Rating: 
Summary: Convoluted and confusing
Review: I, too, have been a big Baldacci fan. But, this book left me cold!!! The first half of the book was compelling reading. But, there were so many characters after awhile, that it took great concentration to keep them straight. For that reason, it became rather slow reading. The ending was very unbelievable, ridiculous, and confusing. I struggled to finish because I just didn't care anymore. I'm sorry I actually purchased the book instead of using the library. I have greatly enjoyed his other books, so I know he can do better.
Rating: 
Summary: A must finish in one day!
Review: This is only the second book I have read by Baldacci and I must say from the very first page to the end of the book I could not put it down. I finished it in one day and have recommended this book to a number of people who really want a book that grabs you from the beginning to the end. I found it to be one of the most exciting books I have read so far this year.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been good...
Review: David Baldacci often writes thriller fiction well worth reading. He is a crafty plotter of imaginative, engrossing tales and his dialog is often credible and sensitive to his characters' very distinct personalities. ABSOLUTE POWER was an absolutely fantastic read, even if Clint Eastwood's film version hardly measured up. Even TOTAL CONTROL and SAVING FAITH turned on intriguing plot points, strong characterization and Baldacci's talent for evocative and meaningful (mostly) East Coast locales (an important feature most writers and film/TV directors take too much for granted, if at all). While SPLIT SECOND contains some of these positive elements, it is a huge letdown. The story takes a while to get going. It's highly unbelievable; but willful suspension of disbelief is a good thing when reading any sort of fiction. However, when the two main protagonists/good guys finally hook up, the book does become quite compelling. And then...there's the revelation about what the whole thing's about. It's unbelievable, absurd and makes the reader - who, at this point, has endured some 350 pages of knowing nonsense - cringe with disbelief and anger. It's a cheat and as phony and unnecessarily silly as most of Baldacci's previous book, THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN. The denouement here is most ridiculous - even his characters in the book seem to infer this. There's nothing wrong with fun reading like this. But SPLIT SECOND - whose title is about as generic and without personality as it gets - suggests that Baldacci built another potentially fascinating maze and used a cheap axe to chop his way out.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Up to Baldacci's Other Efforts
Review: I, too, am a huge Baldacci fan, and I agree with another reviewer that the first half of the book was quite interesting. The latter part of the book left one with a 'just get me through it' kind of attitude. I also found a glaring error in context with one of the passages, wrote the editor about it, and got a 'thanks -- we'll look into it' sort of answer.
Rating:
Summary: The last 100 pages spoil this book
Review: When I was approximately half through the book I was riding in an elevator with the book in my hands and another guy pointed at it and said "Not one of his best". I looked at him as if he was crazy, since the book had me reading every second I could get and was looking very promising.When I reached page 300 I completely understood that comment, the plot turns into something so farfetched that it made me want to throw the book away. I am not sure what the author and the editors were thinking. The only reason why I give this book 3 stars instead of 1 is because the first 3/4 of it are really good. Anyway, my final recommendation is: Don't waste your time!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Bother With This Book
Review: Split Second is by far David Baldacci's worst book. When he is right on, he is one of the best. But this book is so full of trite, overwrought dialogue and cheesy situations, that I almost couldn't pick it up. This book reads like a contract filler--he had to write a book, didn't care about anything but the money, and cranked out a tepid, hackneyed piece of tripe. Believe it or not, I am a Baldacci fan when he is focused. His "Wish You Well" is a beautifully crafted bit of heartfelt fiction. The writing is clean and precise, and the dialogue flows beautifully. Split Second is not. It reads like a second- rate first attempt by a mediocre writer. It is sorely disappointing. My only hope is that he has made enough money from the sales of this turkey that he can spend the time to write to the level he has already demonstrated that he can achieve.
Rating:
Summary: A Total Waste of Time And Money!
Review: I have been a big fan of most of David Baldacci's books and loved his first, Absolute Power. However, his newest book, Split Second, is one of the worst books I've read in quite awhile, and I feel so cheated by Baldacci that I'm uncertain if I'll take a chance on future books by him. While Split Second started off like it was going to be an enjoyable book, it deteriorated at warp-speed. The following lists just some of the problems with this stinker -- the plot is unbelievably far-fetched , the dialogue is so amateurish it seems like it was written by a child, the characters are not credible and cartoon-like in their development, the intended suspense is (for the most part) ho-hummish, and the ending -- oh, that ending -- is ridiculous!While I try to find point out good aspects in books that are not so good overall, I cannot do so for this book. The only mystery associated with Split Second for me was why I bothered to finish this very poorly written book.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous Read
Review: This was my first David Baldacci book and I was very impressed with Split Second. I have never really been so involved iwth characters before, as I was with this book. The twists and turns were so brilliantly created by Baldacci I was practically guessing the whole book.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't believe it!!
Review: I am such a huge fan of David Baldacci that I don't even bother to read the synopsis on the book jacket, I just buy the book. Not any more! I slogged my way through this poorly written, unbelievable plot. By the time I got to the last chapters I was speed reading just to say I finished it. My daughter asked me if I liked it. I told her it was as if he wrote it in college and no one would publish it so he waited until he was a bestselling author and dug it out of the closet, dusted it off and his editor jumped on it. Next book he writes I'll check it out of the library just in case he's got more junk in that closet.
Rating:
Summary: This Baldacci fan was very disappointed.
Review: He is one of my favorite, and although this looks like an exciting book, it was actually boring and even dumb! I was really disappointed. I hope his next is better.
|
