Absolute Power

I’ll be honest: I read this book out of pure nostalgia. David Baldacci’s novels have sold over 150 million copies, so I wanted to go back to his debut novel to see how it all started, and it didn’t disappoint. Though it had the luck of being released during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the novel lives well on its own merits.

At the time of its release, most political thriller books utilized protagonists fighting on behalf of their president to save the day, but this one turned the tables on its readers and not only made the president the villain… show more.

I'm a big fan of David Baldacci, especially his incredible first book, Absolute Power. The book begins with the main character Luther Whitney, portrayed by Clint Eastwood in the movie version, burglarizing a mansion outside of Washington, D.C. Suddenly, as the burglary is interrupted, events spiral out of control, and a murder takes place right in front of Luther. The book is a thriller that keeps you fully engaged as a reader. Unfortunately, countless missteps are made by those attempting to protect the murderer as they strive to keep their involvement with the murder secret. Luther is considered a… show more.

Another story where a man is pitchforked into an international situation by accident, he is burgling a billionaire’s house when he observes, through a one-way mirror, the billionaire’s wife having sex with a man who Luther Whitney, the observer, recognises as the President of the United States. The seduction ends badly in a quarrel which results in the death of the woman at the hands of the Secret Service. Will the President be brought to justice, even though the witness is later found and killed?

I like the plot, where a murder is committed which involves a cover up perpetrated… show more.

You may have seen the movie, but the book blows it away. They chopped out characters and stories to make a sleek tight movie. The book is so much more.

It has one of the greatest openings I have ever read. I dare you to read the first chapter and walk away. You won’t walk far. This thrilling opening sucks you in from the first paragraph. I won’t summarize it here, I can’t. I want you to experience exactly what I experienced.

It was Baldacci’s first. He mashed up a thriller, a mystery, politics, twists, and turns into something I… show more.

An incredible premise (the President of the United States is involved with the death of his mistress and a cat burglar hiding in a closet is an unseen witness) is the salient feature of this book. That alone made for an exceptional story. Then Baldacci takes us on a tense, suspenseful ride into the President’s inner circle as his chief of staff attempts damage control in order to guarantee his re-election as well as keep him out of jail. To have the book turned into a blockbuster Hollywood movie confirms the greatness of this novel.