Total Control

Rating:
Summary: TOTAL ENJOYMENT
Review: My first introduction to David Baldacci was back in 1996 when People Magazine picked his first book, Absolute Power, as the "Page Turner of the Week". I thought the premise of that book was phenomenal and I became an immediate fan. For some reason, I skipped over Total Control and went on to read his third and fourth books, The Winner and The Simple Truth. Both were good reads but nothing compared to Absolute Power. I'm glad I went back and read Total Control because it's in true Baldacci form in my opinion.

In this offering, Baldacci takes the typical American family, Sidney and Jason Archer and their little daughter Amy, and pits them against corporate greed at its worst. Sidney (the wife with a man's name) is a corporate attorney. Jason, the husband, is an executive with a technology company. Since Sidney is working on a deal that will merge her husband's company with another major technology firm, she is privy to many things that could lead to trouble. Jason, on the other hand, is struggling to make more money so that his wife can become a stay-at-home mom to their daughter. While this concept is characteristic of many American families, sometimes this drive can lead to a downward spiral of events from which there is no return. When Jason disappears, it is up to Sidney to try to clear his name while trying to save her own job at the same time. This book is replete with all the scenarios that followers of the thriller genre have come to expect. There's a plane crash, a car chase, espionage, kidnapping, phone-tapping and the usual sinister characters you find in most of Baldacci's books.

I read most of this book on the plane traveling from Minnesota to Philadelphia. It never seems to fail that when I'm flying, I'm usually reading a book that involves a plane crash. The good thing about this book is that it is so fast-paced that I arrived at my destination without even realizing I had been in the air over three hours. If you're looking for something that is suspenseful and believable, I think you'd enjoy this one. I'd like to add that as I looked around to see what other people on the plane were reading, I was not surprised to see other readers with Baldacci titles in their hands. I guess he's come a long way since that first book back in 1996. Kudos to you David Baldacci for your well-deserved success.

Rating:
Summary: No thumbs up
Review: Not all that great. I enjoy this author but this book had a too much going on and a lot of which was not going in the right direction.

For the most part the book was a great read. The character of Sidney Archer and her story line were my real problem. This lady is smart enough to know the FBI is following her, but doesn't assume they can tap her phone. She, in deductive reasoning, concludes her husband has indeed sent her an email... How, Why? That was total bs. The character sees some mail, magazines, delivered to the wrong place then she thinks the same, versus email. Interesting, She didn't check her own email that way.

The next problem was the gun fights. During gun fights you can't really stop and have a conversation. This happens toward the end of the book. The two FBI agents and Sidney talk, not yell, over the gunfire. It had also been mentioned that all the lights had been shot out, and still, they saw each other. You had HRT members hit, hurt and not once did anyway yell, agent down.

Something like this happened prior in the book too. Sidney was fighting the unauthorized visitor in her house and there was no light, yet, both could see how to fight the other person. Doesn't add up.

That said, I would give it two stars. These are major draw backs, but if you take out the Sidney Archer character, this all flies well.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it Down
Review: Very good. I loved it and would offer this book to anyone who is looking for a book that keeps you guessing and wants a cliff hanger. Yaa Sidney... ;)

Rating:
Summary: TOTAL ENJOYMENT
Review: My first introduction to David Baldacci was back in 1996 when People Magazine picked his first book, Absolute Power, as the "Page Turner of the Week". I thought the premise of that book was phenomenal and I became an immediate fan. For some reason, I skipped over Total Control and went on to read his third and fourth books, The Winner and The Simple Truth. Both were good reads but nothing compared to Absolute Power. I'm glad I went back and read Total Control because it's in true Baldacci form in my opinion.

In this offering, Baldacci takes the typical American family, Sidney and Jason Archer and their little daughter Amy, and pits them against corporate greed at its worst. Sidney (the wife with a man's name) is a corporate attorney. Jason, the husband, is an executive with a technology company. Since Sidney is working on a deal that will merge her husband's company with another major technology firm, she is privy to many things that could lead to trouble. Jason, on the other hand, is struggling to make more money so that his wife can become a stay-at-home mom to their daughter. While this concept is characteristic of many American families, sometimes this drive can lead to a downward spiral of events from which there is no return. When Jason disappears, it is up to Sidney to try to clear his name while trying to save her own job at the same time. This book is replete with all the scenarios that followers of the thriller genre have come to expect. There's a plane crash, a car chase, espionage, kidnapping, phone-tapping and the usual sinister characters you find in most of Baldacci's books.

I read most of this book on the plane traveling from Minnesota to Philadelphia. It never seems to fail that when I'm flying, I'm usually reading a book that involves a plane crash. The good thing about this book is that it is so fast-paced that I arrived at my destination without even realizing I had been in the air over three hours. If you're looking for something that is suspenseful and believable, I think you'd enjoy this one. I'd like to add that as I looked around to see what other people on the plane were reading, I was not surprised to see other readers with Baldacci titles in their hands. I guess he's come a long way since that first book back in 1996. Kudos to you David Baldacci for your well-deserved success.

Rating:
Summary: A Page Turner
Review: This book was lent to me by a person who knew I loved reading Grisham. Well they were right. This is another book which is a page turner. If this is Baldacci's style, I will be reading all of his works.

In this book we watch as a typical American family is faced with the greed of a powerful corporation. You have a husband who is an executive at an technology firm. And his wife, a mother and attorney of the firm working on an important merger of two companies. One of which is the one he works for. The husband is working on making enough money so his wife can be a stay-at-home mother. Then he disapears with a cloud of alegations over his head. and his wife is left to clear his name.

This book has all the excitment you would expect in a thriller. And you will turn the pages fast, looking to see what happens next. And even though you know there is no way she could posibbly beat the odds she is up against in real life, you will stay engrossed in this story.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent author in this genre
Review: I don't really read these kinds of book anymore, but when I did, David was the king. He is awesome at breaking down complicated plots and technical details so you can get a grip on them. Great plot, pacing, characters, and vision.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting and fresh!
Review: David Baldacci's "Total Control" kept me riveted throughout with it's roller-coaster plot and exciting characters. I hadn't read one of his thrillers before this, but liked "Wish You Well" so much that I wanted to delve into his previous works. I wasn't disappointed. Although in need of some continuity editing, "Total Control" was strong enough a story to hold my attention and make me want more.

Rating:
Summary: exciting
Review: I am a big fan of David Baldacci and I have several of his books. This is a good book to read if you are someone who enjoys the computer and corporate world and plenty of thrills and espionage. It keeps your interest all the way through it. I highly recommend it as well as many of his other works. I saw the movie "Absolute Power" which is taken from one of his books and I am now hooked.

Rating:
Summary: If you've liked his other books - you'll enjoy this one too
Review: This book kept me reading until the end, but it is far from a masterpiece of fiction. It always amazed me how the main character, Sidney, a new mom and powerhouse lawyer, constantly escaped the hands of her predators, who, by the way, easily managed to kill everyone else Sidney contacted. But that's fiction for you.

Overall I thought this was a good book though. It's the type of book that will keep you turning pages, even when you don't want to anymore. The ending was a little weak, but the story is complex and well written. I know that I'm not giving this book rave reviews, but I do respect authors like Baldacci for their ability to produce a book like this. I say that becuase it's something I don't think I could do.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is absolute the best thriller I have read so far. Grisham's fan would love it too. Absolutely page-turning. It is better than even "Last Man Standing" and "The Winner".