Rating: 
Summary: A MUST READ, WITH A TWIST OF LIME
Review: Sheldon exploits the much used line of "Hell has no fury as a woman scorned." The story begins with the meeting of bold and beautiful Leslie Steward, public relations and advertising executive at the Lexington, Kentucky, firm of Bailey & Tomkins and promising young attorney and gubernatorial candidate, Oliver Russell. Leslie is introduced to run his public relations campaign. Their relationship blossoms into wedding plans as his governor race comes to a depressing close. Oliver's mentor and would-be father in law, Senator Todd Davis, offers him a career deal of a life time he just can't refuse: to marry his daughter and he will make him president. Oliver accepts and Leslie who finds herself virtually, left at the altar, vows to pay him back in spades. The story follows the happy couples' rise to power as the State of Kentucky's first couple and in short order succession to the White House. Along with the once scorned Leslie who trots off to Arizona, where she eventually becomes the wife of a wealthy businessman, Henry Chambers. Their marriage is short lived as Henry dies just two years later leaving Leslie free to expand his media holding and to pursue her obsessive need to even the score with her egotistical ex-lover, Oliver. Although Leslie develops an almost insurmountable smear campaign against the newly elected, over active libido driven president. A campaign that figuratively turns around to bite her, leaving Leslie with more than egg on her pretty face. Oliver becomes the champion of the people, pursuing his foreign affairs agenda, to make peace in the Middle East. Sheldon truly uses his talent for writing and exploiting current affairs to bring his fans a fictional twist of John Steinbeck's coined quotation, "The Best Laid Plans."
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Enjoyable Reading
Review: As with all of his novels, Sidney Sheldon's "The Best Laid Plans" intrigues from the start and compels the reader to continue reading until the very last page is turned. His use of true-to-life dialogue delivered by larger-than-life characters and unhampered by dense paragraphs of meaningless description moves the story along at a fast enough pace to make this the perfect escape for that day at the beach or airplane trip.
The plot is triggered by the actions of a triumvirate of interestng characters: Leslie Stewart, attractive, ambitious and overly intelligent, has been left at the altar by gubernatorial candidate Oliver Russell. Oliver, with his good looks and voracious sexual appetite is wooed away from Leslie by Kentucky-Fried Chicken look-a-like, Senator Todd Davis who orchestrates the marriage of Oliver to his daughter and simultaneously begins his campaign to make Oliver the next president of the United States. When the jilted-bride calls on Senator Davis for a favor, he, believng he will be well rid of her, has no problem providing her with her requested introduction to a wealthy owner of a newspaper in Arizona. But Leslie has other plans -- she is intent on destroying the reputation of Oliver Russell and she is going to use the newspaper as the instrument of his destruction and her revenge.
Along with this mesmerizing trio, the secondary cast gives the story legs--as we applaud Leslie's single-mindedness and her growing acquisitions, we are entertained by the reporters and editors that unwittingly help her set her masterplot into place. We are privy to the spectaculor rise of television journalist, Dana Evans, who acts as an interesting foil for Leslie---Dana, so committed to making a difference for all the right reasons, and Leslie, so committed to making a difference merely to salve her wounded ego.
Bottom Line: The easy-to-follow plot, fast-paced dialogue and changes of venue from Kentucky to Washington to Bosnia pair well with aerobic activity achieved while listening to the novel on unabridged audio. Sheldon easily keeps his triumvirate in the spotlight while he adds and subtracts players that power pack the plot with reality and fuel the reader/listener to go the extra mile simply to listen to what is going to happen next. Recommended to all fans of Sheldon and to anyone who is in the market for a fast satisfying read with the revenge undertones of "The Other Side of Midnight."
Rating: 
Summary: I'm fooled.
Review: I like Sidney Sheldon's books very much. So I didn't hesitate when I saw it in book store. I bought this book in 97 while I was in SF for sightseeing. I didn't read it until now I got time to read it through. It begins with Lesile Stewart and end up with Dana Evans. The plain story started netting and put it all together in the end. Quick and simple. A little regret for Lesile Stewart, I thought there was account for her future or something. The story reminds me the scandle of president Clinton. I wondered it was implying it. Maybe it's just a coincidence. ^^ The scandle is keeping in mind when I read it. However the end was really surprised me, I am fooled, I admit. The skill of Sidney Sheldon seemed a little bit regress. It's regrettable. It seems the inspiration is dried up. There are few good authors here have same problem. Anyway, I look forward to see good pieces again from Sidney soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Gee willikers; GET OVER IT!
Review: I'm very seldom not entertained by Sidney Sheldon, and this book was no exception. I however did not LIKE either Leslie nor Oliver, but kept reading to determine what would happen to them. So... It was hard to put down, but a gentle, nice book, it's NOT! Talk about the "weakest link"... whew!
Rating:
Summary: The real page-turner for non-native speakers of English !!
Review: It's a wonderful reading for people who do not speak English in everyday life. This was my first Sheldon book and I had much more fun with this "Best Laid Plans" than with any other book I had ever read. It's written in plain English, no dictionaries are needed, and a catching story all along the line, so I didn't get bored at all.
I would recommend it anyone who wants to feel "Wow, I've got better at English !!"
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