Best Laid Plans [Paperback]

Sidney Sheldon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 1998

The magnificent new novel by the internationally bestselling author of The Other Side of Midnight and Morning, Noon and Night. He wanted power, she wanted revenge! 'Dear Diary: This morning I met the man I am going to marry.' It was a simple enough entry in a young woman's diary which gave not the slightest portent of the elaborate chain of events that was about to occur. The Best Laid Plans tells the explosive story of the beautiful and ambitious Leslie Stewart, who learns that for some men power is the greatest aphrodisiac; and of Oliver Russell, the handsome governor of a small southern state, who finds out why hell has no fury like a woman scorned. With the unexpected twists and turns that are the hallmarks of his mega best-selling novels, Sidney Sheldon spins a tale of two equally determined people headed on a collision course. Oliver has a strategy to win the White House; Leslie has a scheme to make him wish he'd never been born. They both should have known that even the best laid plans can go dangerously astray!in a deadly dangerous way.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The latest from the indefatigable Sheldon is full of manipulators, dirty dealers, and dastardly rascals, all snatching at power--political, financial, sexual, or all the above; in other words, business as usual in Sidney's World. The Best Laid Plans begins with the meeting and mating of Oliver Russell, a promising young attorney-cum-gubernatorial candidate, and Leslie Stewart, the beautiful go-getter who is running his public relations campaign. Just as the pair is about to be wed, Russell's mentor, Senator Todd Davis, offers him a deal he can't refuse: marry my daughter and I will make you president. Russell accepts and Stewart vows revenge. The lion's share of The Best Laid Plans revolves around the young pol's rise to power and Stewart's byzantine plotting to bring him to grief. Russell gives his phony wife plenty of opportunities because, like every fictional president (and some real ones), Russell has an unruly libido. Reading this book is like waiting for a train wreck, bracing for the inevitable collision; but to Sheldon's credit, the titanic scandal that ends the novel is not quite what you expect... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A power-hungry Southern governor and his scorned lover collide in this latest from the ever-popular Sheldon.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 343 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (May 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006510558
• ISBN-13: 978-0006510550
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (144 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Best known today for his exciting blockbuster novels, Sidney Sheldon is the author of The Best Laid Plans, Nothing Lasts Forever, The Stars Shine Down, The Doomsday Conspiracy, Memories of Midnight, The Sands of Time, Windmills of the Gods, If Tomorrow Comes, Master of the Game, Rage of Angels, Bloodline, A Stranger in the Mirror, and The Other Side of Midnight. Almost all have been number-one international bestsellers. His first book, The Naked Face, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "the best first mystery of the year" and received an Edgar Award. Most of his novels have become major feature films or TV miniseries, and there are more than 275 million copies of his books in print throughout the world.

Before he became a novelist, Sidney Sheldon had already won a Tony Award for Broadway's Redhead and an Academy Award for The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer. He has written the screenplays for twenty-three motion pictures, including Easter Parade (with Judy Garland) and Annie Get Your Gun. In addition, he penned six other Broadway hits and created three long-running television series, including Hart to Hart and I Dream of Jeannie, which he also produced. A writer who has delighted millions with his award-winning plays, movies, novels, and television shows, Sidney Sheldon reigns as one of the most popular storytellers of all time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Exciting story... weak characters..., September 27, 2000

By 

John C. Trotti "jctrotti" (Morven, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best Laid Plans (Hardcover)

So how does an ad exec come up with the idea for owning a communications empire to bring down an ex-lover who left her at the alter - who - just so happens - becomes the President of he United States?

Does she marry the newspaper owner - just for his $$ and his paper? or does she actually love him?

Is she so blind in getting revenge at the end that she violates her one golden rule and makes a gigantic fool of herself?

The ending was a shocker - a totally unexpected twist.. but then not really. I would have like to have seen the characters developed a little more and the gut reactions written a little more clearly - lots of plots and twists to keep track of - and what WAS the purpose of all star foreign correspondent turn Washington beat reporter - but then you hardly ever hear from here again.. except towards the end - a lot of writing for a little bit of gain...

I've read Sidney Sheldon books before and will again... and have found all of his books easy to read - they kind of flow - I read this one in less than a day... just a light read for when you have nothing better to do... put it at the bottom of your stack of books by your bed... eventaully you'll get to it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real page-turner for non-native speakers of English !!, October 17, 2001

By 

"kikyouya" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Laid Plans (Mass Market Paperback)

It's a wonderful reading for people who do not speak English in everyday life. This was my first Sheldon book and I had much more fun with this "Best Laid Plans" than with any other book I had ever read.

It's written in plain English, no dictionaries are needed, and a catching story all along the line, so I didn't get bored at all.

I would recommend it anyone who wants to feel "Wow, I've got better at English !!"

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time..., September 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Best Laid Plans (Mass Market Paperback)

What an awful book. There was almost no character development, and I never got to the point where I cared about any of the characters or what happened to them. There was little detail about events that seemed to be important, and the dialogue was trite. The only thing that kept me reading was the hope that it would get better. The single positive about the book is that it is a quick read, and it requires absolutely no concentration, so you can read it on a plane or other noisy place without worrying that you are missing anything important.