Rating: 
Summary: A Thrilling Story
Review: The book starts off like any other book and thats with minor details about each character. Two brothers and a friend go out one new years day to vist their parents graves like they do every other year. On there way they accidently discovered a broken down plane with a dead pilot. Towards the back of the plane they also discovered a duffle bag full of 4 billion dollars. All three of them made a pack to not say anything about the money or do anything with the money until they knew that they were safe. Hank and Jacob were brothers while Lou was Jacob's friend. Hank was the most responsible one so he held onto the money. There was a lot on Hanks hands because his wife Sarah was pregnant and was due any time so he had to be careful in what he did. Over the weeks no one heard anything about money being missing or a broken down plane so they thought that they were fine up until questions started to stirr up around town. All three of the men found themselves in a situation that they did not want to be in. Hank found out the hard way of how hard it was to save your self from getting caught from committing the biggest crimes. This book keeps you at the edge of your seat and you just want to keep reading more and more as you go on through each chapter. I recommend it to anyone who likes thrilling books.
Rating: 
Summary: The Dark Side of Human Nature
Review: A SIMPLE PLAN is a first-rate novel by first-time novelist, Scott Smith. The premise of the story is simple enough: three main characters (Hank, Jacob, and Lou) stumble across a small plane wreck in the isolated woods of Ohio. The three young men discover a dead pilot inside the plane along with $4 million in cash. Hank, the main character, almost instantly comes up with a simple plan how the three can split the money and get away with it. This seemingly simple plot devise becomes an intricate motif of terror and suspense as the author skillfully explores the rapid descent of the main characters into the dark sides of their natures. The book is a fast-paced study of morality, a psychological thriller filled with page-turning suspense. With credible characterization and plot twists, this novel is a sure bet to keep the reader keenly involved right up to the denouement, which the author delivers with penetrating insight. Read the book before seeing the movie (film rights were reportedly optioned to director Mike Nichols.) Previous to publication of A SIMPLE PLAN, The New Yorker published Scott Smith's short story, "The Empty House." Keep an eye on this new author, he will surely become another Stephen King
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but for once the movie is better
Review: A Simple Plan is an excellent tale of blackest heart suspense. Shocking, to say the least. One of the best novels of ordinary people pitted against extraordinary circumstances that I have ever read. Deceit. Treachery. Greed. Murder. An unexpectedly high body count. A Simple Plan goes high on the recommendation list, if not for its brazen, machete like impact then for its amazing originality. Read this unforgettable book and then watch the equally disturbing film. Nothing's ever simple when there's money involved. "Being a murderer doesn't necessarily mean anything."
Rating:
Summary: A Simple Plan Goes Foul
Review: First of all, I must say it~s no very frequent that a debut novel be adpated to a movie as was the case with this one. So, it must have some quality.. And it does. It's a great book, sometimes a little bit too violent. But Smith's writing style is amazing, Hank's character is fascinating, his venomonous wife Sarah is something incredible... Good book.
Rating:
Summary: A Simple Plan: A Complicted Demise
Review: I feel that A Simple Plan by Scott Smith is an excellent suspense novel. This novel tells the story of Hank Mitchell, who finds 4.4 million dollars in an airplane that crashed in the woods. He is accompanied by his bumbling brother Jacob, and Jacob�s low-life friend Lou. They agree to keep the money, and their situation seems to be very simple, when everything begins to go wrong. It all starts with the murder of an old man who saw them sneaking around the woods where the airplane crashed. From there, all of their simple lives take a dark twist. Betrayal and murder become the norm as Hank does deeds he never imagined himself doing, all being supported by his pregnant wife Sarah. Scott Smith�s uses plot twists brilliantly to keep the story going at full speed. The reader never knows what to expect next. He uses foreshadowing, dialogue, and insight into the mind of the narrator, Hank, to create an eerie feeling of suspense. One never knows until the end of the novel whether there will be a happy or tragic ending, which keeps the reader guessing until the incredible climax. A Simple Plan was an entertaining book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves suspenseful fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and hope to see the movie that was made about it.
Rating:
Summary: Simply mind-blowing
Review: I finished "A Simple Plan" in a day (granted, I was on school break, but still), and two days later, lying in bed, the whole book hit me. Hard. I don't want to give away any of the plot (don't know why I'm bothering, as other reviewers have told too much already), but this is one of the most frightening books I've ever read because I found it completely believable. Those who find Hank's actions "strain credibility" are leaning on cliched beliefs of human behaivor- the truth remains that we are possible of doing anything, should the situation arise. That is Scott Smith's genius: he creates moments where characters make choices that, in other lights, are indefensible, but he does in such a light that you can understand. You put yourself in Hank's shoes, and you think, "Yeah, I woulda done that." Read this book. I'll read it again soon.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but for once the movie is better
Review: I read this novel after having already viewed the movie by the same name. The book and film start off nearly identically: Two brothers (Hank and Jacob) and Jacob's friend Lou find a bag containing more than $4 million in a crashed plane in the woods. They agree to hold onto the money for several months, while waiting to see if it is marked or if they will be caught if they attempt to spend it. If nothing happens in six months, the three men will split the money, leave town, and live happily ever after while enjoying the finest things in life. Only, as you already surely know, the plan turns out to be not so simple. Instead, it goes horribly awry. The movie and book are the same in the way that the plan initially begins to fail. Hank and Jacob encounter the same problems with Dwight Pederson, Lou and his girlfriend Nancy. From there, the movie and book take their respective audiences down different paths that I will not reveal. I liked the movie's path better, because I could better understand and appreciate Hank's actions in the movie. He comes off as less heartless, and it is easier to see his transformation from a good person to a man who has done completely evil things. Hank is far more ruthless and calculating in the book, and this is harder to accept in light of his beginnings as a normal, good man. It's hard to discuss the differences between the two media without giving too much away. However, I cannot say that I was at all disappointed in the book. It kept me completely riveted. For the most part, the characters were completely realistic and simply entangled in an awful mess that they feel powerless to free themselves from. After finishing the book, the enormity of the character's losses took my breath away. I was left wondering whether, even if everything had gone according to the original plan, any of the characters would have been any happier than they had been prior to finding the money.
Rating:
Summary: book or movie, the format doesn't get in the way
Review: Like others, I'm tempted to gravitate from a book review to a movie review, because after reading one and seeing the other, it's difficult not to make comparisons. While movies usually never measure up to a great book (Seabiscuit comes to mind) this one is an exception. Because the story is so compelling, I think the format may be irrelevant. The best movies, the best books (fiction i mean) have unforeseen twists and developments that make us flinch and then say, 'i should have seen that coming!' This is a moral thriller that reveals the darkest side of the human heart--read it or watch it.
Rating:
Summary: book or movie, the format doesn't get in the way
Review: Like others, I'm tempted to gravitate from a book review to a movie review, because after reading one and seeing the other, it's difficult not to make comparisons. While movies usually never measure up to a great book (Seabiscuit comes to mind) this one is an exception. Because the story is so compelling, I think the format may be irrelevant. The best movies, the best books (fiction i mean) have unforeseen twists and developments that make us flinch and then say, 'i should have seen that coming!' This is a moral thriller that reveals the darkest side of the human heart--read it or watch it.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is preposterous and I hate it.
Review: The plot is ridiculous. The characters make absurd decisions that have me screaming at the book and teeming with anger. We are supposed to believe that Hank is a "normal, good" person who commits evil acts out of necessity, but really there are many other more logical, non-criminal steps that could be taken. He continually chooses the immoral path. I totally hate this book and the only reason I gave it two stars is because I am still reading it. Obviously if I hate it, but continue to read it, there is something in it that won't let me put it down. Maybe that was Smith's objective all along.
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