Absolute Power in The Complete Idiots Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

Sep 14, 2012 Justin rated it liked it

This book had a great premise and overall was good. I felt like there were too many subplots and it didn't get all wrapped and tied together neatly like in some other authors' books. I also didn't care of all of the bad language in it. I know that is lame to some and that sometimes that type of language is used to define a character, but it shouldn't be every character.

Spoiler alert:
The part of this book I disliked the most is the lack of Luther being in it. He had next to no dialogue, other tha ...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it it was ok

Shelves: crime, contemporary, fiction, novels, suspense, popular-fiction, ultimate-reading-list

As popular thrillers go, this isn't badly written. Baldacci is a better writer judging from what I've read than a James Patterson or Dan Brown. Not high praise--just means he's not obviously eye-bleeding, but this is still reads as a generic pot-boiler. Nevertheless even Brown and Patterson have held me to the end of a couple of their books. Baldacci didn't here.

The thing is, I couldn't wrap my head around the basic premise. A cat burglar, Luther Whitney, is trapped in a vault with a one-way mi As popular thrillers go, this isn't badly written. Baldacci is a better writer judging from what I've read than a James Patterson or Dan Brown. Not high praise--just means he's not obviously eye-bleeding, but this is still reads as a generic pot-boiler. Nevertheless even Brown and Patterson have held me to the end of a couple of their books. Baldacci didn't here.

The thing is, I couldn't wrap my head around the basic premise. A cat burglar, Luther Whitney, is trapped in a vault with a one-way mirror when people unexpectedly arrive at a mansion he was robbing. Two people enter the bedroom--and one is the charismatic president of the United States, Alan J. Richmond. Whitney watches as the married president begins to have sex with a woman not his wife. Sex that turns into an assault that turns into an attack on the president that ends with his calling for help bringing in two Secret Service agents who shoot and kill the woman. Do they call the police in? No, both agents participate in a cover up.

And you know what? I don't buy it. Do I buy the Secret Service would kill to protect the life of the United States President. Sure. It's their job. Do I buy an American president could be involved in an extra-marital affair and the Secret Service stays silent? Sure. They're supposed to keep the president's private life private. Do I buy his Chief of Staff and other political hangers on might cover up anything including murder? Sure. Just look at recent history and headlines about American presidents and candidates and aspirants to the office such as President Richard Nixon, President Bill Clinton, Presidential candidate John Edwards and president wannabe and ex-governor Eliot Spitzer. But Secret Service agents aren't political hacks. They don't work for the man, they work for the office. They'll take a bullet for the president--they train to make it muscle memory. But would they risk covering up a killing? Not just one, but two on the scene? (And would they really not check out every single place a potential assassin could be hiding like that vault?) Well, a better writer might have sold me on it, but as a premise for what's otherwise routine potboiler? Well, two hours watching the movie with a Clint Eastwood is one thing. But I didn't want to devote over 12 hours to a book where the premise from the start just struck me as screwy and the writing was less than stellar. ...more

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