Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but a little implausible; 3.5 *s
Review: Total Control begins with two high-tech companies, both in need of technological infusion, pursuing a smaller firm whose advanced technology will guarantee future success. The potential for conflict is immediately evident as the same high-powered law firm is representing both companies in their bids. Attractive corporate attorney Sidney Archer is handling the affairs for one company, but it just so happens that her husband Jason is the main person collecting records pertinent to the sale for the same company.
Matters quickly fall apart when in the midst of a high level meeting involving all the principals of the deal, Sidney discovers that her husband has supposedly met his death in a plane crash, after having told his superiors that he would be home doing odds and ends. Suspicions multiply when the loss of millions from corporate accounts is discovered, not to mention the death of a high-level banking official on the same flight.
The story kicks into high gear when crusty FBI agent Lee Sawyer tries to make sense of it all. Of course, what would a story set in the cut-throat world of corporate high-tech be without the obnoxious, ruthless CEO; the brilliant, but slighted, guru; and lots of corporate security involving former CIA and FBI agents. Sidney is desperate to discover the truth about her husband. She finds herself somewhat clumsily navigating through building security systems, surveillance, phone taps, cryptic E-mails, computer security, and strange phone calls. It becomes evident that more than a Bonnie-and-Clyde caper is underway, and the bad guys have vast resources and are playing for keeps.
The book is entertaining but not without some problems. For this reader the writing seemed stilted or awkward - it didn't flow too well. There were these constantly introduced little twists like "Sidney did not see the man lurking across the street." It feels like reader manipulation. Some of the high-tech seemed either fanciful or was made to seem more difficult than it is. It is understandable that a shrewd attorney would have the wherewithal to pursue the mysterious death of her husband, but the slippage of her role into one of wonder woman, physically confronting truly bad guys, was not convincing. FBI agent Sawyer was probably the most compelling character. For such a lengthy book, the ending takes far too predictable of a turn, but it also manages to be incomplete, as the reader will see.
There seems to be a lot of love it or hate it reviews. Yes the book was too long, a bit unrealistic, and somewhat predictable. But it compares favorably to most books of this genre. There are not many Le Carre's or Clancy's out there. It was an acceptable read. I'm not dissuaded from trying another one of his.
Rating: 
Summary: Not even for the airplane
Review: If you enjoy a good, tightly plotted thriller -- read something else. This flabby, clunky and completely unbelievable story labors to its silly ending wheezing and gasping like an overweight commuter trying to catch the 8:45.
All of the characters are two dimensional and if you don't figure out the ending hundreds of pages before it arrives you are unconscious.
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: 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: 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.
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