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Old 05-28-2010, 03:14 PM   #9
JSWolf
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Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
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I have read other David Baldacci books and I have to say he's an excellent author. My wife really enjoys his books as well. If you've never read any of his books, give him a vote and give Last Man Standing a read and you won't be sorry at all.

Here is a review by Judi Clark....
Quote:
Last Man Standing is a complex psychological thriller in which the suspicions run rampant as to who set up Charlie team. At the center of this novel is a team of alpha males in which Baldacci reveals the characteristics of the type of guy that would want to do this poor paying job that boasts a motto of "Speed, surprise and violence of action." These are the good guys in a world with a lot of bad guys and they would just as soon be unemployed but the bad guys won't let them. And even though they might have love affairs with their weapons, they are earnest about trying not to use them. That said, they never fire warning shots. And they keep a hell of a lot of weapons on hand. These guys are heroes, and although they are part of the FBI, they keep their distance. After all, it is the FBI that makes the judgment call that sends them into action, so when there is a screw up, as there was in Waco, the blame tends to go directly to HRT.

Web London as the epitome of the HRT guy is a strong, loyal friend especially to his team members and their families. He, naturally, has issues dealing with his own issues. Yet, in this instance, he is unusually motivated to continue his therapy since he's the one that really wants to know what happened. As much as Baldacci paints HRT as real American heroes, by delving into this psychological side of the story he also points out the character deficiencies that cause these men to go through the most grueling training and then to subject themselves to the greatest danger. It also fills out this multi-layered plot.

This is a thick novel, a total of 548 pages, which, for someone who devours books like I do, it is well worth the money. Before I began reading it, I couldn't imagine how the author could extend what seemed to be a simple plot into so many words, and not being familiar with this writer, I was a little skeptical. I had nothing to fear, as promised, Baldacci really does know how to tell a story and to keep it moving. He delivers tactical detail without getting overly technical, but at the same time he doesn't gloss over the subject matter. It doesn't matter if its learning about HRT training, the business savvy of running a drug business in the millennium or taking a tour of Billy Canfield's horse plantation, we are fully educated in the subject matter. And none of the knowledge is wasted since it gets used in the plot. He is also a master at giving the reader just enough information so we are ahead of Web London and the FBI on solving some aspects of the case. For example, we know where the boy, Kevin Westfield, is being held hostage but Web London does not. However, we don't know who's responsible for a long time. And even as the end gets near and we think we know, there are still surprises.

Baldacci's also gets good grades for building believable characters, so much so that when their behavior is predictable, that you could almost accuse him of creating stereotypes. But that's unfair. Like in real life, we get to know people because they remind us of someone, then we know them really well, we forget that initial cast. Although all of Baldacci's novels so far are standalone, there's about a half dozen characters that I'd like to see again and the way the book ends leaves this novel wide open for a sequel. But if there isn't one, it's OK. The ending works just fine for a guy like Web London.

If you like a complex, action-packed thriller laced with the most elite of the alpha male, then don't miss out on this one.
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