Rating: 
Summary: If you read for entertainment, don't miss this one
Review: Although a cut below Absolute Power and Total Control from a technical standpoint, The Winner provides a very entertaining read. Those looking for great literature should look elsewhere with the other snobs, but those looking for a well paced novel with a heroine instead of a hero for a change, this is a rewarding book. With so many poorly written books being passed off as bestsellers, it's nice to have confidence in a writer like Mr. Baldacci.
Rating: 
Summary: The Winner is a winner
Review: Can a novel spark intense interest and generate suspense at the beginning and still be disappointing at the end? This one does. In The Winner, Baldacci grips the reader with hoops of steel starting on page one. Who can resist following the capers of a villain, who, mulling potential victims in a shopping mall, muses, "Killing someone was never a pleasant experience."? The reader is tempted to add, but somebody has to do it. Curiosity and suspense continue for the next 100 pages or so. Who will stop reading when dirt-poor, husband-abused LuAnn Tyler is picked to win 100 million dollars in a fixed lottery? That's what a total stranger, who knows details of LuAnn's private life, offers--no, guarantees.
Unfortunately, Baldacci allows the story to deteriorate into a stereotyped formula. His narration becomes predictable, trite, contrived. His characters become cardboard characters, speaking in stilted, melodramatic phrases. ("Godspeed to you both. God help you if you betray me." hardly seem like the words of choice of a cold blooded assassin.)
That stated, Baldacci still writes a great story. he gives us suspense, intrigue, action. He gives us Good Guy we can root for, Bad Guys we can hate. He is rightly compared to, and fills in nicely with, mystery/suspense writers in the John Sandford-James Patterson-Jonathan Kellerman class. Overall, The Winner is a winner.
Chuck Lang, Sun City, AZ
Rating:
Summary: Hey, you never know---
Review: Baldacci is a 10 on story ideas but a 5 on writing style. The Winner is certainly not a "great read" but it is good entertainment. I never have seen such a range of reviews as this book has received---from 1 to 10 ! I can appreciate the disappointment of those that gave the lowest marks. Their expectations were high and the reality of the text was a crushing blow to their hopes. But Baldacci is really no worse than most of the "blockbuster" writers of today. You know who they are. This kind of stuff is good for the beach, the long airplane ride, and the ultimate movie rendition. Now that we know, we can accept Baldacci for what he offers----memorable plots and plodding exposition.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I read a particularly bad review, "comic book characters", but choose not to believe it- a bad mistake! This does read like the script for a bad "action movie", I thought Sandra Bullock but maybe Demi Moore. My advice wait for the movie or at least paper back - compared with Mr. Baldacci's previous two books this is very disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Slow mover....
Review: Appears this book was written for the 'big screen' in mind, and not for the reader. Absolute Power was a great book plus the movie was good as well, although it was so...far from the book. Hey, David, the guys in Hollywood always change the book up so write for the reader and let the other guys do the rewrites. Also, take a look a Paul Lyndsey and you will find how to cut out alot of details, yet keep the reader on the edge. The first couple of hundred pages were slow in the development of the characters. Jackson was not as scary as you would have wanted him to appear. Expecting a Much better plot and characters in your next novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A total page-turner
Review: Like his other books,, I could not put this book down. I could not wait to find out what happened - how it happened, etc. I love books like this. Exciting, making the reader part of the story.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointing thriller.
Review: It's the kind of book that makes you wonder if reading really is better than watching television. The heroine is a super hero who you know right from the beginning cant lose. All that was missing was the heading "Soon to be a movie starring Demi Moore".
Rating:
Summary: Clearly third-place
Review: If this were his first book, I would have given it a 9-10. Total Control is my all-time favorite to date. This one, while a very good read, wasn't as suspenseful or intelligent as the first two. I must admit I'm glad I got it from the library!
Rating: 
Summary: One dimensional comic book characters
Review: "The Winner" was a Christmas present to me this year and I was glad I did not pay for the book. All the characters are painted in flat, superhero (or villain) primary colors. The protagonist, LuAnn Tyler is a drop dead gorgeous woman who is physically stronger than any of the men in the novel, tougher than any of the men, and is as smart as any of the good guys there. The villain, Jackson is brilliant, immensely rich, all-powerful, all knowing, and is skilled in all the ways on how to kill a person. The other characters go down from there. The novel's plot line and the dilemma created from the plot are simplistic. Needless to say, I do not recommend buying/reading this book. The reading experience is akin to watching TV.
Rating:
Summary: The Winner.......is a Winner!!!!
Review: Although "Total Control" remains my favorite Baldacci novel, I still breezed through his latest. I found the concept of lottery tampering quite fascinating although I didn't buy Jackson's modus operandi. Luann Tyler was a believable heroine who would risk everything for her daughter. Name a parent that wouldn't? The reason I didn't give it a higher rating is because the first hundred pages were rather slow, like climbing to the top of the rollercoaster. Once on top, the ride down was fast and furious. I would like to see this turned into a movie.
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