Rating: 
Summary: Macho fast-paced read
Review: I bought this based on the fact that a lady next to me on the plane was reading it. It was exactly what I expected, except it moved very very fast! I think the fast-moving elements of the plot make it race and you are thinking of so many subplots all the time that the author can really glide over trivia. I think it's an amazing book for the speed with which the characters - and while they are stereotypical it does help - race through situations. Classic yuppie/clean-cut lawyer character that takes on the world. I enjoyed the movie and think that Baldacci has a real flair for the multiple plot scenarios.
Rating: 
Summary: A-"STAY UP ALL NITE PAGE-TURNER" !!
Review: I am an avid reader, and I have several favorite authors-of which
David Balducci is now on the top of the list. This was the first
of his books that I have read, and I loved it. I read it in 2 days, as I could not put it down. The story is engrossing, and leaves the reader with that "one more chapter" feeling. I am definately going to read more of his books!!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding and believable
Review: I can't recall when I have been so absorbed in a book. Took it with me on a five week car trip and for the first few days saw very little of the countryside as I had my eyes glued to the book.
To my way of thinking it was a composite of two of my most unfavorite Presidents and echoed my sentiments about both. What a spellbinder David Baldacci is. Have more of his books now and promise I will read everything he writes. Also was reading this during the attack on America and was more and more convinced much needs to be done to insure this kind of thing can not happen again. David Baldacci, please continue to write such wonderful reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Power Only Corrupts Those Who Lack High Moral Standards.
Review: Baldacci's first novel, "AbsolutePower" is a well-crafted suspense thriller which I enjoyed reading. It offers a super plot, well developed characters and a protagonist who is real and likeable. Baldacci, like any good writer, has written a strong beginning; elderly, real-life burglar Luther Whitney, engaged in his criminal occupation, is caught in the web of a powerful spider while attempting to burglarize a home, but instead is forced to watch a brutal murder in which Alan Richmond, President of the United States is intimately involved. The reader is quickly hooked and steadily reeled in, until there is no way out for him but to read on to the end. Protagonist Jack Graham, young lawyer and former lover of Luther Whitney's daughter, Kate, is inexorably drawn into the events by his desire to help Kate and her father, and, if possible, re-build the lost relationship he once enjoyed with Kate. Seth Frank, chief homicide detective in the county where this crime occurs, is propelled by a sense of duty, as he attempts to piece together the clues that will unravel the mystery and reveal the perpetrator. But, it's through President Richmond and the people around him that we are shown what this novel is really about. These people are all moral relativists. They neither believe in any objective standards, nor do they believe that truth exists. This is a dangerous combination of faults in anyone, but it's particularly dangerous when present in politicians or those in positions of power. President Richmond is a man corrupted by the power of his office. He mistakenly believes that the most important person in the world is himself, and that he can do anything he wants to do. His top assistant, Gloria Russell, is driven by her lust for Richmond and a misguided quest for shared power. Secret Service Agent Bill Burton, victim of an overdeveloped sense of loyalty, does the expedient thing again and again, until finally he understands that a life without self-respect is a life not worth living. This is an adult story for adult readers. Lord Acton is often quoted as saying, "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely." It's from this famous quote that Baldacci's title is drawn. But let's not forget that power, no matter how absolute, will only corrupt if its possessor is devoid of high standards of morality. Freed of the sound restraining influence of moral values, a person can and often will exercise power badly. The result? Strife and turmoil in his own life and in the lives of those around him. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the dangers of moral relativism through the words and actions of fictional characters.
Rating:
Summary: Watch out for paper-cuts in this fast-paced page-turner!
Review: This book should have a warning on the cover: Caution! Turning pages too quickly may result in severe bleeding - I've never received so many paper-cuts in one sitting. Absolute Power blasts off with a philandering U.S. president involved in a murder, a subsequent CIA cover-up, a black-mailing jewel-thief who secretly witnesses the whole calamity, confused forensic scientists looking for missing bullets, investigating police suspecting everybody, political double-dealing, rich tycoons and international hitmen, CIA hitmen, righteous lawyers, corrupt lawyers, squabbling lawyers, lustful lawyers, lawyers in love, love triangles, love quadrangles, much trampling on civil rights by all, more cover-ups, and then - the pace really starts to pick up. Absolute Power is Maurice Greene in white shorts shortly after eating a dodgy kebab. It moves fast!
The characters have been recruited from the who's who of political/action thrillers: the misunderstood, good-hearted thief; the wronged, good-hearted daughter taking revenge on her unlawful father by living an excessively lawful life; the good-hearted, idealistic lawyer caught between the poor, yet beautiful woman he loves, and the rich, yet beautiful, woman he lusts for; the duplicitous, smiling politician, one hand held out in friendship, the other stabbing you in the back; the manipulative, power-hungry lawyer, both hands stabbing you in the front; unthinking foot-soldiers, just following orders, doing the dirty work; the list goes on, but hey, this ain't Joyce, nor should it be. It's a first rate potboiler with all the ingredients you've come to know and love, seasoned with a hefty dose of testosterone. I'm going back for seconds.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing and Interesting
Review: This type of fiction is not normally my forte, however, when I was adviced I should read this book, I was enthralled by the end of the first chapter. The characters are richly detailed, individual motivations and plots intertwining to create a complex tapestry suitable for a story about the murder of a wealthy socialite by a decadent President, and the methods used to both reveal and conceal this crime.
Rating:
Summary: Watch the movie, too.
Review: The compelling question throughout this book is, "Will the President get away with it?" Alan Richmond is up for reelection and winning in the polls by a landslide. Publicly, he is charming and compassionate. Privately, he is a philanderer and has had his billionaire friend Walter Sullivan's wife killed when the sex got too rough. He goes on TV and makes a compassionate speech of the tragedy, using the opportunity to boost his lead in the polls. The character of Alan Richmond reminds me of the mastermind of the kidnapping in the movie "Ransom". The guy's plan seems about to collapse, as his accomplices bail out on him. So he shoots them all, and being a policeman, calls in for backups. Surviving a bullet wound, he is a hero in the eyes of the rich parents of the son he kidnapped and in the eyes of the country. He almost collects his own ransom! At the last moment, the kid's father puts two and two together and discovers the culprit. In Absolute Power, the reader is kept wondering whether the president will get away with it like the guy in Ransom almost did. In some ways, this book isn't so fictional. Just as President Richmond admits, his "extracurricular activities" aren't much different from those of previous presidents, which is true. I also recommend the book, "Inside the White House" which contains facts about former presidents that much of the public is still unaware of. For example, Kennedy and Johnson were much like Clinton in their sexual lives. When Chief of Staff Russel gathered two million dollars to pay Witney's blackmail, Baldacci noted that nobody really knows how much money the White House uses because the money comes in from so many different government agencies (which is true). After reading "Inside the White House" you will see realistic ties between Absolute Power politics. The critical point of difference between the book and movie is at the meeting of Luther and his daughter. In the book, he is shot and I find it hard to believe that a man that stealthy and meticulous would be killed that easily. In the movie, he was prepared, as we would expect him to be. After the bullet missed him, amid all the chaos of people and police scrambling everywhere, all they find of him is his trenchcoat under the table. He was wearing a police uniform underneath it! He makes a later appearance as the chauffer of Walter Sullivan, which Sullivan hasn't even realized until Witney makes a wrong turn. Witney then informs him who the guilty party is and how he knows, as the White House appears up ahead. Sullivan is shocked and increduluos, but the pieces fit together and Witney has handed him the proof- the letter opener with DNA and prints on it. Emphasized in the book and movie is that Sullivan knows he MUST see to the death of whomever killed his wife. He's able to get through the beeping metal detector because one, he's Walter Sullivan and two, he has a metal cane. On the news, the nation learns about the shocking suicide of the president. What an ending! But in the book, the two best, most extensively characterized people are murdered and their efforts to do justice to Alan Richmond stomped. The book puts more emphasis on the police and the lawyers, with whom we are more apathetic, to solve the crime, wheras the "absolute power" is concentrated into the hands of two key people in the movie. The movie has a happier ending, with more justice because less innocents are killed and also because Luther finally establishes a healthy relationship with his long-estranged daughter.
The killing of Luther Witney complicates the plot because now, it seems, the president will get away with the murder, only now he's even guiltier than before. Though a crook, Witney never killed anyone and only robbed from those who could afford it and he is shown to be very loving and protective of his daughter. All these details help develop Alan Richmond as a "[explative]bastard", as Witney called him. I think the best part of the book's plot, also the most unexpected and depressing, is when Walter Sullivan is shot. Earlier in the book, the reader is bound to have developed a respect for his immense wealth and power. Now, we learn more of his backround- he was a self-made billionaire from a poor family. He bought out the mine where his father worked and paid for each worker's retirement, and he has maintained his vitality well into his 80's. He calls the president from his birth home on an expensive anti-tracking device to let his him know that his presidency and career have only hours left. "Great!" the reader thinks. Sullivan himself has discovered the culprit and will execute the punishment himself tomorrow morning. In the meantime, Sullivan sleeps comfortably on the very bed his father died on, knowing that his whereabouts are known to no one. Just as we think the plot has been resolved and the book is winding down, a gun is put into Sullivan's hand aiming at his head and the trigger is pulled before he knows what happened. Once again, the president has escaped destruction, while his guilt increases and he becomes ever more detestable in the eyes of the reader, just like the "Ransom" mastermind.
After watching the movie, I liked how Luther put himself at risk for the love of his daughter and he still survived and dethroned the president. But in the book, this love and trust of his daughter prevents him from dethroning the Richmond administration and gets him killed. I think the movie ending was better. Much of the book's added details enrich the story but some of them make it boring and drawn-out, like the details about the police and lawyers and the minor characters. I recommend the book and movie.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling and unputdownable !
Review: This is the most thrilling,exciting book that I've ever read ! The President of the United States is a ruthless womaniser who delights in beating and degrading women who are initially thrilled to be sleeping with the President.He savagely beats the wife of one of his influential,billionaire friends and when she attempts to defend herself with a letter opener,she is shot by two Secret Service agents who are the Presidents personal bodyguards.The whole episode is witnessed by Luther,a burglar,who is hiding behind a two way mirror.The Secret Service agents are ordered to find and kill Luther to prevent a huge scandal.Jack,a brilliant young lawyer, old friend of Luther and former lover of Luthers daughter,undertakes to clear the name of his friend and,with a very astute local cop,becomes very entangled in the affair and a potential victim himself.I literally couldn't put this book down as the excitement level just didn't let up for a minute.I could not recommend this book more !!
Rating:
Summary: High echelon government thriller!
Review: I read the book prior to Clint Eastwood's adaptation in the movie. Luther, the thief, was the only character in the book which the aging Eastwood could portray. Therefore, the main character in the book, the young lawyer, disappeared but, who can argue with Eastwood's success. Of the two versions, book or screenplay, the book was a hands down victor in my estimation. Baldacci's portrayal of high level Washington DC politics and the extremes taken in coverups doesn't stray far from reality... presidents included. A must read for avid governmental conspiracy fans.
Rating:
Summary: Review from a Legal Thriller Afficionado
Review: I read a LOT of books that try to do as this one... a righteous lawyer, youthful upstart type, fields unsurmountable odds in the pursuit of some tawdry character that leads him through some merry chase... and 99 times out of 100, the good guy wins unequivocally. This book is different. Oh, I won't be overly idealistic and say the story is completely fresh. It's not. Our protagonist is readily familiar as the tenacious youthful lawyer longing for seduction by the trappings of wealth and status. Yet, he (predictably) has inclinations beyond his yuppie-princess fiancee and father-in-law-blessed business deals, namely in the form of one Kate Whitney, ex-girlfriend. This character, who doesn't even appear in the movie version of this novel, is both likable and amusing, if interchangable with everyone from Mitch in The Firm to Butch Karp in the Robert Tannenbaum legal thrillers. What makes this novel different is its scope. The crime is different, the secondhand murder of a vapid and embarrassignly young D.C. matron by her extramarital stud, the President of the United States. The sincere friendship between accused killer Luther Whitney (father of the aforementioned Kate, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time) and our hero is fun to watch, considering Luther is an accomplished cat burglar and the hero an attorney. Kate's father-related angst rings true, as she has issues with how he earns his living and how it affected her childhood, adding a level of tension in the already-tense relationship with her otherwise-engaged paramour who LIKES her father. The best thing about this book is that it never, ever stops. The surprises come one after the other, and they are somehow believable beyond expectation. What I mean by this is you neither anticipate nor dismiss the events of this book, events which fall over one another in a ceasless waterfall of action. Don't relax. That's when Baldacci clobbers you! I recommend this book wholeheartedly. Having read many par and even sub par legal novels -- even some by the same author -- this one stands out and alone as one of the best of the bunch.
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