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Title: Last Man Standing by David Baldacci ISBN: 0-446-61177-8 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 26 August, 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.15 (195 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Action, Mystery and Psychology: Overall, a good read.
Comment: This is a story about an Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) assaulter named Web London who survived the massacre of his Team in a failed mission. Ridden with guilt and determination, he sets up his own investigation, breaking a lot of FBI rules along the way. The action is wrought with weapons and equipment detailing, usually relevant to the scene, written in straight-to-the point language with fast-paced sequences when the detailing is done and the door kicking begins. Humor is injected because of Web and Paul Romano's (his trusty sidekick) tendency to take things as they come because they've already seen so much and little surprises them. The melodrama is saved from its own goo because the author's approach is to avoid the touchy-feely aspects of emotion, an easy thing for an alpha male book like this one (It's got big guns, beer and NASCAR.). Lots of psychological twists that may be possible, a tad unbelievable, but not entirely over the top. The scope of the web (as in "spider's web"; not to be confused with the character) is a bit too broad; too many intersecting lines. In the end, I suppose whodunit makes sense after all, but what a tangle! However, it's all explained in the end... by the murderers of course. You have to keep in mind that they're just talking about the important details of what they've done, why they done it, as a matter of fact, as if it was the first time they were talking about it. As is they forgot to talk about it *before* they decided to do anything bad. Like, "Well, they're almost all dead. By the way, did I tell you why I wanted to do this? Lets talk about it then, in detail." It's really the only time it becomes a bit trite, but at least the killer/s didn't go into the whys and hows of it just before shooting the hero in the head. (In this last sentence, do I mean the hero dies? Well, I don't know! Read the book and find out!) The very, very end of it; the closing; I'm not too sure I like it, but maybe it was the only way to end it. Could've been better, but it'll do.
Perhaps there was too much going on, but I suppose things couldn't be as simple as Colonel Mustard in the conservatory with a candlestick, especially when the FBI's involved.
Very good character development, but Mr. Baldacci could've done better for the mastermind behind the murders. The motivation for the murders was there, but the overall capability of the mastermind to do such things takes a bit of a stretch to believe.
This particular published issue has quite a few typos too, just so you know but I'd go ahead and recommend this book to Federal Agency Plot Enthusiasts. Mr. Baldacci makes an excellent job of letting the reader in on the workings of the FBI through his characters, Bucar and all.
Rating: 5
Summary: an action-packed chiller-thriller!
Comment: An FBI Agent, point-man on a hostage rescue team, is desperate to find answers to why people connected with him are being silenced.
Last Man Standing, is a techno-thriller minus the jargon; it is an
adventure, a fantastic psychological thriller, & Baldacci has convincingly combined the elements of all these sub-genres in an action-packed book.
While the action is not past paced, it is thick & furious. London is a real fallible hero, similar to the protagonists in many Frederick Forsyth novels, which makes the character & the story totally believable.
Web London has many features of a series character, & I wouldn't be surprised to catch him in any future Baldacci novels.
I enjoyed this punching chiller-thriller.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good action, cheesy dialogue
Comment: This is the first Baldacci novel I have read, not bad, not great. I was a big fan of Clancy's Rainbow Six, which for those who haven't read it is about a team much like HRT, but while the plot is interesting, the characters are slightly derivative and the twists are not wholly unexpected. The main character, Web London, is real in that he's not some invincible force, but inconsistent in that he goes from being an intellectual and emotional man to a cookie-cutter tough guy.
- FBI guy to Web: "If you see Macy on the street, my advice would be to run".
- Web's reply: "I'm HRT, I eat guys like him for breakfast".
Come on, that's just weak. That line was used by the current govenor of CA in the classic film "Commando":
Tough guy to Arnie: "You ready? Cause this Green Beret's gonna kick your [expletive]".
Arnie's reply: "I eat Green Beret's for breakfast, and right now I am very hungry".
I like that the details of HRT, the FBI and problems that seem inherent in the system are dealt with pretty fairly. I don't like that the dialogue in parts seems like it was written for Jean-Claude Van Dam. There are moments of brilliance, like when Web is confiding to his shrink about the letters he wrote at Ruby Ridge, but overall the characters and dialogue pale in comparison to Baldacci's contemporaries. The action is not as good as Ludlum and the characters just don't interest me the way Clancy's seem to.
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Title: The Winner by David Baldacci ISBN: 0446606324 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 December, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Simple Truth by David Baldacci ISBN: 0446607711 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Total Control by David Baldacci ISBN: 0446604844 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 December, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Wish You Well by David Baldacci ISBN: 0446610100 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Absolute Power by David Baldacci ISBN: 0446603589 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 November, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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