Absolute Power
David Baldacci, 1996
Hachette Books
704 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780446566568
Summary
Can the President of the United States get away with murder?
The fictional answer to this question has set the literary world on fire and transformed David Baldacci into a household name and overnight success.
Going beyond the classic works of John Grisham and Robert Ludlum, Absolute Power combines the highest levels of political intrigue with big-money law, cutting-edge forensics, and the riveting search for a truth hidden within the power of the Oval Office. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—August 5, 1960
• Where—Richmond, Virginia, USA
• Education—B.A., Virginia Commonwealth University; J.D. University of Virginia
• Currently—lives in Vienna, Virginia
David Baldacci is an American author with more than 30 bestselling novels under his belt, several of which have been adapted to film and TV. All told, his thrillers have sold over 110 million copies in 80 countries and 45 languages. Baldacci has also written five books for young readers, including two #1 bestsellers, The Finisher and The Keeper.
Early life and education
David Baldacci was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. He first began writing stories as a child when his mother gave him a notebook in which to record them. He graduated from Henrico High School and went on to get a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and a law degree from the University of Virginia.
Career
On finishing law school, Baldacci spent nine years practicing law in Washington, D.C. He continued to write stories and later screenplays without much success, eventually turning to novels. Absolute Power took him three years—and as soon as it was published, in 1996, it became an instant international bestseller.
Personal
Along with his wife Michelle, Baldacci is co-founders of the Wish You Well Foundation, which works to combat illiteracy in the United States. In 2008 the Foundation partnered with Feeding America to launch Feeding Body & Mind, a program to address the connection between literacy, poverty and hunger. More than a million new and gently used books have been collected and distributed through food banks as a result of the program's efforts.
Baldacci resides in Vienna, Virginia, with his wife. The couple has two children. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 4/14/2016.)
Book Reviews
The novel's lack of suspense may result from the fact that Jack, its apparent hero, remains at the periphery of the story until it is nearly over. Absolute Power is also not helped by the lamentable familiarity of many of its characters, from the thief with a deep sense of honor to the former public defender who can't quite make the materialistic leap to corporate law.... Mr. Baldacci, a Washington-based attorney, brings an insider's savvy to his tale of unfolding political scandal, but tighter plotting would have helped him even more.
Jean Hanff Korelitz - New York Times
For any thriller to truly thrill, the plot, action and characters must cohere in a way that doesn't prompt that "oh-yeah-right" feeling—at least not too often. With this much anticipated first novel, Absolute Power, David Baldacci manages that trick. The latest lawyer-turned-novelist sensation delivers a well-paced, intricate book that just might catapult him into the front ranks of commercial fiction writers.... Deftly rendered by Baldacci, the story keeps the pages turning—fast.
USA Today
[A] sizzler of a first novel.... Baldacci doesn't peer too deeply into his characters' souls, and his prose is merely functional...but he's also a first-rate storyteller who grabs readers by their lapels right away and won't let go.
Publishers Weekly
Baldacci's first novel could stand some polishing in plot and story structure. Here's the premise: the wick-dipping president gets into a drunken knife fight with his mistress; the Secret Service rescues him but kills her; and scandal will erupt unless all witnesses are eliminated. —Gilbert Taylor
Booklist
Expect to see lots of this first-time novelist.... Absolute Power is already catching fire.... [A] page-turning thriller.... Baldacci combines all the needed elements: power, money, sex, intrigue, thwarted love, a few heroes, and more than a few villains. —Rebecca S. Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Library Journal
Discussion Questions
The questions below were graciously submitted to LitLovers by Angela Scott, aka "Library Princess."
1. The President shows that he is utterly ruthless and has no regrets in walking over anyone in his way or to protect himself. Do leaders need to have some of these qualities to be successful? Do you think he means to protect the presidency or just himself?
2. What is the relationship between Kate and Luther? Is it believable? What is your opinion of Kate when she agrees to turn in her father?
3. Luther suspects that Kate has turned on him. Why do you think he goes anyhow, especially before finishing taking care of the business with the president?
4. What do you think of Jack Graham's character? Throughout the book, he takes the high ground when it comes to the law, yet he proves fallible by placing himself in situations with the ex-girlfriend while he is still technically engaged.
5. What do you think was Luther’s motivation? He could have sent the letter opener anonymously to a news agency, but he doesn’t. Instead he is set on a personal vendetta. Why do think this is so?
6. Good things can turn bad. Discuss the Secret Service agents, Burton and Collins. Throughout the novel, they go from heroes, by saving the president’s life, to assassins in the cover up. Do they ever really have the chance to say no?
7. How do you feel about the role women play in the story? Are they realistic? What do you think of Gloria Russell? Christina Sullivan? Kate Whitney? Do you see them as mostly victims?
8. How does the title “Absolute Power” fit the book? Do you feel the president has the right to absolute power? How much power is too much?
9. If you've seen the movie with Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman, what do you make of the differences between book and film?
(Questions courtesy of Angela Scott. Please feel free to use them, online of off, with attribution to Angela and LitLovers. Thanks.)