with his next effort.

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: After all those wonderful books, I was disappointed. People always running away. This is getting old. He can do better, because he has.

Rating:
Summary: Better than expected.
Review: Based on some of the readers' reviews, I got this book with lowered expectations, and in hopes that I wasn't wasting my money. I didn't. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. More specifically, I liked the characters, the plot, and the pace. The surprises were nice too -- since not all of the bad guys are obvious.

Further, this *inside* look at what could be going on in the political arena was intriguing. Frankly, I found the story rather plausible.

The bottom line is, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to a friend.

Rating:
Summary: CHARACTERS SAVE "SAVING FAITH"
Review: It's the characters, stupid. Borrowing that line from James Carville would only be appropriate for a novel steeped in beltway mischief and congressional insider intrigue. Faith herself is appealing enough, but David Baldacci found his high mark in male heroes in his novel. What's missing, besides a plausible plot, is the pacing and breath-stopping sense of danger that made "Absolute Power" one of the few modern must-reads. "Saving Faith" is great for the cross-country plane trip or the vacation on a Caribbean beach, but Baldacci has not regained the level of "Power" or his second-strongest work "The Winner."

Rating:
Summary: Did he phone this in?
Review:

I've read everything Baldacci's written and liked most of it. This book, however, is a trite, contrived, predictable, boiler-plate mess!

Nothing about the story really "grabbed" me and there was nothing compelling me to continue, so about 3/4 of the way through, I just quit. I read the last three pages, and found out what I already knew would happen...no surprises and certainly no interest for me.

Thrillers should pull a reader in and not let go until the very end. As thrillers go, this was a dud.

Read some of the earlier works. Don't waste your time on this!

Rating:
Summary: No Absolute Power
Review: This books starts out slow, picks up its pace, then devolves into a wholly unrealistic premise. I doubt whether anyone believes the government is completely pristine but, really, robbing Peter (blackmailing government officials) to pay Paul (a 1-man campaign to help third-world countries) is laughably unbelievable. Still in all, I did enjoy the interplay between Faith, a would-be material witness, and Lee, a PI who shows up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Too, Lee's skill in saving Faith and her erstwhile mentor from rogue CIA agents, double-crossing FBI operatives, and assorted and sundry other miscreants makes for an entertaining story. The mechanism for bringing these two together, however -- the conspiracy which is the main theme of the story -- completely defies credulity. I did love the scenes set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, one of my favorite places. The bottom line is that this book pales in comparison to "Absolute Power", "The Simple Truth", and "Total Control", and I wish I had waited 'til it came out in paperback to buy it.