Absolute Power

By: David Baldacci

Narrated by: David Baldacci, Scott Brick

Length: 19 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

In this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller, a burglar, Luther Whitney, breaks into a Virginia mansion, and witnesses a brutal crime involving the president—​a man who believes he can get away with anything. Featuring a Preface Read by David Baldacci.

In a heavily guarded mansion in the Virginia countryside, professional burglar and break-in artist Luther Whitney is trapped behind a two-way mirror. What he witnesses destroys his faith not only in justice, but in all he holds dear.

What follows is an unthinkable abuse of power and criminal conspiracy, as a breathtaking cover-up is set in motion by those appointed to work for one of the most important people in the world: the President of the United States.

©1996 Columbus Rose, Ltd. (P)2009 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"[A] first-rate storyteller who grabs readers by their lapels right away and won't let go until they've finished his enthralling yarn." (Publishers Weekly)

Awesome

Guy reading is croppy in his voice. Story wonderful. Looking forward to the next book.

The story that got me hooked on audiobooks!

The hundreds of titles in my library are all the fault of David Baldacci and Scott Brick and this audiobook, which was intriguing and riveting.

excellent

well written, characters well defined, action sparse yet more than enough to balance a great read...

My all-time favorite thriller!!!!

I used to loved mysteries and thrillers, but in recent years, I find myself bored with the genre. I read "Absolute Power" many years ago, and loved it. I decided to revisit it in audio format, worried that it would fall short of my very high expectations. With a great narrator and an amazing story, this novel exceeded my sky-high expectations. I could not stop listening, from start to end. In the first chapter, a high-end career burglar witnesses a murder involving a tryst with the president of the United States. The novel grabs you there and does not let go. This story of political cover-up and murder has characters I cared about and plot twists that kept coming. This is by far the best of Baldacci. My other two favorite novels of this genre were Finder's "Paranoia" and DeMille's "Gold Coast." While I enjoyed both of those audiobooks, "Absolute Power" was by far the best.

Over the edge characters but a great story

With the possible exception of the protagonist, Jack Graham, the characters in this book were a little too over the edge to believe. Still this was a story that kept you listening and presented some interesting ethical questions. Even beyond the question of ethics were a number of damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situations. The book was chock full of bad guys and you would be hard pressed to decide who was the worst. I'll listen to more of Baldacci.

Kept my Interest

I only listen to my audio books when I'm exercising and this book made me want to exercise more often and longer just so I could listen more. Quite compelling and it kept my interest throughout the book.

Awesome

This one I could not stop. Excellent story and great narrative I would highly recommend this book to all listeners

Absoulte Power Corrupts Absoultely

What did you love best about Absolute Power?

The supense in this book makes it a page turner ... you can't put it down and you are never sure what will happen ... the author's knowledge of the White House and how political events impact critical decisions puts into play many possible outcomes which keeps you on the proverbial edge of your chair until the final page ... add personal conflicts and characters with strong personalities, you have a great story, a super read/listen, and a very enjoyable time!

What other book might you compare Absolute Power to and why?

"All The President's Men" ... because it is closely akin in detail and it is a story about a man who is bigger than life but so full of hubris that he is capable of doing great evil...

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Brick, as are almost all narrators I have listen to, is a polished story teller who is capable of making an exciting, suspensful story even more so with his verbal talent ... the best part of the audilbe boks is that it doesn't change your perspective from what you would have if you read the book ...it is very similar to listening to a radio show like they boradcasted in the '40's and, even though reading a book is most wonderful, listening to a well narrated story is equally wonderful plus it is much easier to listen to a book via your,ie, iphone than to sit down and turn pages .. just as good and easier to employ is a super way of doing anything!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book actually is frightening and that fright does scare you when you consider how one single person can have such dramatic impact upon you and your family ... for one person to have such great power is scary in the least ...

Any additional comments?

A great listen ... if you like intrigue, excitement, suspense you will totally enjoy this story!

Timely

Well, how do I say this?
I think we've. Gotten ourselves a bigger problem than a philanderer!

Great story, I enjoyed the twists and turns.

Highly recommend! This story had great twists and turns. I really enjoyed the storyline, and the performance was flawless.