The Winner by David Baldacci Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Winner
Book Review: Back so Soon? Yes, and This One is Much Better than Saving Faith!
Summary: 5 Stars
I took the advice of other Baldacci readers after my previous review and picked up The Winner. I have come to the conclusion that this is one of the best suspense thrillers I have read that doesn't involve a serial killer in a long time. My first Baldacci book was Wish You Well, and that will appeal to people who love stories about southerners and loyalty to family. Saving Faith was a good political thriller. The Winner, so far, is my absolute favorite of the three I have gotten my hands on.
As I often have the misfortune of coming along to write reviews long after other people have beaten the plot to death with their own, I will save long-winded breath and tell you that this book is irresistibly hard to put down, audio or otherwise. LuAnn Tyler is not just some whimpy, helpless country hick heroine, but a very good and admirable person who did something you and I would most likely do if we were in her situation--accepting fixed lottery winnings to get herself and daughter Lisa out of a very hopeless situation and escaping from the scene of a murder she did not commit. You really care about this person and hope for the best in the end. She becomes a different person in ten years thanks to the mysterious and wicked Jackson aka Peter Crane, but she is also a victim of her fixed fortune.
She also has two great and likeable allies in "Charlie" the man who has been at her and Lisa's side for the entire decade, having become so loyal to her that he places his own life in jeopardy as he eventually turns his back on the evil and cunning Jackson, and also in a mysterious builder who also has something in his own past to hide.
Nonstop twisting and turning plot, a strong and admirable female protagonist, and a truly dispicable villain (in fact, among my favorite villains in modern literature) guarantee you one very fine and satisfying read. Baldacci is fast becoming one of my very favorite writers, and I have another of his books I'm starting tomorrow. One thing the back of the jacket says is that you will think twice about playing the lottery. Sorry, but Mr. Baldacci did not scare me THAT badly, masterful and versatile writing talent that he is! Pick this one up, because it is definitely not a loser.
Book Review: The Winner...is a winner
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book about 5 years ago, and then again recently. I had forgotten enough that the re-read felt like I was reading it for the first time. And as I re-read it, I remembered why I had liked it so much.
In short, Baldacci gives us both a fantastic protagonist and an equally fantastic antagonist in this story. He delivers an excellent thriller with a highly imaginative, highly original plot. It's all the right ingredients for a best-selling page turner.
Our heroine, LuAnn Tyler, is poor white trash but with supermodel looks, tomboy athletic prowess, and never-say-die tenacity. A single mom barely out of her teens, LuAnn works nights waitressing at the local truck stop to make ends meet for her and her infant daughter. She dreams of giving a better life to her daughter, but with no money, no education, and no prospects, it appears that LuAnn's life is destined to be nothing more than unrealized dreams in a shabby trailer at the end of a shabby dirt road.
But all of that could change in the blink of an eye as LuAnn stumbles across a remarkable opportunity when she goes to interview for a job at the local mall: a man who never reveals his identity explains to LuAnn that he has rigged the national lottery and offers to give her a winning ticket. However, there's a catch - she must leave the USA and never return while the mystery man invests her millions for her.
Fast forward 10 years. Now we find our protagonist fabulously wealthy, fabulously educated, fabulously refined, and still fabulously beautiful, but fabulously unfulfilled as well. LuAnn is profoundly weary of living as a quasi-recluse in countries not her own - and ultimately ashamed of the facade she's constructed to shield her daughter from her mother's true origins.
LuAnn breaks her promise, sneaking back to the USA - only to find out that her return wasn't as secret as she hoped. Now, the one man she hoped would never find out - Mr. Lottery - is hunting her in deadly earnest to keep his secret concealed.
Baldacci pits this not-so-country bumpkin against a refined killer - a killer with the intelligence to rig the lottery and remain undetected while amassing his own private fortune investing the winnings of LuAnn and his other "clients." It makes for a terrific story and Baldacci tells it with skill, building to a satisfying climax and satisfying conclusion.
It's a great read, and although it's cliche, be forwarned: you really will have a hard time putting this one down.
Book Review: The Winner
Summary: 5 Stars
This story is one of the best I've read. Talk about a "page turner". Downside....I didn't get much else done after I got to Chapter 4.Book Review: THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ - A TRUE 'WINNER'
Summary: 5 Stars
I must begin with this - I have a short list of books that I recommend to my friends and the first one on that list is THE WINNER. From the first page until the end, it had me wanting to know what was going to happen next. What a novel thing to do - set up a lottery and then disappear. Would you do it??? That is what the main character LuAnn faces. I would say everyone has heard of the Lottery and dreams of winning it - hence the title. This book is just a fast page turning suspense. The villian is evil and a complete mastermind at games. I loved it. Buy a copy today! You will not be disappointed!!!!!!!!!!!Book Review: Entertaining Story!
Summary: 5 Stars
LuAnn Tyler is a beautiful twenty year old who is also quite
poor.She eeks out a living working as a waitress.She also has an abusive boyfriend that further makes her life miserable.She
also has a baby that is the love of her life.
A mysterious figure offers LuAnn a chance of a lifetime.She
will be the winner of a $100 million dollar lottery prize.In
order to win this jackpot she has to change her identity and
leave the United States forever.This is an offer that she dares
to refuse until events force her hand.She then decided to take
the offer.She finally does the unthinkable act and breaks the promise that made her wealthy.
Her decision to break her promise comes with consequences.She
now has to battle the financial mastermind who has created her
wealth.She discovers that the mastermind can take away her new
life at will.This is the challenge of a lifetime for LuAnn.This
is a very good book that you will enjoy reading.