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We learn in paragraph one of page one that Web London is a man steeped in violence, always prepared to kill and to do so efficiently and without error. Sound like a deranged outlaw to be tracked down by John Sandford's Lucas Davenport or Robert Parker's Spencer? Wrong. Web is an FBI man, leader of a specially trained and highly skilled killing unit, respected and operating wholly within the law.
Still, in Chapter One, we see Web and his unit about to perform a high-profile drug bust that goes horribly wrong, and Web sees his entire unit wiped out, leaving him the last man standing. Then the plot gets complicated. Characters totally unconnected with the story die under suspicious circumstances, seemingly Good Guys turn out to be Bad Guys, and seemingly Bad Guys turn out to be Good Guys. Yet with Baldacci's delicate touch it's not possible to predict which of the characters is which, not even with the clues thrown in by the author. "Who can you trust?" becomes a fair question from the reader's point of view. With just a bit of imagination, the reader can visualize the mischievous grin on Baldacci's face as he types in yet another twist to his intricate plot. In a Hollywood movie, Baldacci tells us, these things might happen, but they rarely do in the unfairness of life.
For good measure, he throws in many facts that may or may not be central to the advancement of the main plot. For want of a better term we might categorize these under the heading of The Department of Fairly Useless Information. For instance, the guard at Arlington Cemetery marches 21 steps, pauses for 20 seconds, switches his rifle to the other shoulder, does an about-face, then marches back along the same narrow path. In another scene the author discourses on the finer points of taxidermy. And, perhaps most intriguing of all in the DOFUI, we learn where to make the very first cut in dressing a newly killed deer.
LAST MAN STANDING boasts an intricate plot, well-drawn characters, and quick readability --- unless one wishes to pause occasionally to savor an especially keen observation of the author. Surrendering all fancy language, this is a gripping story told by an excellent storyteller.
--- Reviewed by Chuck Lang (Luck87@AOL.com)
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