Amazon.com: Absolute Power (9780743450058): Books

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Absolute Power
  
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Absolute Power [Unknown Binding]

4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (195 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.



Product Details

  • Unknown Binding
  • Publisher: Pocket (January 1, 2002)
  • ISBN-10: 0743450051
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743450058
  • ASIN: B001KTQKFE
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (195 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,811,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

195 Reviews
5 star:
 (108)
4 star:
 (43)
3 star:
 (22)
2 star:
 (9)
1 star:
 (13)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (195 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
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
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Good page turner but a bit unbelievable at times, January 15, 2001
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.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


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)   
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!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   


Listmania!


Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category