Absolute Power [Import] [Paperback]

David Baldacci (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; New Ed edition (1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671855034
• ISBN-13: 978-0671855031
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (195 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,962,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book for a summer vacation, July 27, 2000

By 

Timothy J. Kindler (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Absolute Power (Mass Market Paperback)

A David Baldacci novel is a great companion for a summer vacation, and Absolute Power is no exception. At the end of each chapter, I would convince myself that I could read "just one more chapter." It cost me some sleep but I was able to go through large chunks of the book in a sitting. Although not as good as Total Control, which I think was Baldacci's best effort, Absolute Power was still a page turner. Having seen the movie years ago, I was a bit skeptical to pick up the book but I am glad that I did. Although Baldacci has obviously tightened up his writing skills with his subsequent novels, Absolute Power is still packed with action, suspense, plot twists and good character development. I quickly found myself rooting for Luther Whitney, who although a career thief also has an abundance of courage, integrity and personal fortitude. If you are a Baldacci fan but have not yet read his first work, I strongly recommend picking up Absolute Power.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good page turner but a bit unbelievable at times, January 15, 2001

By 

David J. Chmiel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolute Power (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book primarily on the basis of reviews that I read here. Every year I try to stock up on mindless fiction that can keep me occupied on a flight or my commute and the reviews of David Baldacci's first novel seemed to fit that bill.

Baldacci has definitely crafted a page-turner here. I plowed through this book and was gripped by the plot and an interest in finding how the author would bring it all to a conclusion. The novel centres around Luther Whitney, a sophisticated but aging burglar who stumbles across an incident involving the President of the United States. Whitney is torn between fearing for the influence and power which the President can use against those he loves versus trying to do good.

Nevertheless, the plot almost goes too far at times and borders on the verge of incredulity. Baldacci has a very good knack of making a plot more complicated - finding a way to dispose of evidence or making life difficult for one of the book's numerous protagonists and yet still letting the good guys win in the end by some stroke of luck. This turns the book from a fairly taut political thriller into something a little too fantastical for my tastes (i.e. a Secret Service Agent turning into some crazed homicidal maniac).

Nevertheless, Baldacci's first novel shows a potential to weave a good, complex tale and I fully intend to read some of his later books to see if he can tone down the plots while maintaining the suspense.

If I had the choice, I would give the book 3 1/2 stars but for the time being, have to make do with a middle-of-the-road 3.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive plot for first novel, much better than Eastwood movie !, July 4, 2005

By 

Gerald M. Bull "Jerry Bull" (Fairview, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Absolute Power (Mass Market Paperback)

We enjoyed the author's later work, "Simple Truth", so decided to catch up on this his first novel based on his lawyer-turned-writer's ability to craft a good plot and keep us in suspense. We were not to be disappointed! Baldacci has spun another fine tale, starting off hot with a rich man's trophy wife murdered by the Secret Service as her bedmate, U.S. President(!) Alan Richmond, was in danger of being stabbed to death during a kinky sex scene gone bad. Amazingly, a cat burglar is watching all this from a closet through a one-way mirror; and he escapes with a bloody letter opener as well as the money and other prizes for which he came originally! From there, it's a suspenseful cover-up as the thief's lawyer, Jack Graham (a young stud super-star attorney reminiscent of the hero in Grisham's "The Firm") and the G-agents race to find or eliminate the clues which will bring the truth to light.

Many rightly complain that the Clint Eastwood movie, not all that bad itself, made too many changes by eliminating the lawyer and having the burglar do all the detective work. We agree the book is better, and if you're in the mood for a legal/crime thriller, then we feel confident you'll find "Absolute Power" an entertaining page turner, with some ruthless politics thrown in for good measure!