The Winner

Rating:
Summary: Classic Baldacci - can't put it down.
Review: Memorable characters, heart pounding action, and so fast-paced you have to sit on your hands to keep from turning to the last few pages to find out the ending. I couldn't give this book a 10 because I gave Absolute Power a 10. But it's better than Total Control with a heroine and heroes you can root for and a villain that makes your skin crawl. This book is packed with action even before LuAnn wins the lottery. It has a sprinkling of romance for the lovelorn and I personally like a happy ending which is why Total Control left me a little disappointed. Fiction is entertainment, whether the plot redefines reality or stretches one's imagination. So kick off your shoes and enjoy the ride.

Rating:
Summary: Not to believable but entertaining
Review: Baldacci's third novel "The Winner" revolves around one of the American dreams - winning the lottery. The book mixes some likeable characters: our heroine, LuAnn, her faithful friend Charlie and a mystery man, Matthew Riggs with a very scary villain named Jackson. The book significantly slows down midway but picks up in interest leading to a fairly predictable conclusion. Definitely good summer beach reading.

Rating:
Summary: Somethimes a little "far fetched"
Review: I love thrillers and I must say the character "Jackson" was sometimes very chilling, but I was thinking.... could there really be someone as clever as him - with all those disguises. I doubt it. The best "character was "Charlie" a real good honest friend no matter what.... The part that was most believable was that Lu Ann would do anything to save her child. I saw the movie "Absolute Power" and loved it. I hope Mr. Baldacci's next novel will be a little more believable....

Rating:
Summary: A really great read-better than Grisham.
Review: As this was the first David Baldacci book I had read, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I wasn't disappointed.The plot of 'The Winner' is entertaining, not least because of the villain who has an annoying habit of getting away with most anything. Baldacci takes more time to develop the story and build suspense than , say, John Grisham and because of this 'The Winner' is a very satisfying read. Additionally, mentioning New Zealand in 'The Winner' ,without referring to it as part of Australia, made me thankful that at least some North Americans know where us Kiwis are situated. Baldacci has my vote!

Rating:
Summary: Definitely a "winner" for Baldacci!
Review: Baldacci presents in a believable manner the tale of a down-and-out truck stop waitress from the deep south who wins the lottery, albeit illegally. LuAnn Tyler lives abroad with her guilty conscience, her little girl and a faithful retainer named Charlie for ten years. Then she decides she must make a real home for her child in the States, so she moves to Virginia. That is when the action begins and Baldacci captures the reader in a "cannot put it down" scenario. The mastermind of the lottery is out to get her, the FBI and IRS are hot on her tail and she is, against all odds, determined to make up for her past sins. Set among the backdrop of Charlottesville, VA, which the writer knows well, the book is well written. The terror which grips LuAnn grips the reader as well and keeps one turning the pages until the very end. Well worth the time and a welcome addition to the genres of suspense, thriller, and mystery!

Rating:
Summary: The Winner...NOT
Review: The first 2 books were the the winners, not this un-edited, overly long manuscript. Please Mr. Baldacci, don't catch Stephen Kingitis. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible, What a letdown
Review: Baldacci kept me guessing with Total Control, and kept me predicting (correctly) with The Winner, I read half and put it down, not wanting to waste any more reading time on it... But in respect to the person that gave this "novel," or movie script, whichever, to me as a gift, I struggled to the end and now it makes a good bookend, anyway.

Rating:
Summary: Liked this one a lot.
Review: This book starts out at a really good pace. I felt that it slowed down in the middle and I almost wanted to quit but kept going. It was well worth the effort as the ending was great. This one would make a great motion picture. I am looking forward to more Baldacci reads.

Rating:
Summary: The book is a heart-pounding thriller.
Review: This is a great story about what happens to a poor Georgia woman when events beyond her control lead her into an unimaginable web of danger. It has one of the most evil characters I have ever experienced. This book is (at first) every single mom's dream; later, her worst nightmare.

Rating:
Summary: Not a winner
Review: Having loved Baldacci's other books, I started "The Winner" with great anticipation. The premise was so far-fetched from the beginning that I could hardly keep on reading. But I did--until I got more than half-way through this mess. I rarely quit on a book but I put this one down--I hope Baldacci has not begun writing just for the $$$$.