The Winner [Mass Market Paperback]

David Baldacci (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1998

THE DREAM
She is twenty, beautiful, dirt-poor, and hoping for a better life for her infant daughter when LuAnn Tyler is offered the gift of a lifetime, a $100 million lottery jackpot. All she has to do is change her identity and leave the U.S. forever.

THE KILLER
It's an offer she dares to refuse...until violence forces her hand and thrusts her into a harrowing game of high-stakes, big-money subterfuge. It's a price she won't fully pay...until she does the unthinkable and breaks the promise that made her rich.

THE WINNER
For if LuAnn Tyler comes home, she will be pitted against the deadliest contestant of all: the chameleonlike financial mastermind who changed her life. And who can take it away at will...

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Absolute Power. Total Control. And now The Winner: Baldacci doesn't settle for second best. Here, his heroine, who gets rich after being forced to participate in a fixed lottery, is wanted for murder.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Irritatingly trite woman-in-periler from lawyer-turned-novelist Baldacci. Moving away from the White House and the white-shoe Washington law firms of his previous bestsellers (Absolute Power, 1996; Total Control, 1997), Baldacci comes up with LuAnn Tyler, a spunky, impossibly beautiful, white-trash truck stop waitress with a no-good husband and a terminally cute infant daughter in tow. Some months after the birth of Lisa, LuAnn gets a phone call summoning her to a make-shift office in an unrented storefront of the local shopping mall. There, she gets a Faustian offer from a Mr. Jackson, a monomaniacal, cross-dressing manipulator who apparently knows the winning numbers in the national lottery before the numbers are drawn. It seems that LuAnn fits the media profile of what a lottery winner should be--poor, undereducated but proud--and if she's willing to buy the right ticket at the right time and transfer most of her winnings to Jackson, she'll be able to retire in luxury. Jackson fails to inform her, however, that if she refuses his offer, he'll have her killed. Before that can happen, as luck would have it, LuAnn barely escapes death when one of husband Duane's drug deals goes bad. She hops on a first-class Amtrak sleeper to Manhattan with a hired executioner in pursuit. But executioner Charlie, one of Jackson's paid handlers, can't help but hear wedding bells when he sees LuAnn cooing with her daughter. Alas, a winning $100- million lottery drawing complicates things. Jackson spirits LuAnn and Lisa away to Sweden, with Charlie in pursuit. Never fear. Not only will LuAnn escape a series of increasingly violent predicaments, but she'll also outwit Jackson, pay an enormous tax bill to the IRS, and have enough left over to honeymoon in Switzerland. Too preposterous to work as feminine wish-fulfillment, too formulaic to be suspenseful. (Book-of-the-Month Club main selection) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Vision (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446606324
• ISBN-13: 978-0446606325
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (360 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > General
  • #88 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > General

More About the Author

David Baldacci was born in Virginia, in 1960, where he currently resides. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. Mr. Baldacci practiced law for nine years in Washington, D.C., as both a trial and corporate attorney.
David Baldacci has published seventeen novels: Absolute Power, Total Control, The Winner, The Simple Truth, Saving Faith, Wish You Well, Last Man Standing, The Christmas Train, Split Second, Hour Game, The Camel Club, The Collectors, Simple Genius, Stone Cold, and The Whole Truth; and in his young adult series, Freddy and the French Fries: Fries Alive! and Freddy and the French Fries: The Adventures of Silas Finklebean. He has also published a novella for the Dutch entitled Office Hours, written for Holland's Year 2000 "Month of the Thriller." Baldacci authored a short story, "The Mighty Johns," as part of a mystery anthology published in 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one is Baldacci's Best-no doubt, February 7, 2001

By 

M. Rodriguez (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Winner (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book a few years ago but it has retained it's place in my top ten ever since. This is a a wonderfully crafted story that keeps you turning the pages until the end. This was the 2nd Baldacci book I had read; the first having been The Simple Truth. Although that book was enjoyable, this one was, in my opinion, just better. Baldacci is better well known for his political thrillers and this one doesn't quite fall into that genre, which is a welcome change. Always a good thing when a writer can be diverse with his subject matter.

The story itself is interesting, and what makes it interesting is that it is sort of unique. A little far fetched that someone could fix the lottery and cook up such an elaborate scheme to control people's lives? Perhaps. But that is not something you think about while reading this book-the characters are engrossing. Particularly the character of LuAnn. You can't help but care about what happens to this woman, and no matter how much wealth is bestowed upon her, you can't help but feel for her and sympathize with her situation. She is definitely someone you can identify with, whether you are male or female. I didn't particulaly care for the character of Charlie, but it would have been nice to know a little more information about him. Jackson is a wicked and diabolical character that you just love to hate. The combination of this and an excellent storyline that keeps moving at a good pace equals a great read. I would definitely recommend this book!

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius again!, June 9, 2000

By 

Megan Welty "megisslick" (Concord, California,USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Winner (Mass Market Paperback)

David Baldacci's books always leave me on edge. Wondering what will happen next, are we really to believe what we have just read, what strange twist will the plot take next. Never predictable and always a mystery up until the last page are two statements that sum up Baldacci's writing.

The Winner appealed to me because it was about a young woman who had the opportunity to change her life and her daughter's life. Once I was taken in by the novel I was immersed in the world of schemes, role-playing, and incredable twists and turns that only a writer as skilled as Baldacci could introduce into the story line.

Jackson, Charlie, LuAnn, and Matthew Riggs are unforgetable characters who are now emblazoned upon my memory forever.

This book is terrific! Go out and buy it today!

46 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking!, November 26, 1998

By 

Jackie Tortorella - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Winner (Mass Market Paperback)

The Winner is my first David Baldacci book, and was I ever impressed! I normally read 2 to 3 books a week, and I must say this was one of the most riveting reads I've encountered in some time. The action is nonstop; there's absolutely no part of the book one could find boring. The plot is clever and unique, and the characterization is excellent. Add to this a very satisfying ending, and you have a true winner...maybe that's why the author chose The Winner as his book title! I'd enjoy hearing any recommendations from other readers who loved this book...