Rating:  Summary: slow and poorly written Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Baldacci's previous books and was looking forward to this one, but I was very disappointed. The book is excruciatingly slow: I am on page 340 out of over 500 pages and struggling to finish. Nothing much seems to have happened since the opening scene, and the plot doesn't make much sense. The writing is poor, and the characters are mostly not very interesting or believable. So far, the best word to describe this book is boring.
Rating:  Summary: An enjoyable read Review: Last Man Standing was a nice easy read. The twisted tale of Web London and HRT made it so I could barely put the book down.
Rating:  Summary: Last Man Reading Review: After 500 pages of learning about the ultra-brave, ultra-smart, ultra-dedicated, ultra-sensitive, and ultra-caring Web London, I was actually hoping the bad guys would kill him.The author constantly needs to remind the reader that Web can kill you ten ways with a toothpick, while trying to make you feel sorry for him having a pathetic lifestyle stemming from child abuse. At least the book is a fast read. However, after 400 pages of set up, the hero solves the mystery involving about 5 different bad-guy characters in less than 10 pages. My favorite part is when Web discovers someone may have tried to kill him by finding a wound from a tack(!) on a horse's back twelve hours after the event. Give me a break!!!! You could not find a tack wound on a poodle 12 hours later. As I said, this book is a quick read, but be careful if you have a sixth grade education or higher.
Rating:  Summary: Good, but a little immature Review: I've read almost all of Baldacci's work, and in some sense I'm impressed with his writing. He does his research, you can't discount that, yet most of his books up to "Last Man Standing" have been repetative, with much of the same plot. I found this a refreshing and new side to Baldacci, and enjoyed it very much, was unable to put it down, in fact. The only two things which kind of threw off the potential for this to be an exceptional book, was his naive way of explaining things. I found it to be a tad annoying at times, but overall good. I also feel that the end could have been different, but I give this five stars because it's definitely a worthwhile read.
Rating:  Summary: My favorite novel of 2001 Review: I'm a big fan of David Baldacci's books and "Last Man Standing" is a great one. I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down. If you like action-packed thrillers, you will love this book. Web London is a member of the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team who finds himself under suspicion and wracked with guilt when he freezes during a routine drug raid-turned-ambush where everyone but Web is killed. London tries to get to the bottom of what happened through traditional investigative means while also delving into whether he froze due to some psychological problem. All the while he also has to deal with FBI higher-ups scapegoating him, the distrust of his colleagues and someone wanting him dead. There were a lot of plot twists that I didn't anticipate, which I enjoyed, and I liked the fact that not everything got wrapped up neatly at the end - it was more realistic that way. As an aside, while reading this book I gained even more respect for the law enforcement officers (the Hostage Rescue Team, in particular) who put their lives on the line every day to protect our way of life.
Rating:  Summary: Terrible disappointment Review: After reading and enjoying Baldacci's other novels, I was disappointed and perplexed with this facade for an action, suspense thriller. The "last man standing" - Web London - was complex indeed. Fact is, he was totally unbelieveable! And his friend and co-HRT member, Ramano, was another version of Superman with emotional hangups. The plot, trying hard for action and intrigue with strange, intricate subplots came off like "Ken and Barbie Visit Star Trek". The heroes and villains were plastic to the point of being ridiculous. Even the females; Web's mother, his shrink Claire, and Gwen of the horse farm subplot were unexplainable, unrational characters. Too bad! I was so tempted to leave LAST MAN STANDING unfinished, but I kept hoping for some redemption of the book. Never came! The writing style was shallow...almost a Danielle Steele quality to it. Hard to believe this author penned "The Winner" and "Total Control" or else, maybe he didn't. Possibly a ghost writer?? Whatever, David, please take some time off - rest - enjoy life. Your other books were too good to have this one limping haltingly along.
Rating:  Summary: Baldacci's Back, But Not As Believable as Before Review: I am a Baldacci fan hoping for the author to recover from "Wish You Well," a book that was not his signature thriller style. This book is the start of hopefully another run of Baldacci thrillers. With a satisfying and unpredictable ending, I forecast he will have a scorcher the next time around. However, I had to get through a slow moving and unfocused beginning. For example, I could not figure why the plot lingered around Randall Cove's home. I found Cove to be fundamentally irrelevant to the book. Perhaps Baldacci was using his character to trash the FBI. Cove's big exit was at a drug bust, the lone FBI agent, with no cell phone. Could the FBI be that stupid? But then in real life there is John Walker, Aldrich Ames, Jonathan Pollard, and Robert Hansen, spies who easily eluded the FBI and CIA making a laughing stock of USA's espionage efforts. Maybe this is close to real life and Baldacci is bringing that ineptitude to light along with the story line of the FBI bureaucracy intent on career building at the expense of real results. By and large the book seemed a bit flat. Or perhaps the edge was taken off this and other thrillers out this season by 9/11, the real thriller.
Rating:  Summary: Good but not Great Review: Baldacci's previous books have been outstanding and I have loved everyone of them. This one is good, but is not a well written as his others. Normally I can't put a Baldacci book down until I have finished it. With Last Man Standing I did not have that problem. It is still worth buying but I was disapointed that it was not as good as his previous work.
Rating:  Summary: Engaging Work Review: Last Man Standing spins a complex web of deceit, psychological drama, action, and, oddly, non-traditional family bonds. The book is fast paced and weaves a very complex story with well developed characters and a realism that is rare among techno-thrillers. The author drops hints throughout the book leading to an awesome conclusion. Just when you think you have the story resolved, Baldacci sends you on another even more intriguing tangent. I particularly like the ending of the book. Baldacci seems to write with a real world perspective -- in other words, the hero does not ride off into the sunset with all issues resolved. Rather, the hero remains human even after the conclusion. Excellent book.
Rating:  Summary: Is it Baldacci or Baldacci as ghost writer? Review: I usually love Baldacci. This one was worth skipping. It was disconnected (except by far too frequent "oh, by the way" fill-ins) and seemed, in fact, to have been patched-together by an inexperienced author, a poor stylist, and an overworked editor. The final acknowledgment to an FBI hostage rescue team operator and would-be writer may tell the tale. Baldacci wishes him every success in his writing career. So do I -- but I hope Baldacci rediscovers his muse.
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