The group eventually witnesses a murder and decide to go after the party themselves rather than risk not being believed. Joining with Veteran Secret Service Agent Alex Ford, the group gets caught up in a complicated game of intrigue and conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. The books go deeper into the real identity of Oliver Stone and his history as a legendary assassin. In the follow up book The Collectors, the Camel Club once again must go to work when the Speaker of the House is assassinated. Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.

In addition to Absolute Power being made into a movie, Wish You Well. The film stars Ellen Burstyn and Josh Lucas, finished shooting in 2012. David Baldacci has been featured on real-life crime show “Murder By The Book”. “Hardcover Mysteries” aired on the Investigation Discovery network in which he hosted an episode revolving around the death of Mary Meyer, who was alleged to have been having an affair with President Kennedy. But when she gets home to the trailer she shares with the no-good father of her child, she walks into the middle of a drug deal gone wrong. In self-defense she ends up killing a man who has just fatally stabbed her boyfriend. At least she HOWEVER, Annie from Stephen King's Misery would have slit his throat on this one because the believability of the premise just wasn't there. While his stories hinge on the complex machinations behind the presidency, the FBI, the Supreme Court and other spheres of influence, Baldacci (a former Washington, D.C.-based attorney) finds his way into a mystery through the eyes of the innocents. Semi-innocents, at least: small players who often don't realize they're players at all end up hunting down answers, and their hunt becomes the reader's.

I have never read anything by David Baldacci before even though I have a few of his books in my to-be-read pile. The Winner appealed to me because of the story about an individual that wins the mega lottery. Isn't that something that we all wish for? You bet it is.

It was not as strong as being emotionally manipulated and while I appreciate the need for story elements to fit together, here I found the book had merely the presence of suitable elements rather than being worked together into a cohesive whole. I found myself increasingly detached from the story as each part was all too conveniently placed/revealed. I eventually finished the book in frustration, the overly lengthy book only heightening my dislike of the book. Spying/Terrorism Thriller - Yes Cloak & Dagger Plotlets: - power struggle within govt between two factions Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book The rice-paper plot limps along towards a predictable, melodramatic, one-woman-army ending after which they all live happily ever after. This is a plot-driven suspense story. Does it live up to its reputation as a "thriller"? In other words, does the story keep you on the edge of your seat? How so?

To let readers know where I'm coming from, my preferred genre is romance novels. The fact that I liked this should mean something since it is off genre for me. Throughout the book there was the underlying frustration of how can anyone ever stop this bad guy, but he gets it eventually. The story was excellent mechanically with good showing not telling. I would have liked more emotional draw to the characters. Not necessary, but I also would have liked more witty or thought provoking dialogue. I liked the LuAnn character a lot. She was physically very strong. Her strength of mind and body actually scared some men.