Last Man Standing - Hardcover

David Baldacci

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0446525804 ISBN 13: 9780446525800

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2001

Synopsis

The sole survivor of a devastating ambush, FBI Hostage Rescue Team agent Web London would do anything to find out what really happened that night--and a ten year old boy may be the unexpected key in this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller.

Web London was trained to penetrate hostile ground and come out alive. Then ten seconds in a dark alley cost him everything: his friends, his fellow agents, his reputation. Among his super-elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team, Web was the sole survivor of a high-tech, devastating ambush.

Now Web is trying to put his life back together and understand what really happened. To get answers, he'll need the help of psychiatrist Claire Daniels and the one other human being who lived through the attack--a ten-year-old boy. But when his search leads him back to that bloodstained alley, Web suddenly realizes he is about to face his assassin again. And this time, one of them will become the Last Man Standing.

About this title

About the Author

DAVID BALDACCI is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world's favorite storytellers. His books are published in over forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.

Reviews

Last year's Wish You Well, a historical family drama set in rural Virginia, proved that Baldacci, previously known for his thrillers (particularly his debut, Absolute Power), can do much more than supply maximum suspense. His latest is another exciting thriller, but one that hasn't forsaken the ambitions of Wish You Well, plumbing the emotions and exploring the shadings of human nature in an impressive way. And for the first time, Baldacci has created characters that readers will demand to see back in a sequel. He has chosen an immensely interesting subject: the (real-life) FBI Hostage Rescue Team, a force so elite that many of the Seals, Delta Force grads and other special ops who apply to it don't make the cut. Baldacci's hero is hostage rescue team superstar Web London, who inexplicably (to himself and others) freezes during an operation that leaves the rest of his team dead; hence, the book's title. Web's investigation into the massacre involves him with several bands of criminals, most notably a white supremacist terrorist cell, a gang of D.C. drug peddlers headed by a charismatic giant, and a secret group involved in both terror and drug activities. At the same time, Web's exploration into why he froze leads him to psychoanalysis and hypnosis, to budding romance and, ultimately, to revelations that tie together all the strands and questions of the immensely complicated plot. This is Baldacci's most accomplished thriller. The action, conspiratorial and overt, shifting from urban to rural and back, is nearly nonstop and expertly drawn; heroes and villains alike are believable and equally flawed; and there's a newfound maturity of tone here, a somber acceptance of the suffering that necessarily attends human life. (On-sale Nov. 6)Forecast: The American flag waving on the book's cover will draw readers' eyes; the strong title and the Baldacci name will carry them to the cash register. Expect hefty sales. Simultaneous audio cassette (abridged and unabridged), audio CD (abridged) and large-print editions.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

After a brief sojourn into historical fiction, Baldacci is back in the thriller mode. When his FBI Hostage Rescue Team is ambushed, sole survivor Web London has to prove his innocence.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The hero of Baldacci's latest thriller is Web London, a member of the elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team. One night, on what seems like a routine drug raid, Web freezes up, hesitant to rush into the fray. It turns out to be a trap; the team members trigger unmanned machine guns and are slaughtered. Web is the last one in and manages to drop to the ground without getting hit. He destroys the machine guns and saves a little boy, Kevin, but he is tormented by the feeling that he let his team down. Web is regarded as a hero by most people in the FBI because of his actions during a hostage situation at a school, where he saved a member of his team and took two bullets and a fireball, which left him scarred. After his team's death, some members of the FBI are suspicious of Web, and when the news media gets wind of the fact that he froze up, they begin to hound him. He seeks counseling from Claire Daniels, a psychiatrist, who tries to draw out Web's buried feelings. Meanwhile, Web tries to find out exactly who set up his team, searching for drug dealers who had the ability to execute the plan, but as he investigates, he finds he may have enemies closer to home. Baldacci's fans, of which there are many, will be happy to see him back in thriller-writing mode. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0446525804
• ISBN 13: 9780446525800
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 548